Is it a bird?
Or is it a plane?

It's… It's… It's…

It's no limit to your dreams,
What you so desire to aspire to be,
All you must do as hard as it seems
Is believe that you can succeed;
Others may try to hinder you stride,
Some will so much as doubt you indeed,
But you cannot surrender to kryptonite,
Because I see the superwoman you are to me.

Dignified, poised, strong,
A superwoman you are to see;
Confident, able, young,
The superwoman you are to me;
What a superwoman, to the rescue
Even for villains whose ridicules tested you,
They cannot outwit the superwoman..
You are to me.

You have been mistreated,
By slander, blackmail, and betrayal;
Somehow you still stand undefeated,
No one has seized you to fail;
You are a heroine, a matriarch
A woman of admiration in any degree;
Willing to give and help from your heart,
And that's the superwoman you are to me.

Dignified, poised, strong,
A superwoman you are to see;
Confident, able, young,
The superwoman you are to me;
What a superwoman, to the rescue
Even for villains whose ridicules tested you,
They cannot outwit the superwoman..
You are to me.

It's Superwoman!!!

He was gone .. with the desolation the disaster had bought. Her heart had poured out along with the numbness flowing in the veins leaving her pale.                            
taking away the felicity ,she is best known for, like the waves those erase the footprints alongside the shore,Washing away the long walks of joy. Dessension along the years in cold, did not bring back her smile                                    
But it did make her a superwoman he always said she was.

Two drinks in and all my thoughts are racing.
But for once it's almost positive,
instead of mostly negative.
I know I'll always have my issues,
my mistakes are who I am.
But why should I let them break me
instead of push me ahead?

There will never be a moment
where I don't remember his face;
sweaty and contorted
forcing me to keep silent.
Or his hands around my neck
and the darkness closing in.

But he's not here anymore,
and the torment is all over.
I have people surrounding me
who love me for everything and anything.

And there won't be a day that passes
where I don't remember the love
of me and Josh sitting on that hill
watching the sunset sink beneath the clouds.
I can never forget that sacrifice,
of a young life lost to save another.

But in my memory he will stay,
because I have someone who cares.
Who knows all of my faults,
and wants to help through the pain.

And I have my friends
who only want the best for me.
Who listen when I talk,
laugh at my corny jokes
and love me for who I am.

I will never be perfect,
but I need to stop trying.
Imperfect is beautiful,
and I'm starting to see my beauty.

The scars will remain,
white and raised against my skin.
But they're reminders of a past
that changed my course of action.
The bones will never heal,
and the insults won't disappear.
But learning to live with them
is something within reach.

I'm not broken or damaged,
but pieces put together,
mended and healing.
I am superwoman.

Today I am superwoman,
I go to three jobs, one meeting, two classes
I wear five hats throughout the day.
I got those lovely eyebags as my trophy.

By being superwoman I accomplish anything,
everything that they told me I couldn't do.
I wanted to be in student government...
the popularity vote told me no but I showed them
I could do that too. They said you can't have everything
and here I am sitting with it all.

In this day of superpowers
I fly from class to job to job to job to meeting to home
but I am the most human today.

I laugh in the face of my fears of failure because I have already gotten on the road to success.
I cry because even I am entitled to a good cry every once in a while.
I am cranky because it evens out the crazy bubblyness that I always am.
I radiate happiness although I am drowning in work
I support and lean on those around me causing a tangled connection of love

In every capacity I am me, happy, sad, lethargic, energized, hyper, lost, leading.

In every Wednesday, I remember that my humanity all in itself makes me just as super human as the next girl or guy.

She was a great woman
A superwoman
She fought cancer
And won the first round

Alas, cancer found her again
She was defeated this time
She was a great woman
My superwoman

Heroic in dignity and glory,
Poise and posture,
No potion and spell,
She conquers the world.

That ; only mothers could do.

When I was younger my mom had a cape.
I used to believe she was some superhero that came and saved us whenever we needed.
And I can’t tell you how many times she came to my rescue.

Through scraped knees, broken hearts, blistered fingers and life changing conflicts, she was there holding out her hand.

I used to think my mother owned the world.
She had a way to make it seem like it stopped spinning when she tucked us in at night.
Like we were the only things that mattered when the moon fell.

She battled Love, proper balance and belonging for years. But I couldn’t be more appreciative that we were the motive behind her struggles.

She was a wrecking ball labeled with dedication.
Destroying buildings full of poverty and mental *******.
And she even helped clean up the debris.

I’ve never seen anyone stand so tall after being knocked down so many times. It makes me feel weightless in knowing I have such a gravity shifting role model.

So this Christmas I won’t wish for anything for myself.
I won’t ask for anything to help sort out my troubled thoughts or materialistic struggles.
And I certainly won’t entail anything that strays from you being the subject matter of today.

All I do ask is that you Love yourself as much as I Love you.

You are the strongest, most intelligent and most inspiring woman I will ever know and I’m so lucky to be able to call you my mother.
I am forever cherishing you bringing me into this world and raising me the way you have. I take lessons from you daily and I’ve ended up more than fine.

Thank you, for being you.
*I Love you, mom.

If our story lasted only an hour
I would turn the world back on its axis
Again and again
To live this moment
I would breathe it in
Live it out.

She delivered her speech
It made her look flawless
Without a screech she became dauntless
Worshipped by each
Insecurity became meaningless
But one thing made her heart melt
One thing called Love

I must confess, the position I was in was meant for no woman,
but I allowed a man, a demon, take control of me.
I never knew a man could hate so many, many women,
I never thought I would let a man take control of me.
A man of uncertainty —his true colors have always been wooded.
I was blind to the truth and I allowed his strings take control of me
No one believed that the devil was in him, no one saw how he was inhuman,
but I saw him for how he was. He started to lose control of me.
His anger rose like a steam engine, “**** you, woman!”
My own fight to take control only tightened his urge to take control of me.
You see? He was less than a man, the devil disguised as a churchman,
who prayed to evil to do anything he could to take control of me.
However… he could never break this superwoman,
he is dead in this life and he no longer has strings to take control of me.

I see her often ....struggling all alone.
A diaper bag, pocketbook and the baby.
The look of distress on her face as she pushes the stroller home.

She raises her child all by herself.
Her pockets are not overflowing ....which means she's lacking wealth.

She shuffles off to work each day.
She's wondering when they will increase the dollars in her pay.

Single mom to some, Superwoman to her kids.....no regrets, it is what it is.

How I admire her strength and drive.
She's strong during the day, but at night she cries.
This is not the way it was supposed to be.
My child should be seeing double not just me.

Her mind is steady racing, but this is not a race.
The thought started here and now it's in a different place.

The sacrifices and staying up late when her child is sick.
She's snapping pictures at Christmas time as her daughter opens presents left by jolly ole Saint Nick.

She's thankful for this precious jewel that she must shape and shine.
Smiling as she puts her child to bed, because she has to be at work by nine.

There's always something to be done, so there's not much time to sit.
This is a full time job and one which she can't quit.

The cooking, the cleaning and washing clothes,
she's looking for some tissues so she can wipe a runny nose.

She thinks she's a single mom, but that's not entirely true.
The Lord is guiding and assisting ....pulling her through.

Keep your head up and don't let anyone or anything bring you down.
A queen's crown belongs on her head.....not upon the ground.

A dedication to the single mother's........Thank you for all that you do and have done.

I try to hard to perfect it... someone has to notice my effort.
I drown my sorrows in a  book, cramming information into my "empty" mind according society.
I am on a high from caffeine , I have to be superwoman.. save the day, save the world and stuff...

I give my all , fight to the last second but my best is not good enough anymore. In my own highway of dreams I carry coffins of rejects.....
I am tired of writing my "wrongs" that society identified..
I am tired of being perfect and tired of being tired...

I was not good enough for my mother, who chose to find acceptance in a bottle...I had a boy for a father and a judge as society..
As time stands still I engrave all the "rejects" in my gravestone ....
Here lived a soul not goo enough for society..

I stand bu the coast and shut my eyes .. the breeze hits against my face and for a moment I feel free....
I take these white pills and for a moment I am free,,, acceptable..
I swim in these intoxicating liquid and for a second I am free... acceptable to society,, Good enough....

"Attacks me and hugs me
And forces the breathe out of me
Almost kills me
But kinda also loves me."

Isn't that the sweetest?

i used to think
that i was a tiny dancer
in a music box,
spinning and sparkling
in front of a little mirror,
and girls would make me dance
when they were at their worst,
i would dance and smile,
and their tears would dry,
and they would see their beauty
behind me,
but i was just looking in the wrong mirror.
i used to think i was
the dawn,
stretching out over the horizon,
untouchable,
but dusk came.
i used to call myself
superwoman (or supergirl, because i hadn't
grown up)
and i thought i was invincible,
but i broke my arm when i
ran towards the villain.
i used to say i was a pop-star,
with thousands of adoring fans,
until i realized only my mum
liked my singing.
and then i saw
a monster in the mirror,
and it consumed me for
what felt like forever,
until, finally,
i realized that i was a
tiny dancer,
and if i danced,
i could dry my own tears.
i was the dawn,
but i was also the dusk,
bringing stars to the
broken hearted
(bringing stars to myself)
and i wasn't superwoman,
or even supergirl,
but i could befriend her
and learn her ways.
and when i sang to
the people who mattered,
the people who i loved,
they were soothed,
they liked to hear me sing,
and all was well.
sometimes,
i can still see that monster,
but behind her is the girl
who i know i can be.

By: Reuben Paredes

Is not a thing?
But a special human being,
Who can do everything?
‘Cause she has something,
What to give and offer for others
When she is there, nothing to be bothers,
Doing multiple task,
Even without effort to ask,
Her special power is simple, that is to create,
Out of the box ideas is easy, for her to generate,
She is always there and keen to help,
Or even you don’t need to have a yelp,
A giver and savior of the day,
But also a solution that takes your worry away,
A strong as a steal that no one can break,
Yet, gives her heart of gold for all sake,
Her ability is extraordinary that you can imagine,
Only to inspired and dazed, her marvelous fine,
What a world can’t recognize a woman that so great,
Nor, the fantastic life, she is often feat,
And her superpower is to give unconditional love,
That you need to do is to possess it and have.

“Studying at ------- University
Would afford me so many opportunities
That I could not find elsewhere…”

Personal statements are always BS
Filled with flowery phrases that
No one
In her right mind would ever actually use
My sentences had started to look like
A thesaurus had come along
And vomited up last night's party all over them
Who even talks this way?
Who can take himself so seriously as to think
That his pompous-assery would go unnoticed?
Moreover,
Who seriously wants to read all of this
Pretentiousness
Splattered all over the page
As though some English major's senior thesis
Had been brutally murdered?

“I am ready to bring my own
Determination and
Motivation
Into the equation to improve the
Lives of patients.”

I am disgusted with myself
For trying so hard
To impress a committee of nameless, faceless
Academics
To convince them
With fancy words and pretty sentences
That I am the best person ever
The more I write
The more I wonder if it even matters
If it's really so important for me to become a
Well Connected PhD
Doctor of Philosophy
Engineer Extraordinaire
Patients are going to keep dying
And there's no guarantee I can do a **** thing about it

“The Institute of Biomedical Engineering teaches engineers
To work side by side with clinicians to deliver
Meaningful healthcare results.”

Meaningful
Healthcare
Results
What a wonderfully vague phrase
It means nothing, really
Not without context
But it's Impressive and Dynamic
A phrase a committee would salivate over
(Because "drool" is too simple a word for them)
It's not enough for me to just come out and say how
For my entire life
I've dreamed of myself as Superwoman
Armed with engineering skills and a well-stocked lab
Ready to take down human suffering
I just want to heal people
And blood makes me faint
So I can't be a doctor
But I know my way around a lab now
And I can make medicines
In fact, that's all I want to do
Is to make new, better medicines
To grow cells and tissues and cures in my bioreactors
To make someone, anyone's life a little less painful
And these things cannot be told in florid prose
Because these are the messy parts of life
These are the parts that ache and ooze and itch
Keeping us up all night
Until words blur together
And all that's left are limbs and bodies and faces
So you can throw your thesaurus out the window
Because it's of no use here
None of the BS is helping anyone
Pretty words aren't going to make
A failing heart grow back
And this personal statement isn't going to
Purge anyone's cancer from their veins
But this person
Untroubled by higher diction
Might just do something useful

I tell myself it will be alright
As I sit on my bed
Clutching my hair at the seems
Shaking my fists uncontrollably 
Feeling the hole in my heart run out of my eyes
Knowing once the ice breaks
The dogs will stop barking and clawing at the fences   
That jealousy must Go
Prowling the earth like a tiger in the jungle
I understand what power feels like  
Except my hunger is making me weak

i guess it was always this cold every
winter but i never fully realized 366 days
later this is exactly where i'd be again

i say goodbye to it every year and i
take whatever veil everyone makes for me
to throw it over

we all want to start over

but it's here that january starts to cry on my shoulder
i liked this shirt, and i liked to keep my heart on its sleeves
but i let her cry until i feel each shoulder freeze

knowing this year was a bad one and
that she's lost a lot

(this entire time i think: ***** you. ***** you for hurting her)
(but i also want her to forgive)

the entire time wishing i could have her back
and soon i'm having a panic attack

my hand over her now
under my breath i'm praying
i wish i could take the weight off her
i wish i had plainly had more
to offer
i wish i had it in me to say i could stop her

from everything but mostly from her own suffering
even months away i'm so ****** cursed
to already see the sadness buffering
her software overload

switching her hardware up thinking it would do us any good
when the world will still spin and the events planned
will still happen as they should

all i do is hold her and hold her fists
away from her eye
stop rubbing them while you cry
she said she'd have worried about wrinkles too
if she didn't plan to die

i'm getting too old to ask her to justify why

every year i get asked
  please won't you please
  keep this boulder?
i need it to stop me from getting older
please won't you please?     i want to stay on your shoulder

and every year she says:
don't **** my dream don't **** my hope don't **** my illusion
unless you want me dead too

i said this year i want this and i want you
but
keep that february away from me
if you want it gone i want
all of it gone

she said
i might not be right but i can tell that
that is wrong

(and she adds
i wish instead i was
left
cause i need you going and i need you gone)

but i'm
hanging tight
hoping my heavy burns down to your light

no , light
lightest lit light
stop me turning everything into
a fight

no light
isn't that winter?
yes
wake up
it's winter it's march

you know what i want to say?
i'm waiting for sweet april days
roll around fast paced craze
and all her showers i'm waiting for
i'm itching at stories because i can't wait for more
and thank april for the showers for the flowers for the
bloom for the
run around turn around
find yourself hanging on her
every move

till May said May
till May said
you may May
you may stay you may be mine
you, may,
be mine

you maybe
mine

you, maybe mine

just for a few days more

till june comes around to hack and **** up my door

unsturdy but there
one against the problems door against the thought door against
the dizzy door against the rot

so  hinges slipped and hinges slid
and nothing felt heavier than
my eyes, right shut close they did

i was holding in the only way i knew
i was keeping up before i blew

i was keeping in as much as i could
i was holding on more than i should

and tell july she was ugly

and tell her if i hadn't been too busy crying
and too busy sad
i would've been mad

dare she
did anyways
and poked me in the eye

she said

they have to be open

i said

you're the one trying to **** me now

she said august is here and
you missed it fighting

i said i missed myself
more than i could ever imagine
and i feel myself
on seven clouds
at once

she said i know who you're talking about and give her four days
she's going go away

i nodded
but i knew it couldn't be true
this was a form of me as much as it was all i cared to say i knew

till friend my friend called her friend to call my friend friend to call around and say that i found myself
at the edge of myself and i realized much of the ******* up and i realized more than sorry
and i remembered big guilt filling up pools of myself and
incapacity to swim and
overcrowding
means drowning

in august i remembered how ugly
i could be in the rawest form of myself

and i spent 2 weeks with my hands on a blade wondering
when the day would be that i'd ditch
the body

i was possessing feeling and thought and i was
something more than that

i was surprised to read in my journal that this was something i thought consistently about

so if i were to let go it'd be the body it'd be
the mind and i'd let them die
the only way my spirit could ever learn to fly

and body got weaker call me
weakest on the plane
but september came here right back and
she came back quite like the best
hug attack

no hack no more she said
no need for
a door

she came back to say i'm here! she came back to say i missed you!
and i missed her too i missed you so much i love
you so much i love myself i am superwoman i am
superwoman today

she said you are superwoman everyday jesus
christ you have no idea what you've missed

i said i love you i love you i love you don't you
dare go away

and friend called friend and friend called friend
till the sad came around to finally
shove me again

locker of myself i thought
bullies were insecure

but she looked me straight in the eyes with words
and a voice that made me know she was sure

i didn't even say hi to her this time
so don't give me crap
i hate her
as much as you do


and i was thinking out loud to my best friend to
please just make her go away make her go away

but stupid idea because i stayed for months
in a bed
with her
in my head

so month beat month till month turned month
happy birthday month happy
anniversary month
marking days
i knew what it
was for

and in october i swore i
was feeling it come on this year mild

but november was so cold and december
looks at me in that way that january felt
and i knew it wasn't innocent enough to leave me alone

i can't defend you january i am so sorry this is
so much bigger than both of us

i'm just so sorry to have not kept my promise to you

She rocks her cape with dignity
An air of quiet that leaves many in awe
Her hands itch at the sound of a battle cry
Her guilty pleasure;proving CANT is a myth.
She munches  daily on impossible
And looks in awe as the inches of self sacrifice bulge at her waistline.

After all she's been through
Though  deemed legendary
Arms toned with the weights of men she has been lifting
Her breast perfect pillows for the weary
Her eyes as round as the globe
Superwoman never learnt
You cant carry the world quite well
If your spine is cracked with the need of being saved as well

Tip of the hat in recognition
To all devoted women and mothers,
Your love, care,strength, and devotion
Knows no bound like earth's weather

Like the morning star you shine
And lit the path to life;
Like a great messiah you fine
Rest for the family you have.

The laughter of your children always
Excite you and fills you with joy.
Through thick and thing you always
Stick around to show your love;

You're an embodiment of life greatest gift;
For you're twenty persons in one for us:
You're a teacher and a great therapist,
You're a doctor and a great nurse ,

You're a achef and a great baker
You're a driver and a great instructor
You're a daughter and great mother
You're a guardian and a great protector

You're a supporter and great superwoman
You're a queen and a great matriarch
You're a home maker and a great career woman
You're an archetype of motherhood and matriarch.

Whoever said: "Jack of all trade master
Of none" has never met you, in your home;
Like the great Elephant matriarch You master
The best skills and route of motherhood.

There’s more where that came from
A bleeding heart was only the start,
The tears you cried late up at night,
Sad songs you sang till the morning rose,
Not that you’re weak-but let them continue to speak,
Had your heart broken and your love taken for granted,
Wore a smile every morning and faced the world even when deep down you wanted to pour out your heart and hope it eases the pain,
There’s more where that came from
I’m talking about your fierce,
Your ability to carry the whole world on your shoulders while making it look easy,
Let she be celebrated for her admirable super powers,
For she’s a superwoman

IF ONLY
If only my fridge spoke
It would tell me to go away.
Put the pie back on the shelf
And eat it another day.
If only my oven spoke
It would tell me to keep it clean
I try but it gets messy again
That is not me being mean.
If only my dishwasher spoke
It would tell me it has had enough
Fed up with ***** pots and pans
Fed up with being treated rough.
If only I were superwoman
I could get these jobs done
What I need is a superman
Wonder if h will ever come?

Have you ever thought or stopped to consider what a hero is ?
When I was little I always considered a hero someone like superman or superwoman.
Someone like spider-man.
Someone that swoops in and saves people..saves the city.
But that was when I was little.

No longer do I consider a hero that, for they are merely just figments of my imagination.
Now I consider hero's people that that have been here forever.
My hero is not the man with a cap, nor does he have superpowers.
My hero is an everyday person.
My hero works like a dog. Sure he looks a little worn, but you know what I like my hero like that.
My hero is simply a man. A man with a bald spot, crooked smile, greyish blue eyes. He is someone that dresses like a professor but in reality is a truck driver. He is someone that is as tough as an ox, but as gentile as a sheep. He is someone that has dealt with the good and bad times but still lives. He is like the shining knight in armor everyone wants. The one that protects. He has a heart of gold.
My hero is not a musician, nor is he anything less.
My hero is my father. The one I walk around in public with pride. He is the one I look up to, and will stand by and love him until only the memory of him is left. And When that day comes and from there on after I will love him no less.
Why?
Because he is my father and my one true hero. That's why.
There is no need for any other explanation.
It's that simple.

you are the single most difficult thing
i've ever had the curse of caring for

you're confusing and secretive and indecisive and insensitive
and the way you treat me, no one ever deserves to be treated

and at one point i fell hard
so so hard
yet i knew that they were just games
but why did it seem like i could never win?

it frustrated me like hell
because when i compete, i win
what the hell made you so special
that you could beat me in every single battle?
that i was willing to lose the war to you?

then i became angry
i wanted to take sweet revenge
my heart became cold
and it yearned to break yours

...or I thought it did

you're like that stray piece of hair
that never seems to stay where it should
you dont know where you stand in my life
yet you still barge in like you own it

and up to today i ask myself
why do i let you?

you are nothing great
you are nothing special
you are nothing
to me

and i know that i'm probably lying to myself
but you should know that although im a superwoman
whom you're stupid not to love
i'm getting tired too
and you, my kryptonite,
i will soon be immune to
because darling
i think i'm finally tired of loving you

I've been alone, waiting
for you
at home
I got no feel of the air no more
I turn off the radio
My ear sick of hearing love song all over the radio
I cannot find anymore
The zing we shared
Everything I think when wrong
Cause you are faking around me
Don't be afraid
I will superwoman
And
I'm gonna fly, fly, fly
million kilometers away from you

Her name was Molly
She was the eldest in a family of 6 ,
Her dad was an alcoholic and gambler
Her mom sold milk to make a living
She had 2 brothers who were too lazy to work or study
So, all the weight and expectations fell upon her
But she never complained, kept working diligently
She was a silent worker who never asked  for sympathy
She was a role model to her youngest sister
She was quite smart and intelligent,
Beautiful and brave,
She was unabashed and was down to earth
She completed her degree in nursing
Despite financial struggles, lack of support and misogyny
And became a successful nurse
She served people for 28 years without any protest
She taught me to be myself,and the virtue of patience
I consider myself blessed to be her son
I look up to her to this day...
She has sacrificed so much in her life
All she asked ever in return was to break stereotypes
And do things which no one will expect from you
Thank you ,mom for everything..

You've closed in on yourself,
like a butterfly that's gone back in to it's cocoon.
Like somebody whose seen the sickness in the world,
and wants to shut the door.
You've spent the past few weeks scrambling on your hands and knees,
picking up the pieces of your heart that she destroyed.
You've bound them back together with masking tape,
tight as you can with your now
weak
hands.
It's fragile.
You felt it's foundations tremble as I walked through your closed door,
and into your life.

I'm not going to hurt you.

Your skin that's so damp from all the crying,
is the opposite of my thirsty,
yearning body.
Your heart that is so delicate,
balancing on the precipice of
broken
and
fixed,
would fit perfectly inside my own
strong and
empty
one.
I want to show you how I can be your Superwoman,
how I'm ready and waiting to dash into the phone box,
and put on the cape.
I want you to remember how sweet life was when you first left the cocoon.
I'll fix your torn wings.
Step off the edge
and take the leap.
If you fall,
I'm there with my cape to catch you.
Let yourself love again.

I don't need you to rescue me
I'm no damsel in distress
I can take care of myself
I can get out of this mess.

As much as I want to be rescued
I can't let you save me all the time
I don't need a hero, I swear
I can get up this climb.

I wish I could just have no back bone
And let Superman rescue me from fall
But I'm too stubborn, and independent for that
I'm not some delicate china doll.

I'm a Superwoman myself
Even if I still know how to cry
I can take care of my problems
I don't need you to kiss them goodbye.

It would be nice, I must say
To have my life a clean slate
But that's something I have to do myself
Something that's part of my fate.

So you can kiss me Superman
But I won't let you save my day
I don't need your super powers
Go save someone else for a change.

I Hate you so.
Passion I feel.
I'll unwind you like bent steal.
I'll complain the whole time...

I'M no superwoman but I will be fine.

Unless you morph.  
Comorbidity would make you worse.
So, I'll focus on a hearse...
Anxiety, you could take me there if I let you.  
Your no depression- I'd never let you...
Many roots tangled so-
Still a solid foundation...(...)
Vacation?

Ugh,
I got this.
Felt like yesterday we was just spitting in the room
Now I'm 25 years old bout to be on the move
We both knew this was coming soon
But how come I can't quite say I'm excited, while lookin back at you?
Because things have to change and I know it hurts
Growing pains coming in, ****
I know they hurt
But the memories always will last and family remains my whole
And I'll never forget the one place that I will always call home.

I got few things to say before I go and fly away
I remember all the traditions, all the holidays
Remember the bunk bed being filled with me and Renee
Knowing santa was coming soon, as we tried to stay awake
Playing games till the sunrise with me and my brother
Coming home real late and just talking life with my mother.
Can't forget listening to tunes with my baby sis
****, those the moments I think imma really miss
But the memories always will last and family remains my whole
And I'll never forget the one place that I will always call home.

Let take ya back to the glory days
Friends knocking on my door to see if I can come out and play
Remember playing every sport till the sun went down
Trying HOLLA at all the girls when ever we'd walk to town
The block to the spot we was holding it down
No phones, no sense of time just on our bikes strolling around.
****, how things have changed
The stories I have would fill up this whole page
I'm proud of all them now and see them all making moves
It's just part of life, growing up. Imma miss ya and just hope we always stay cool. But the memories always will last and family remains my whole
And I'll never forget the one place that I will always call home.

I told myself I wouldn't breakdown in this last verse
But it's hard to walk away from the one place you'd always go first
Leaving at all the memories, **** that's the worst
I'm playing tough guy, I won't cry! Really internally I'm about to burst.
Time has past so fast when did I become this man?
Making momma proud of her first child has always been my plan
She told me "she's happy for me but gunna miss the conversations"
But she know my phone always on and her call, I'll be waiting
I dreamed of this moment and knew God wanted me patient
Held my breath for so long I nearly fainted, this was the piece work that I've always painted
Scared as hell and can't tell ya what's bout to come next
But I know life waitin for me and I can't wait for what comes next
Growth part of the journey
As its glory we're yearning
Thank you lord...I can finally feel my life start turning.
Took me out of the dark and let me see the brand new
Never give up when you're down, you can get back up. That all im tryna say to you
But the memories always will last and family remains my whole
And I'll never forget the one place that I will always call home.

(Turn the music off!)  
Yeah,
This is my last thing and I know God got a plan for me and I wanted to talk quick to my family tree
Thank ya for never quitting, giving up on me. I promise to take what all ya taught with me. Renee taught me to be calm, Cori showed me how to be free, Eric showed me how a brother can mean most to me.
All three ya always mean the most to me. If wasn't for your gifts, there would be no glow to me.
But last and not least gotta talk my mama
Superwoman! The one who put up with years of drama
Teaching me how to be strong and covered me with armor
"Be a good person" never wanted bad karma
We escaped the worst, you took me outta the Devils hurst. Seeing you cry by a man always felt the worst
I grew up strong because you always lead by example. Raising a man on her own must of been a handful!
But you created a gentleman and nice young man,
Who treats women with respect and does right when he can.
Mama you're my shining star and biggest fan.
You're the center piece to the puzzle of our amazing fam.
I promise I'll give back to you, gimmie time, watch your son become a good man.
As he leaves where he's from and goes off on his own,
Remember ya, no matter where ya go...there's no place like home. (Echos out)

What does it mean

To be a Mommy, a Mom, or a Mother?

A Mommy…carries you for nine months.
Her feet swell and she can’t sleep well.
She sings to her belly waiting for her miracle to come.
She rushes to the hospital, staying strong but scared all at once.
She lets your older sister hold you before she even does because your sister was so excited to finally have a little girl in the family.
She spends sleepless nights trying to persuade you to close your eyes.
She sings “You are My Sunshine,” “Once upon a Dream,” and “An Irish Lullaby” as you drift off to sleep with her comforting voice.
She cradles you in her arms, hoping the tight blanket wrapped around your tiny body will prevent you from growing up too soon.
She lets your hand go as you take your first steps, the little bells on your shoes jingling away.
She watches your bright eyes discover the dark world she was afraid to bring you into.
She teaches you everything she knows.
How to be kind, how to tie your shoes, how to apologize, and mean it.
She sits on the edge of the bed reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar and rewinds Mulan for the hundredth time that day.
She showers you with love and you don’t realize how lucky you are.
She holds your tiny hand in hers as she shows you what life has to offer.

A Mom…helps you with all the school projects you bring home, and let’s be honest, she does it all for you.
She picks you up from school every day, an hour after school was out. The teachers started to become accustom to this routine.
She makes dinner for you every night. You never went to bed hungry.
She asks you to pick up your toys and to not leave them laying around the house.
She scolds you for constantly picking on your little siblings.
She jams out to Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, and Eminem in her big red van with the windows rolled down on a warm summer day.
You stay up until the sun rises the next day watching whatever came on TV because you’re both night owls.
She makes you a pink heart shaped cake every year for your birthday decorated with your favorite princess figurines.
She reminds you when you get on her nerves that she gave you your life, and she can take it away.
She sits on the edge of the bed, blow drying your hair, while you doze off from the warmth and security of her love.
You look at her and know she is the woman you want to be one day, so you live each day with the kindness and compassion she bestowed upon you.
She is quiet but you’re too young to think anything of it besides being soft spoken and modeling yourself after her.

A Mother…reminds you to finish your homework before you watch TV.
She sits in the passenger seat, telling you every five seconds to “slow down” or “don’t get too close”.
She gets mad when you don’t help out around the house as much as you used to.
She says you spend too much time with your friends.
She’s waves proudly from the crowd as you walk across the stage, accepting your diploma.
She tells you, “Why don’t you pay for it? You have a job.”
She says you spend too much time with your boyfriend.
She tells you that you don’t need all that makeup to look pretty.
She asks you where you’re going but you just want to be independent.
She feels like her little girl is slipping away.
She sits on the edge of the bed, but this time you’re all grown.
You’ve been hurt badly. A cut so deep you think it won’t ever heal
You’ve been crying for days because a boy broke your heart.
You’re confused and lost. You feel like you could never be happy again.
She sits on the edge of the bed.
She listens as you sob, asking yourself what you ever did to deserve such cruelty, all the while still hoping he’ll take you back.
Then she tells you
About the boy that broke her heart.
How she thought that was the end for her. She didn’t want to go on after he left.
And then you realize that your mom is human.
She isn’t superwoman, a princess, or an angel.
No.
She’s you.
Because everything she’s experienced, she’s survived, and it made her the woman she is today. Faults and all.
And she raised you to be like her.
She raised you to realize that sorry little boys don’t deserve the time you give them.
She raised you to be strong, honest, loyal, and most importantly, kind.
And after that night, you never loved your mother more than you do now.
Because she’***** rock bottom, but survived.
And you now see the courageous woman that she is.
And one day, when you’re sitting on the edge of the bed singing to your daughter, “You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are grey. You’ll never know dear how much I love you. Please. Don’t take my sunshine away.” You realize that the sunshine doesn’t last forever, but it always comes back after the dark nights.

And after that dark night, the sun rose.
And you gave your mother a hug.
A real hug.
One like that little girl who called her mommy would give her.
Because you never want to lose your sunshine.

Happy Mother’s Day Mom.

Love,
Ashley

Hero

Who's gonna save me when I finish saving the world? They must forget im just a 17 year old girl, with strong tolerance, but is broken inside. A whole world to protect, but no one to listen to my fears at night. I can try to be the superwoman and put all of me on the line. But I'm scared of knowing when I need someone everyone runs and hides. Scared to face my demons because they have no idea of my struggles. A hug is all I need, just someone to pull me out of this big huddle with all these people tearing me apart limb by limb. Daddy's little girl, but I never even met a true man. A man to protect me, to love me, to hold me when I cry. I inherited all my moms burdens so my backs broken no one to carry this weight of this unbearable pain single black women face everyday.