poetry

2023 South Florida Writers Of Color Online Literary Magazine

A collection of poems, writings and gleanings from South Florida Writers of Color.

south-florida-writers-of-color-magazine-2023 Download

By Dr. Ralph Hogges

We Are The Others

By Dr. Ralph Hogges

Not only are the Powerful controlling and dictating the

Denials and Rejections of our quest for Freedom and Justice,

But are also adamantly opposed to Diversity, Unity, Inclusion and Equality.

Now is the Time.

This is our Moment,

For us, United, Organized, Energized and Mobilized,

To Confront and Defeat

Those who use their Power to Control and Dictate our Lives.

Let us remember the Biblical moment in the Bible wherein David stepped up and challenged the seemingly all powerful and invincible Philistine giant Goliath. There were those present who teased David and underestimated his courage and ability to defeat this giant that they all feared.

David was not a soldier.

He had no training in military weaponry.

He was not a boxer or wrestler.

He had neither a gun nor a sword.

He had only a sling and 5 stones.

Goliath had his armor and javelin.

As the battle of David and Goliath began,

David stepped up with Faith in the Power of God, and with a stone in his sling, he hurled it mightily to the center of Goliath’s head. Goliath fell to the ground, dead.

The Last Time I Cried

By Dr. Susan Lycett Davis

The last time I cried

It wasn’t this painful at all

The last time I cried

I sure wasn’t left folded in a ball!

But… Today I cried and it penetrated my soul

As the knee infiltrated the throat in the Fol’

… cause I mustered the courage to watch the tape

All sense of wonder and disbelief left me agape.

The thoughts that went through my head, where not Christian at all

So I feel for the masses who have no hope on which to fall.

Vengeance is mine says the Lord

But Father… I question real hard!

What about humanity, liberty and justice for all

Why are my black brothers taking he fall

People are people, good, bad or indifferent indeed

All genders, all colors, we are all from one ‘seed.’

Today I cried… no, I bawled for George Floyd,

And the ‘81 Black Men And Boys Killed By Police’, Lord!

For Trayvon, Ahmaud and others killed by racists beasts

For mother’s whose heart strings are torn in disbelief!

Black lives matter, All Lives matter

The pain is making me tatter.

Lord I know you are here… so hear my shout!

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH… WE’RE ALL CRIED OUT!!

The last time I cried

It wasn’t this painful at all

I’m trusting you Lord to bring vengeance fi true

‘Cause Comeuppance is well overdue!

Found Poem’s Literary Success

Success Strategies

Delightful collection of excerpts of 2016 Success writings in Found Poetic form. This dissipates a Renewal of the writings on Success Strategies blog pulled from youmy readers… and my top favs. Your thoughts welcomed amdist.. Cheers!

The Find

The Road to Success

It Starts with a Dream

Coach me! Top Questions Asked

Definitely Maybe

To Wither. To Flourish. Your Choice

Confusion is nothing new

To Reach Goal, Rid But

What If

I write Because

I hope you Dance

-Dr. Shelly Cameron

View original post

A Cup of Coffee

Success Strategies

coffe If we were having coffee right now I’d tell you how much I still love my delicious black tea. It seems I am never able to quiet my desire for that soothing hot taste. The drive and energy it gives reinvigorates my day. Sometimes I sneak away for fear of those questioning eyes saying…”what’s up with her and her constant commute to the coffee machine”? Forget them I say! I work more assiduously when I’m fully dosed up!

If we were having coffee right now, I’d tell you that I’ve started this …well not really started but revamped my blog. That said, WordPress has this amazing Blogging University which is available for those who are interested in pushing their personal writing careers up a notch. So I decided to enroll and have been doing so for the past six months. The thought came to me after I published my book on

View original post 246 more words

New Year’s Wish…

Wishing you joy that springs from deep within Wishing you brave heart that’s infinite
Wishing you love beyond measure
Wishing you smiles that’s hard to dissolve
Wishing you peace even when things go wrong
Wishing you God’s divine direction in all you do

May God grant your heart’s desire, throughout the new year and beyond.

Cheers!

The Poet’s Plight…

I buried myself in my work
To forget my woes
Now I must fight to get back to me

The Spoken Word: Women’s History Month’s Exciting Event…

It was such a pleasure to moderate the Exciting Women’s History Month event exceptionally hosted by Finiana at the Island Space Museum in South Florida.

National Caribbean American Heritage Month CARAH Entrepreneurship Awardee Dr. Solanges Viven mesmerized the packed audience telling tales from her Best selling book, Girls Can Move Mountains

The event connotated Art in its various forms shown through dance, drums, youth authors, and The Spoken word. It was all included in a delightful and entertaining form.

Indeed a delightful evening. Thanks Calibe, David and the Museum’s team for being the perfect host. Support the Island Museum, a rich piece of Caribbean history located at the Broward Mall, Plantation, South Florida.

Lucky Attendees walked away with copies of my own Books, 101+ Empowering Quotes for New Entrepreneurs as well as the book, Your Career: Ditch It. Switch It.

A Late January Evening By The Seashore…

By the sea I couldn’t wait to be. To sit causally on the sand. Me, towel, book and birds all in one as the mighty waves thundered and splashed against the seashore. The weather forecasted it would be the coldest day of the season. Disappointment soared at the spoilt prospect yet still I was determined to chill (literally).

I sat still gazing in the distance. Cold yet relaxed. It was as if there was not a care in the world. I watched the little bird hunt its food fighting against the rushing waves as it eroded the shore. “Give up,” I shouted. But it didn’t as it tried again and again to grab another peck, and another peck. It’s little body was no match for the cold windy weather, but it was yet to give up.

That Smile

That smile… my smile, as usual with it’s pleasantries drew in passersby. Many waved hello and flashed smiles in turn. Then along came an aged one. She spilt her life story in 20 long minutes. Deflecting, I was pleased to have been there to allow her tales of melancholy. A journey of sickness, travel and friendships throughout the years. Amidst her quiet tears and outstretched arms, a flash hug ensued (but alas what of Covid?!) she eventually walked on.

As the sun set, what more could I ask for? A late January evening of peace and quiet. Distant laughter reigned from sultry beach lovers against the sounds as the mighty sunset waves splashed!

Do it again I mused. Tis pure bliss of memories made in tow.

Your Reader’s Gift …

Do you know why some people succeed while others don’t? It’s simple. They never give up.

People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily. – Zig Ziglar

Motivation And Success. The Link

Motivation is important to success. Give a push start or a power boost to a struggling entrepreneur today. 101+ Empowering Quotes For New Entrepreneurs will ignite their new year with the desire to keep going when they feel like giving up.

Successful people press on when the going gets tough and they become discouraged. J. K. Rowling

The Meaningful Job Decision

Did I make the right choice when I was headhunted? Selena revealed that her 9-to-5 job was an exciting rollercoaster journey. Four years earlier, she was headhunted by a giant company to manage its flagship location. They had called her many times, but she avoided interview invites because of her job’s loyalty. She was not sure how to tell them that she had landed a new opportunity. As time progressed, she went away to a distant country then returned to her home country, hoping that the headhunter would have forgotten, but they had not. On arrival back home, she was invited to an interview. This time she went. Not surprisingly, she was offered the job at twice the salary.

Help someone you know move on from a difficult, stressful job. It might just be that they have been doing the job for 5, 10, 15 years and just want a change. With the book Ditch it, Switch it, you’re sure to give them the ignition to make the decision as they step into the new year.

Quiet Peace In The Midst of Life’s Storm

At three in the morning I received the most devastating news. My daughter’s Godmother had lost her 15-year-old granddaughter. She had died of a massive Asthma attack. I screamed—quietly. I asked the Lord why, why, why? I did not understand. As I sought answers, her aunt encouraged that she did not understand either, but she was safe in the Lord’s loving arms.

Months later as the still grieving mom received a copy of the book My Safe Place, she sat feeling comforted. It brought a sense of peace that quieted her heart. Consider those who mourn this holiday season. Give the gift of prayer and daily inspiration to those who are hurting from sickness, mental incarceration, and loss. GreenLight and My Safe place provides that comfort. Gift it now.

A poet’s work … to name the unnamable, to point at frauds, to take sides, start arguments, shape the world, and stop it from going to sleep
Salman Rushdie

Poems revive the soul and encourage the heart. Charmaine speaks these in her book I write. You Recite.

Purpose And Meaning

Nothing brings me more joy than a life dedicated to the personal growth and development of others. Life is about helping others along life’s way. Choose your book today and make a difference in the lives of your friends, family or foe.

Over To You

Which book has made an impact on your life? Do share, we would love to hear.

Cheers

Error In A Published Work? 3 Things To Do…

Finding A Book Error

Your book is published, yea!

It’s an outstanding achievement especially for a first time author. Be proud of yourself. But then patrons buy your book and later a reader finds an error or worse–two. It may be his/her interpretation but an error none-the-less. You feel sad. Down. Disappointed in yourself. How could that happen? But before you throw in the ‘author’ towel, here are 3 simple things to do.

Write Quality Books

Write quality books. I can’t stress that enough. Those of you who have worked with me know that is most important. It makes the difference in the success of your product. Quality means, professionally done book cover, formatting, editing and more

Edit. Edit. Edit Some More

Of prime importance is the editing. Nothing is more distasteful than a product that wherever you read, you find errors. That being said, in professionally published books… be it traditional or self-published, you may find errors. That’s the reason reviewing your work with an editor is so important. These days errors are found even in the media. But the great thing now with the media is that it’s mainly online in many cases. Often in their haste to get the news out, they falter. But with online, errors can easily be edited and republished fast. In a printed book, this can also be done so get in touch with your publisher for immediate correction. If self-published, correct the manuscript and republish.

There Will Always Be Haters

Accept the fact. Know that you will always have haters and especially in Poetry, it’s your interpretation, your craft. If the errors are not spelling, then some will still complain because you write as you ‘see’ things.

So in summary, keep your head up. Do something about the complaint. Validate it and if its a fact, correct it. Then move on to writing and publishing your next book. Remember, life is filled with ups and downs. But it’s what you do about it that counts.

Need to write your book? Let’s connect.

Cheers!

^{Note this discussion does not go in-depth into writing and correcting errors. It is written as a simple recommendation to uplift and rebuild the new author’s inner drive to continue his/her craft}.

We Are The Caribbean

As we commemorate National Caribbean American Heritage Month, the tribute written by talented Poet Charmaine Allwood-Hanson sums up the history and cultural perspective. Be intrigued as you read.

I Speak. You Read.

WE ARE THE CARIBBEAN
COUNTRIES AND ISLANDS
CONNECTED BY THIS VAST BLUE SEA
PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT RACES
RELIGIONS AND CREEDS

WE ARE THE CARIBBEAN
A GREAT MELTING POT
BRED FROM SLAVES, COLONIZERS
MERCHANTS, INDENTURED LABORERS
AND INDIGENOUS TRIBES
CULTURALLY WE ARE SO DIVERSIFIED

WE SPEAK ENGLISH, FRENCH
SPANISH AND DUTCH
PATOIS AND CREOLE
OUR LANGUAGES EMBODY
THE NEW AND THE OLD

WE ARE THE CARIBBEAN
OVER 26 NATIONS STRONG
LET ME NAME A FEW
AS THE LIST IS LONG

WE ARE GUYANESE, BARBADIAN
BELIZEANS AND JAMAICANS
PANAMANIANS, HAITIANS AND GRENADIANS
CUBANS, DOMINICANS, AND ANGUILLANS
WE ARE THE NATIONS OF ST. VINCENT
MONTSERRAT AND MARTINIQUE
WE ARE COUNTRIES, SMALL AND LARGE ISLANDS
WHICH MAKES OUR REGION UNIQUE

WE HAVE MOUNTAINS, VOLCANOES AND TOURIST RESORTS
WATERFALLS, HEALING AND HEALTH SPAS
TOP NOTCH SCHOOLS AND UNIVERSITIES
WE ARE KNOWN FOR OUR DIVERSITIES

WE HAVE MANY HISTORICAL SITES
WE TRADE TOBACCO, SUGAR AND BANANAS…

View original post 177 more words

Quiet Isn’t Always Peace…

Deep thought. Articulate she was as she shared her soul searching work to a global audience captivated by her eloquence during the historic inauguration As a writer and lover of words like she is, how could I resist the opportunity to share the work of a Quiet Storm, Amanda Gorman.

The Hill We Climb
by Amanda Gorman, USA Youth Poet Laureate

When day comes, we ask ourselves where can we find light in this never-ending shade?

The loss we carry, a sea we must wade.
We’ve braved the belly of the beast.
We’ve learned that quiet isn’t always peace, and the norms and notions of what “just” is isn’t always justice.

And yet, the dawn is ours before we knew it.
Somehow we do it.
Somehow we’ve weathered and witnessed a nation that isn’t broken,
but simply unfinished.

We, the successors of a country and a time where a skinny Black girl descended from slaves and raised by a single mother can dream of becoming president, only to find herself reciting for one.

‘This is our historic moment of crisis and challenge’: Joe Biden calls for unity in first speech as president – live

And yes, we are far from polished, far from pristine, but that doesn’t mean we are striving to form a union that is perfect.
We are striving to forge our union with purpose.

To compose a country committed to all cultures, colors, characters, and conditions of man.

And so we lift our gazes not to what stands between us, but what stands before us.

We close the divide because we know, to put our future first, we must first put our differences aside.

We lay down our arms so we can reach out our arms to one another.
We seek harm to none and harmony for all.
Let the globe, if nothing else, say this is true:
That even as we grieved, we grew.
That even as we hurt, we hoped.
That even as we tired, we tried.
That we’ll forever be tied together, victorious.
Not because we will never again know defeat, but because we will never again sow division.

Some Die So Others Can Live. The Death That Created Success…

The difference some people make comes alive after they are gone. Sad but true.
S. Cameron

Martin Luther King, Jr., was a Baptist minister and leader extraordinaire. His death catapulted a movement so others could live. The more recent deaths of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and many others who lost their lives and in their deaths they made an impact. Their deaths made others live.

It causes us to wonder if some people are born with the purpose to make a difference after death. We think of children. Amber alert was created after little Amber died after being abducted. Sad but her death encouraged changes that saved the lives of others.

Sadly, it is in death that we understand. Only after some die that we understand the purpose of life. Today I encourage you to look back on your life. Try to understand your purpose. Are you on the path that leads you to making a difference?

Reflect. Think about your purpose. Why are you here? While you’re at it, reflect on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s last speech. It depicted a leader who had attain his true purpose.