In Honor of Our Veterans..We Honor You, and We Thank You

To the men and women who towed the line,

Walked on mines,

Kept watch through the night

Until the dawn’s early light.

To those who left family and friends behind,

Gave freely of their time.

To those who postponed their dreams

So we could know what freedom means.

How do we say thank you?

How do we repay a debt like yours?

You sailed to foreign shores

Never knowing if you would ever be back.

You came under constant attack,

But you never said no to the call.

You gave it your all.

The opportunities we enjoy

Came at great expense.

You provided our defense.

You bore the hurt and pain

Without shame,

Without fear.

Because of you, we are still here,

Standing strong on your behalf.

In your honor, we fly our flags at half-staff.

We raise our hands in salute to you,

Because this is what we do.

You are gone, but you will never be forgotten.

No, you will never be forgotten.

Every Memorial Day, you are there.

Every Independence Day you are there,

Every Veteran’s Day, you are there.

Every victory we celebrate, you are there.

Every flag that we raise,

Every moment of praise

Is not ours alone.
You have made America our home.

From every hillside and plain,

We proudly speak your name.

Because of you America is America,

And will always be, America.

Because of you, we can still sing of her spacious skies

And purple mountains majesty.

You made America the beautiful country we see.

America

Our country, our home

Because of you we can proudly sing,

Let freedom ring!

Long live freedom,

Long live liberty,

Long live America,

Our country, our home.

copyright 2015 Patricia Newman-Harris

Part 3--Only Love..All we Need is Love

People everywhere

need someone to care.

In a world without love

No one survives

No one can stay alive.

Until we function as one,

Peace will never come

Why is it so hard for us to see?

We are talking basic humanity.

No matter where we live,

No matter our circumstance,

We all deserve a chance.

You may think you have the homeless man beat,

But the face of the homeless changes all the time

It could be yours or mine.

We need to find common ground.

There is a sacred place where we all can abound.

If we think we can do it alone,

We may as well pack up and go home.

We don’t need a New Year’s resolution.

There is a solution.

The answer lies in the heavens above.

All we need-is love.

We don’t have to search our minds,

The answers ours to find.

We don’t need a fortune-teller

Or astrologist.

We don’t need a sociologist or psychologist.

There is no mystery,

No special key

To unlock a secret passage way

We can solve our problems today.

The answer has been here all the time

Written in verse and line.

We don’t have to solve the case.

It is as clear as the nose on our face.

There is no special fix,

No chemicals to mix

There is an answer.

There is a way.

Narrow is the road that leads therein,

It won’t be known by all men.

Only those who hear the call

Will see the light.

Others will spend a lifetime

Hopelessly searching for the light

When the answer has been there all the time

Written in verse and line.

The answer lies in the heavens above

All we need is love.

copyright 2015 Patricia Newman-Harris

What is My Name?--Part Two of Only Love Series

I raised my head long ago

I’ve taken the life of people you well-know.

Great men have died at my hands,

Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy,

Medgar Evers, Martin Luther King,

And Malcolm X.

You could be next.

One of my greatest kills

Was Emmett Till.

I travel the world over looking for a friend.

I enjoy watching innocent lives come to an end.

I create anger, frustration, division and schism.

My greatest accomplishment is racism.

I’ve started wars in every nation, country and land.

If it’s confusion you want, I’m your man.

No one is safe as long as I’m allowed to flourish.

I’ve never been malnourished.

I eat well everyday.

If you keep feeding me,

Your children will continue to be blown away;

There will be more and more Timothy McVeys.

Innocent lives will be lost.

You will pay the cost.

Children and babies have been taken in my name.

I have no shame.

Death is my game.

Hate is my name!

Copyright 2015 Patricia Newman Harris

Believe in Who You Are

Believe in Who You Are

Believe in who you are
And you will go far.
Not because I told you so,
But because you know.
Believe it.
Receive it.
Big, thin, tall,
Short or small;
Red, yellow brown, white or black
Your deck is stacked.
Height, color nor race
Defines your place.
Apart from these things, you can rise.
You can be anything you want to be;
Do anything you want to do.
No one can stop you except you.
No one can place limits on your dreams.
So, dream, dream, dream;
Soar, soar, soar;
Straight through that open door.
There is no one like you.
You are unique and perfect in your own way.
No one can take your faith away.
Believe it
Receive it
Not because I told you so,
But because you know.
Beauty comes in ever color of the rainbow
That is what makes it uniquely so.
You are beautiful.
You've got to know;
Not just because I told you so,
But because you know.

Copyright 2014 Patricia-Newman Harris, Living the Dream

Keep Knocking

In case you wonder why I started this poetry blog, it was to encourage others to follow their dreams.  I went through the greater part of my life missing out on opportunities due to feeling insecure in my own abilities.  Because of this, I missed out on a lot of things.  I've had a love and a passion for singing since I was very young, and I never allowed myself to pursue that passion.  Whatever your passion is, pursue it with your whole heart.  Never quit.  Door after door may close in your face, but just keep knock, knock, knocking on the door. 

When your hopes are crushed to the floor,
And you don't know what to do any more
You can have all you want and more
Just keep knock, knock, knocking on the door.
When it finally opens for you,
You can walk right on through.
If you land in the bottom four,
Don't worry about your score.
Inside you may be dying,
But never stop trying.
Rome wasn't built in a day
Your dreams may seem light years away,
But you will find what you are looking for.
Just keep knock, knock, knocking on the door.
When it seems as if your faith is shattered,
And all your dreams begin to scatter,
Don't give up.
Don't give in.
One day you will win.
Don't become discouraged by the wait.
Keep the faith!
Fear is nothing but a word.
Your prayers have been heard.
God knows every dream that belongs to you.
He wants to make your dreams come true.
Trust and believe that he can.
He holds your future in his hands.
He will bring everything to past
Just remain steadfast.
You can have everything you want and more.
Just keep knock, knock, knocking on the door.
If you place your dreams in the hands of man,
Like words written in the sand,
They will wash away
The very same day.
When God writes your dreams on his heart,
They will never ever part.
Great things are yet in store.
Just keep knock, knock, knocking on the door.

Copyright 2014 by Patricia Newman-Harris, Living the Dream

Uniqueness of Life

The most beautiful things about us is that none of us are exactly the same.  God has given us the beauty of diversity.  Celebrate your creativity, celebrate your individuality, celebrate you in all your beauty.

Uniqueness of Life

The beauty of life is that God does nothing twice.
There is a uniqueness of life.
No two of us are exactly the same
In life, we have to make our own name.
I can't be you and you can't be me.
We have to plant our own tree.
You can't be Koby, Kareem, Stevie,
Oprah or Beyonce
Here's what I'm trying to say.
Do it your own way!
We enter this world with a clean slate.
Our time here on earth consists of what we create.
In time,
We will find our own design,
Harness our talent and make it out own.
Then, we have to water the seed we have sown.
Have faith in who you are
That one and only shining star
You, in your own individuality,
You, in your own, creativity.
If God has given you a song, sing your song.
If he has given you a picture to paint, paint your picture.
If he has given you a word to speak, speak the words he has given you.
Rest in the uniqueness of the gifts he has given you,
And your true spirit will not only shine through
God will earnestly bless everything you do.

Patricia Newman-Harris  copyright 2015

Tribute to Luther Vandross-My favorite balladeer

It's a little past the date of his death, July 1, but I came across this poem that I wrote a long time ago. 
Sometimes, you don't have to meet a person to feel their heart.  That is they way I felt about Luther Vandross.  I felt his heart through the words of his song.  Luther Vandross was my favorite singer.  Going to many of his concerts was a highpoint  in my life.  It's something I will always miss.  Those who know me well, know that he was, indeed, my Music Man.

Music Man

Music man, write a song for me
Play a tender rhapsody
Let my heart feel the rhythm of your melody.

Pluck my heart strings.
Make me feel like your Queen
Music man, play a song for me

Come be my private baladeer
Let your heartbeat play in my ear,
Music man, play a song for me.

Music man I want to hear you croon.
How you make me swoon.
Music man, sing a song for me

No need to write a symphony.
I simple "Du, du, du, du du" is enough for me.
Just write a song for me.

Music man say my name.
Things will never be the same
Just write a song for me.

Music man, let me be the mate of your soul.
Together, we will write a love story never told.
Write a song for me.

Gaze into my mind.
Love is all you'll find.
Together we can make sweet harmony
Just write a song for me.

Copyright Patricia Newman-Harris

This song is dedicated to all you Luther fans out there.

Gaze into my mind