The Bus Driver

It was a hot muggy august afternoon. As the bus pulled up, a cloud of red dust swirled around her. She hated that red dust. It always clung to her shoes and clothing staining it a rusty mud color that proved impossible to clean. The doors of the bus creaked open and she stared blankly at the bus driver, hoping that it was the right bus. The woman read her puzzled look and barked in a low voice "Olive branch middle school?" The frightened girl answered "yes". As she began to make her first step onto the bus the woman barked again "yes, WHAT?" The girls face looked even more puzzled than before and she stood there frozen frantically searching her brain for the "what" in question. Offended, the bus driver barked again "Yes ma'am." and glared at the girl as if she wanted to slap her right off the bus steps. "Yes ma'am" the girl repeated as she stepped onto the bus feeling as if the bus driver had just asked her to speak Chinese. It seemed strange to her, and she felt strange that she hadn't known better. She was in Olive Branch, Mississippi now, but her demeanor still screamed Yankee mulatto, even when her thick Midwestern accent didn't give it away. She sat down on the bus in a lone seat, unsure of what the rest of the day would bring.

An Ode To Chicago

Chicago birthed me
The land where my feet touched the earth
Me as a child in a city so wild
It never would desert me
With its skyscrapers
And landscapers
The city of risk takers
Money makers
City of dreams
Where we dress mean
And we walk meaner
And if you've seen her
You know she's the king
But I was taken from her
Warm embrace
To a new place
And I hardly remember
It was hot and dry and
I didn't know why
But I came right back
To your skyline
Then there was the time
I went to your neighbor
for a different flavor
it was terribly dry
So back we came
Into your arms again
And quenched my thirst
Where I drank first
My favorite urban wine
There was the place
Deep in the south
We found ourselves calling
Home for a while
I never smiled I was
Not alive
My life belonged
To the city I longed
I've left you again
My old friend
Off to somewhere new
To pursue
Those dreams that started wild
You watered them
And nurtured them
Beneath your skyline
Time after time
Cradled me in the arms
Your charms
Stay with me evermore
A chitown girl
At heart
With the world at her door

The Sea and the Desert

With her head down
She sat and pondered
Twirled her hair between her fingers
Her eyes fixed on nothing
And the thoughts began flooding her
As the water rose
She felt she would go under
So she reaches her hand across
To the place that made
Those thoughts quiet
As if she had pulled
A rough blanket over them
They were now a dull roar
As her fingers glided
Like so many times before
So sensitive
To every discovery
Each one was a stone
On a path that took her
Far, far away
From the rising waters
To a desert sand
Whose scorching heat
And harsh winds
Gave her only temporary relief
Until her thirst overcame her
And once more into the water
She had to plunge
She longed never to visit the desert
She longed to build a boat
That would carry her
Upon her sea
To a land with green pastures
Tall majestic mountains
With the streams and rivers
That may rush through her land
But could never swallow her
So she began to build
And when the water would rise
She picked up another plank
And kept building
And when she felt herself
Reaching for the desert
She swallowed the bitter sea water
Knowing one day she could drink
Of the fresh flowing waters of her stream
So she kept building
Because no matter how oppressive the waves
She could swim
The desert left her with nothing
Sucked her dry and left her a shell
So she kept building
In hopes of never again returning
To that desolate place
In fear that the sea
Would carry her away
She keeps building
For with each piece she builds
A little more of her was lifted
Out of the water
And onto the boat
And she rested
With each plank
She kept building

Little Sticky Note

A table full of
bright yellow sticky notes
lined with scribbled half sentences
scratched out and filled in
smudged blue fingers
rapidly peel away
the sticky thoughts
folding them gently
tucked away for
late night storms
and scattered release
when no one is around
when the shadows dance
upon the face of time
my face
it hides
between these lines
every word
shatters into a million
little pieces
bringing hope
fear
love
here on these notes
I write history
I write my story
I write eternity

Make It

Verse 1
This is the story of a girl
Born too soon into this world
On the first of the year
It only caused her mama tears
They said we're sorry ma'am
But we've done all we can
Your baby girl is fighting
But her body just can't take it
We're afraid that she just doesn't have the strength

Chorus
To make it, to make it
To make it, to make it
To make it, to make it
To make it, to make it

Verse 2
Fast forward a couple of years 
She so little with such big fears
From her daddy disowned
So her mama had to do it alone
But when he'd come around
He'd only beat her down
Her daddy didn't want her
And she could never shake it
With the love from her mama she was just gonna have 

Chorus
To make it, to make it
To make it, to make it
To make it, to make it
To make it, to make it

Verse 3
Forward a couple years more
She is feelin so insecure
She doesn't know her worth
Always feelin used and hurt
By people that she trusted
Now her heart is busted
But no one wants a damaged girl 
So she had to fake it
She thought if she did maybe she could find a way

Chorus
To make it, to make it
To make it, to make it
To make it, to make it
To make it, to make it

(Special Verse 4)
Now it's not enough
Now she acts so tough
But in her eyes you'll see
That girl who wished to be
Loved and protected
Not left and rejected
She's staring right back at me...

Verse 5
Now she's all grown up
She's found a better love
Cuz god gave her a gift
He gave her a voice to lift
The heartache and sorrow
The fears of tomorrow
Now she knows her worth
And she'll never forsake it
She learned to love herself and now she's got the strength

Chorus
To make it, to make it
To make it, to make it
To make it, to make it
To make it, to make it