Rise up!
     Take My Hand
           Rise Up!
                Though rocky crags
                     Surround You....
                          You walk
                              Sure-footed
                                 On
                                    Solid
                                       Ground.


                                                 cj 2016

886

These tested Our Horizon—
Then disappeared
As Birds before achieving
A Latitude.

Our Retrospection of Them
A fixed Delight,
But our Anticipation
A Dice—a Doubt—

Women have rights,
Right to life and right to speech
Rights to love and be loved

Feelings and emotions running wild,
Right to vote and be voted for
Feelings of happiness running high

Not to be harassed or blackmailed,
Not to be abused and relegated
Women think too
Respect the girl child,
And tender her
Give her the right words
And build her ego

if a man can lead the world,
A woman can heal the world

Professor Marylyn-dolly©

These serene days,
Where blue is the wind's muse
And Red the sea's Fume
Where white covers the skies
And grey, separates the cloud from the sky
These days of rushing hours,
Where Men are saddened from thoughs of yore
And children starving from pains of now

In these solemn days
And harsh nights
I will take my chances
And stand
Stand for what is right
In these days of colors

*Ovi Odiete©

Just in the pubs and clubs
******* our own gear around
Seemingly, always upstairs
For weddings and birthday parties
Sorting out miles of wires
Well-worked practise

But when those amps were turned on
With an audible amplified thud
As switches are flicked
And their lights gaze like tiny red eyes
That's when I am ready

First number and the drums and bass
Connect to create new heartbeats
And now I'm into it
Not the man in the mill anymore
I'm the frontman for the band
And the music soars through me

As the night goes on and grows
The crowd has grown and is dancing
Gaining energy from the music
And feeding it back to us in turn
Now THIS is being alive

And so it was

                                 By Phil Roberts

orange crush,
when we were born
sunkissed yellow rays peaked
in liquid shining brilliance
bubbling stardust
spilled down into puddles
rising in vibrance
until the world fizzed over

Speaking of broken hearts
and mended fenced in mem'ries  
I am painting skies
of tangerine, saffron
& an illuminated lilac hue
against the starkly contrasted crisp cornflower blue, stretching canvas that is
along with all the
other blindingly beautiful colors of a twilight sky

And those dripping cotton candy stratospheric clouds
Ice crystals freezing into supercooled
water droplets
Streaking the sky in cirrus whispers
..I hear them whisper, "hello"...

Blinding beauty
through unadulterated sunlight
I am fleeced like a lamb
watching in awe,
..in wonder
then stomping sounds
of coming thunder,

Finding depth and height
out  in the stratosphere
Blinded by the
After Light
or afterglow
affected by the amount of haze
I'm in a daze
...as I am reaching

High above the fading light
of a brilliant early fall sunset
I take a big breath
of that sumptuous air
and twirl my skirted legs
my painted toes
where I know
I am back
to solid ground

Appreciating the last time
I say sleep well
to you  my dear
summertimes sweet mem'ries
and the fun we had this year.

Cherie Nolan © 2016