Category Archives: Poetic Expressions

Strange Fruit of Peculiar Trees…

***The phrase “strange fruit” refers to the lynching of black people in the south during the first half of the 20th century. The term was inspired by a poem written by a teacher named Abel Meerpol, a Jewish man that belonged to the Communist party. He wrote a song  that was published in 1937, after viewing a graphic picture that vividly captured the inhumane acts of the lynching of black men. Sadly, lynching still occurs today, in the 21st century.

Strange fruit dangles from peculiar trees,

with the stench of injustice, still blowing in the breeze.

The sorrowful cries of souls oppressed,

swing to the rhythm of the times and growth unprocessed.

 Sometimes fruit falls away from the trees,

in hopes of a reprieve, another chance to ‘be’.

But fate often blows the strange fruit back,

to peculiar trees, so weathered and cracked.

Beaten and worn from the weight of many souls,

all the lives cut short and maturity stole.

If these fruit could speak, what would they say?

“Same fight, same struggle, just a different day.”

By Sylvia Porter-Hall

Free Images: Dreamstime.com & Google.com

Cotton Bleeds….

 

History-filled pages continuously bleed,

the crimson red truth of the cotton seed.

The relentless days of a ‘thankless’ job,

non-existent wages, for decades robbed.

To live another day, a bittersweet reward.

Oh, the power of prayer and one accord.

Prayers, hymns, the old negro spiritual,

survival tools of the daily ritual.

From the sweat of the brow to the aching feet,

 exhausting work that is never complete.

The silent suffering, harbored deep in the soul,

frame the unspoken stories that have yet to be told.

The fluffy white softness of a pristine look,

deceiving the eyes, of all the blood once took.

 The blood, sweat and tears that nurtured these seeds,

are painful reminders, that cotton does bleed.

By Sylvia Porter-Hall

Images: Free Google Images

Would You?

From the day of your arrival on to this earth,

people have cherished you.

Upon your death, would you want the same?

What would you want them to do?

Would you want the good that you have done,

to be fondly recollected?

Would you want your accomplishments accurately chronicled,

emphasizing the many you’ve affected?

It is hard to determine how this will go,

since you will no longer be here.

The wheel that you once sat behind,

now beyond your control to steer.

As you sit in the wings and watch this play out,

if you could, would you change a thing?

Would you be pleased with the bittersweet songs,

that mournful voices sing?

By Sylvia Porter-Hall

Numb…

Sometimes in life we just go numb,

emotionally drained, down to the last little crumb.

The pain of life is often too much,

open wounds are raw and sensitive to the touch.

But once people go numb, what does that mean?

How dull the senses, that once were keen?

Will the treatment of others continue to worsen?

The obvious affects on each and every person?

Once people are numb, can they ever come back,

from a road of darkness and eternal black?

Or is it a conscious choice that one makes,

to take the risk, putting everything at stake?

Upon their return, will they have changed?

Will their once dismal thoughts be newly arranged?

Only time will tell, a journey incomplete,

so tired the bodies and calloused feet.

At least when people are numb, they don’t have to feel,

the layers of pain that slough off and peel.

Maybe being numb is not such a bad thing.

It helps to soften the pain of life’s sting.

By Sylvia Porter-Hall

Quantam…

Consciousness consists of frequencies of quantum energy,

hidden to the naked eye, yet bouncing off every tangible surface.

Obscure in all of its power, stored up, pent up, built up.

Yearning to be freed from the invisible restraints that hold it hostage.

On the verge of breaking through to the thin, protective layers,

that separate its intangible existence, from its illusive reality.

By Sylvia Porter-Hall

To Whom Much is Given…

To whom much is given, much is required.

God supplies all of our needs, our deepest desires.

Through the roughest terrain,

the hottest of fires,

God always brings us through,

revealing the devil as a liar.

Every time we praise and give thanks to our Lord,

we rebuke the devil, the power of one accord.

So instead of wondering, why me?

Maybe the question should be why not?

Especially, when so much is required,

and we’ve indeed been given a lot!

By Sylvia Porter-Hall

A Heart in Bloom

 

 

A heart that blooms opens deep and wide,

unselfishly allowing love full entry inside.

With each new petal, aburst and new,

uncovers another colorful layer or two.

The secret cocooned and so well protected,

has been slowly revealed and carefully detected.

Love is in the air, which is the main reason,

a heart that blooms is always in season.

By Sylvia Porter-Hall

 

Every day is Mother’s Day

 

 

A designated day to commemorate

all the wonderful mothers.

A nice thought but these women

are mothers every day of the week.

Not just for one day

that has been decided on

as “the” day.

Mothers across the world

are holding things down

taking care of their families.

Some in school and holding down a 9-5

A friend, a daughter and so much more.

Mothers get up and do their duty

consistently and without a second thought.

Countless moments of frustration

and despair, as theirs is a huge undertaking.

And not everyone is a great mother.

But at the end of the day

they do the best they can

with what they have.

After all, that’s what a mother is…

one who makes things happen

no matter what the odds are.

A thankless job, motherhood can sometimes be

But a huge “thank you” is indeed in order.

By Sylvia Porter-Hall