"wdelany" poems
This skin I’m in….
Has taken time to understand, appreciate and heal
From the burden of deep pigmentation
See, growing up frustration and humiliation was my constant station
Called names like “blacky,” “midnight,” and “streetblack,”
I embraced the negativity and wore pain like a sack
I bore the brunt of racism taught within my own community
And there was no immunity for me
I could not escape this dark skin
From year to year
The torture became more severe
And my self-esteem almost ceased to exist
Because I saw myself the way others saw me
I began to speak the same negative words
Spewed by others to myself
This deep pigmentation lead to alienation
I truly hated my dark skin….
In high school, I decided to work on me
And not care so much about what others thought
I told myself that I was more than a conqueror
I spoke more positive words and
I thought the darkness of my skin, didn’t win
But I still got told that “I was cute to be dark,”
Could it be that I was just cute
Not focusing on dark or light?
That is when I begin to realize, this wasn’t my fight
It’s my job to build my own self-esteem
It’s right in the definition, it’s literally what it means
Self-Esteem is how you see yourself!
It’s then that I chose to embrace this dark skin
That absorbs the sun, shines like onyx,
Purifies like charcoal and stands regal like a raven
This skin I’m in has taught me how to soar to higher heights
Loving every step my chocolate blessed feet trod…
Mar 23, 2021
Mar 23, 2021 at 9:21 PM UTC
Love’s Great Fan
By: WDelany
Love’s great fan, I am
Though choices seem to reprimand me
Struggling, in-between constantly
Seeking me to alleviate life’s ailments
Yet stuck in a realm of consistent nothingness
Subject to blame
Cause I don’t see things the same
Fighting myself internally
Clinging to visions of what should be
Maybe the reality is it’s not for me
While loosening the clutch of his hand
I see the shell of a man
Who he once was he is no more
Struggling with perception and what life has in store
Desiring to be more than his choices
Yet unable to control those inner voices
And like sand through an hour glass
These are the days of his life
Seeking redemption in my hand
Steadily drowning in quicksand
Unable to subdue the tormented sounds of unrest
Keeps him stuck in this mess
The mess in not mine I confess
With it I cannot identify
So I try with great conviction
To place restrictions on what my heart feels
Cause heart and mind don’t see eye to eye
See I used to be on Ja’s
When I cry you cry tip
And I was the first one in line
For this unending roller coaster ride trip
Suffocating in this thing called relationship
But who was I relating with
Asphyxiated by drowning in caravans of quicksand
Stifled and tired of carrying the weight of us entirely
Maybe I’ll let it be
I feel like Cinque man, give us-“us free”
Picky, I am called now
For taking the time to peruse ways
And figure all intentions
Oh, not to mention
Looking through the eyes to the soul of a man
Though not tired of trying, Love
I am still a fan
Jan 28, 2014
Jan 28, 2014 at 9:04 PM UTC
The Answer to the Question Where Are You?
2010 WDelany
The Answer to the Question Where Are You?
2010 WDelany
Can you find me?
Clothed in layers and layers
Of heartaches I'd bared
After all these years and years
Of tears and frustration
Standing, patiently waiting
You'd find me
There trapped in a maze
Of both mediocre and hectic days
Used against me like a weapon
Entangled, inchoate searching
For some sort of direction
My personal hell became a comfort zone
Because at least it was my own
And every excuse to not change applied
Pity-parties shared made others subscribe
To my shaken perception
My spirit awaiting resurrection
Would count the tally marks
Like the wall of an inmate's cell
Trapped in my personal hell
Still, in my reality it was the only thing consistent
Challenging myself to not be resistant to change
I began to explore what I say
And the error of my ways
Discovered we all want change instantly
It takes hard work, perseverance and longevity
Prayer, faith and spirituality
What happens when what was once comfortable
Becomes intolerable
When what you believe and is pleasurable
You realize is fallible
Do you stay where you are and suffer for all eternity?
Or do you decide enough is enough
This life is no longer good for me
I allowed prayer and meditation
To be my medication
An antidote to remedy my every situation
God loves me enough to cover me with mercy and grace
Nothing and no one could compare or replace
God never forgot my every request
Just required me to reach for my best
Can you see me?
Letting go of past mistakes
Burying drama and old heartbreaks
Choosing where I go and where I stay
Consciously, each and every day
Shedding layers and layers
Of the tormented garments I chose to wear
In exchange for hope, self pride and growth
Because those are the things I am so worth
It's there you'll find me
Feb 8, 2014
Feb 8, 2014 at 2:05 AM UTC