A day where we lose people less,
Living life with spirit and careless.

Is 2016 truly the year most of us became restless,
Because we got the leader of hopeless?

Death of Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynold equated to year of relentless,
The fall of humanity and all that is good make us sleepless?

Stand before us that life has never been anything but senseless,
All action comes with reaction and all things are current living breathless.

Let us not forget to mourn for our past seamless of timeless,
but let us not dwell in sorrow and agony drunk hopeless or reckless.

Lets grasp life with fearless,
And accept the moment with purest act of passion celebrate life as life and time will come with to eventual lifeless,
While cherish moments as each moments is an another bliss of bless.

That ******
Cicada.
She won’t let me sleep.
She won’t let me sleep!

Won’t let me sleep –
When I’ve worked my shift,
I’ve paid my rent,
I’ve fluffed my pillow.

Won’t let me sleep –
In between harassment,
In between the bill collectors,
The brawls and the *******.

Won’t let me sleep –
When people fail,
When bombs fall
And children perish elsewhere.

She won’t let me sleep.
She won’t let me sleep!
That ******
Cicada.

She won’t let me sleep.

I guess its time to tip the flask
while taking up another task
writing down my hurt and pain
in messages, I bleed in vain.

Taking leave, I bid adieu
thanking them & thanking you
hope I find inspired thought
else it seems, it's all for naught?

Trouble brought by words we say,
or folded hands we teach & pray,
perhaps I'll write another day?

Until then, I say farewell,
in stories I may never tell,
intentions good, paving roads
we're hoping to relieve the load.

Kissed by luck & slapped by fate
I live by love, & not by hate
so here's to them & here's to you
something that we all must do
scraping off the sticky shoe
& all the nasty residue...

A poets heart is sometimes frail
while looking for the Holy Grail
in spinning webs, a haunting tale
this time of year reminds us all
someone must have quite the gaul,
to write of leaves and how they fall

Seems I've got a poetic curse,
I suppose that things,
they could be worse
keep on spilling, verse and verse

Lifting up the bones I bury,
digging  down can be quite scary
sometimes even slightly harry
even though I'm kinda wary

I write again for you.

Cherie Nolan

The Night of Ember
i brought out my Plight,
A taste from the fall.

Ovi Odiete

We have always been under the boot of men,
Giving them support till the end.

Even if we are treated like rugs,
We smile and hide our emotions in hugs.

We were raised in a world of cultural bias,
Leaving men with the highest.

Our voice is soft to calm and please,
But men are the hardest to appease.

We act unsure and not too bold,
Though men are blunt and can be cold.

Women can work above the rest,
yet men are still considered the best.

A man with women on his arms,
It's a compliment and does not harm.

She, the one at his side,
A *****, a crook along for the ride.

Women can stand as tall as men,
But are always pushed down or made to bend.

This plight, this fight must end soon,
for it will bring our unfortunate doom.

This balance is unjust and unfair,
So women, lets make them care.

I walk the street,or travel in a bus,
When I talk or I move,or even restrict myself to my groove
You stare me down with that glare of yours
You make me fall with that scowl of yours

I am your daughter,I am your wife,I am your mother
Every woman who goes through the plight

But worry not,O hungry men!
I rise..
And will keep rising
Stare me however much
I still will rise

You revile me,beat me and bring me to dust
You reprimand me with your words and the way you make me work

I am your wife,your servant or the page boy who runs for every errand
I am the beggar who clings to you for alms
I am the street dog injured by your harms

But worry not,O unthinking human heart!
I rise..
And will keep rising
Higher than the skies
I still will rise

Chained and fettered,by your iron shackles
You pull at my wrist with a freedom you burgled
And with bullets that on me you showered
You scorn me with your hatred
You trod me as if I'm dust

I am a slave,I am a Jew
I am a fat man and I am black too

But worry not still,O discriminating fool!
I rise..
And will keep rising
To infinity and to forever
I still will rise

And rise will I
Above your rebuking glares
Brighter than the lights
Till my halo makes you blind..

A poem you say
              that's what you need?
                      Indigo ink
                      forced out
                         I bleed
                  I feel this need
             on a Poet's paper chest
                    I am writing

                 It's spewing out
              composing it now
                 showing me how
      pounding sound upon my eardrums
                   in a constant,
           reverberating hummmmm
                    I cup my ears
      in every moment that I breathe
    my lungs are cloaked in darkness  
                          sheathed
                   I am suffocating

      As generations they are turned to dust
                     consumed by guilt
                              and fear
                              and lust
          in poetry my hearts been ******
               into the darkness I return
                           and wait

      Shattered glass in empty hallways
       Darkened Moon hangs in the sky
                     streaked in ink
                   it hangs upon us
           tender questions asking why
           looking at the flooded sky
                       I am asking

          Steering failure words we say
         In your wisdom words we pray
         Shine your light on us this day
                        I surrender

       As Human Blindness overflows
         and leveyed waters at my toes
      I want to swim in glistening wet
                 and clean from life
                       the sins and
                              sweat
         tamper sad and past regrets
                        I am forgiven

        as rain pours down so fast outside
           I hear my people's voices cry
                 and I am listening

      There's so much more left here to say
                please hear my voice
                        to all I pray
         as raining tears come out to play
                       I hear you

                   Pain comes down
                     lightning fears
                   flashing thunder
                     inside.... I peer
     inside the torn, dogeared and forgotten  
                burning pages of our minds
        and ticking past the hands of time
          as rain comes down in buckets
                         I am drowning

        Inside I think I'll find the truth
      with wisdom of my years and youth
            measuring all that I hear
          in time I hope all things be clear
                  are you listening too?
     wisdom falls from those who departed
                    my soul and spirit
                     duly outsmarted
                     chains released
        in lands my soul it goes  uncharted
                           I am free

                       Found the vein
                   that caused that pain
               and severed it's ugly head
                 releasing all its beauty
                and have laid it in a bed
                         It haunts me
                       I am dreaming
  
                       So as you read
                     just know I bleed
                 a poets blood like you
                  Our lives ...our hopes ..
                    our broken truths
                       I am learning

                       Into yearning
               honesty it pains my ears
         released in me my greatest fears
          in everything this sound is real
              .....      I am found.

  
       Something  that we all must do
                     plunging knife
                    this truth is true
             Telluric veins cascading red
         reflection of what mirrors said        
                  I see and I am blinded
                            
                        A poetic plight
                         taken flight
                             my truth
                            your truth
                            our truth
                        the Same Truth
                            and now
                        I  understand

                     I'd never dare
                  to share or care
           unless inside poetic minds
        unbroken by the hands of time
                      I am writing

        This crimson river ever flowing  
     our knowledge  we are ever knowing  
             has breached the banks
                   filled up this tank
                            I am full

       Pouring drifting seas and oceans
     Crashing rocks and bottle broken
               resting on a poet island
                     I am breathing

        I see my hand it waves saluting
     the arrival of  sun ...it has begun,

             as pain becomes a river
                     of our sins
                     and sacrifices
            victories and the costly prices
            outside it rains again today
         I am drenched in clean waters

                   I am soaked in love
         And thanking all this gift above                  
            Hearing my Poetic Plight
      say thank you for this inner light
                awakened as my heart
             on angels wings takes flight

       Releasing all its Inner brightness
on the heady winds of shadows darkness  
                    slow encroaching
                   stabbed by daggers
         evil, jealous angry poaching
                          I am bare

         What is taken from the pages
        Gifts from those imparted sages
        written with a hand enlightened
               Penning ...trembling
                      awake and
                        frightened
                      I am hoping

                      I am whole
               grateful to be home.

Cherie Nolan © 2016

Grab my hand now, lead me into your beautiful fields
Lay me down, show me the clouds
Rip off my darkened shroud
Make me lower my defensive shields

Make my mind take flight, soaring ubove my plight
Crease my body till it's in convulsions
Look deep into my eye's till my whole being pulses
Not caring if it's wrong or right

I cry to you, take me away for just a night
Leave me withering, in massive longing
As you torturer me with your taunting
But you don't have to I'll just sink back out of sight