Onwardly
Believing
Always in
Miracles for
America
Copyrighted March 2007 Latorial Faison
3.25.2007
O. B. A. M. A.
by Latorial Faison
Onwardly
Believing
Always in
Miracles for
America
Copyrighted March 2007 Latorial Faison
Onwardly
Believing
Always in
Miracles for
America
Copyrighted March 2007 Latorial Faison
1.21.2007
Stupid Genius Girl
by Latorial Faison
you do not know
your left from right
yet you claim to know
the dark from light
you do not see
your inner truth
and you wear
ignorance
like a noose
you do not love
just don't know how
still you insist
on taking bows
your genius laced
in stupidity
is the making of
newfound tragedy
you do not know
your left from right
yet you claim to know
the dark from light
you do not see
your inner truth
and you wear
ignorance
like a noose
you do not love
just don't know how
still you insist
on taking bows
your genius laced
in stupidity
is the making of
newfound tragedy
1.09.2007
WHAT MANNER OF MAN WAS HE?
A TRIBUTE TO BOBBY SANDERS
COMMAND SERGEANT MAJOR, US ARMY RETIRED
by Latorial Faison, Poet, Author & Friend
Like a thief in the night
The Good Shepherd took him away
Left us many blazing trails
And so many noble words to say
He was more than just a man
He was humble and so loved
He was more than just a soldier
Who fought hard to rise above
He leaves accomplishments behind
That bring our hearts to ponder
And of his strength and determination
We are all left to wonder
What manner of man. . .
What manner of man was this
Who strived to walk the way of Christ
With patience and faithfulness
He leaves so much wisdom
And remedies from on high
We must hold fast to the memories
While deliverance is nigh
Bobby’s God is faithful
A mistake He could never make
He found comfort in God’s arms
He treasured every word He spake
And so he leaves us to tarry
In this world of uncertainty
But not without understanding
And a powerful legacy
What manner of man . . .
What manner of man was he
The kind of man who loved to give
And lived to see others free
Copyrighted © January 10, 2006 Latorial Faison
COMMAND SERGEANT MAJOR, US ARMY RETIRED
by Latorial Faison, Poet, Author & Friend
Like a thief in the night
The Good Shepherd took him away
Left us many blazing trails
And so many noble words to say
He was more than just a man
He was humble and so loved
He was more than just a soldier
Who fought hard to rise above
He leaves accomplishments behind
That bring our hearts to ponder
And of his strength and determination
We are all left to wonder
What manner of man. . .
What manner of man was this
Who strived to walk the way of Christ
With patience and faithfulness
He leaves so much wisdom
And remedies from on high
We must hold fast to the memories
While deliverance is nigh
Bobby’s God is faithful
A mistake He could never make
He found comfort in God’s arms
He treasured every word He spake
And so he leaves us to tarry
In this world of uncertainty
But not without understanding
And a powerful legacy
What manner of man . . .
What manner of man was he
The kind of man who loved to give
And lived to see others free
Copyrighted © January 10, 2006 Latorial Faison
1.01.2007
Fireflies
by Latorial Faison
trapped
yet trying
to escape
barriers
we can't see
in a place
where
darkness
fails to make
the acquaintance
of light
here
we forget
who
gave us
birth
here
we seek
solace
in straddling
a liar's
fence
lethargic
our lights
reveal
what must be
heaven
in us
as we
struggle
to succeed
rather
than to be
freed
Copyrighted December 2006 Latorial Faison
trapped
yet trying
to escape
barriers
we can't see
in a place
where
darkness
fails to make
the acquaintance
of light
here
we forget
who
gave us
birth
here
we seek
solace
in straddling
a liar's
fence
lethargic
our lights
reveal
what must be
heaven
in us
as we
struggle
to succeed
rather
than to be
freed
Copyrighted December 2006 Latorial Faison
Unorthodox
by Latorial Faison
it's unorthodox to say some things
those things from which salvation rings
i hate my life, don't need a man,
i can take care of myself, don't want children
it's not ladylike to travel roads
refusing man's twice fertile loads
it's crazy to be a single woman
they say being so is a bad omen
being orthodox, what does it mean?
that i should die before i dream
Copyrighted December 2006 Latorial Faison
it's unorthodox to say some things
those things from which salvation rings
i hate my life, don't need a man,
i can take care of myself, don't want children
it's not ladylike to travel roads
refusing man's twice fertile loads
it's crazy to be a single woman
they say being so is a bad omen
being orthodox, what does it mean?
that i should die before i dream
Copyrighted December 2006 Latorial Faison
For Such A Time As This Woman
by Latorial Faison
how dare we want to
venture outside of our homes
in pursuit of dreams
and why should we want
our own status and careers
we're just women
yet we're the strength
born second to men for such
a time as this woman
Copyright © December 2006 Latorial Faison
how dare we want to
venture outside of our homes
in pursuit of dreams
and why should we want
our own status and careers
we're just women
yet we're the strength
born second to men for such
a time as this woman
Copyright © December 2006 Latorial Faison
I Wear Pants
by Latorial Faison
i wear pants
to church, to work
some say I'm crazy
just gone berserk
i wear pants
sometimes in bed
i care not
what tradition says
i wear pants
just to make me smile
not because they are
the latest style
i wear pants
just to be free
not because i
long and search for me
i wear pants
they give me voice
i wear pants
it's my choice
Copyrighted December 2006 by Latorial Faison
i wear pants
to church, to work
some say I'm crazy
just gone berserk
i wear pants
sometimes in bed
i care not
what tradition says
i wear pants
just to make me smile
not because they are
the latest style
i wear pants
just to be free
not because i
long and search for me
i wear pants
they give me voice
i wear pants
it's my choice
Copyrighted December 2006 by Latorial Faison
12.22.2006
Timeshares
by Latorial Faison
another best kept secret
summers on beaches
resorts with jacuzzis
sand, waves and sunrays
winters in the mountains
skiing, snowboarding, snowtubing
heated pools and indoor water parks
get away and play
Copyright © December 2006 Latorial Faison
another best kept secret
summers on beaches
resorts with jacuzzis
sand, waves and sunrays
winters in the mountains
skiing, snowboarding, snowtubing
heated pools and indoor water parks
get away and play
Copyright © December 2006 Latorial Faison
9.26.2006
Tuesday Folder(s)
by Latorial Faison
Today is filed away rummaging
through Tuesday folders, checking
homework and raising eyebrows
at school work as the anxiety to see
more A's rises and falls.
We don't want to raise geniuses, but
what we want is to raise some kids
who will have half a chance in a world
in which they must give 200% to make
anything real happen.
Copyright © September 2006 Latorial Faison
Today is filed away rummaging
through Tuesday folders, checking
homework and raising eyebrows
at school work as the anxiety to see
more A's rises and falls.
We don't want to raise geniuses, but
what we want is to raise some kids
who will have half a chance in a world
in which they must give 200% to make
anything real happen.
Copyright © September 2006 Latorial Faison
9.10.2006
DC Cab Drivers
by Latorial Faison
curbside
they have conversations
smoking, posing, leaning
and shooting the breeze
on a September Sunday morning
somewhere, anywhere, everywhere
up and down Pennsylvania Avenue
two minutes from the White House
decades from the outhouse
proud men, foreign men
they have come
not to drive cabs
but to make a living
in a different kind of chaos
Copyright © September 2006 Latorial Faison
curbside
they have conversations
smoking, posing, leaning
and shooting the breeze
on a September Sunday morning
somewhere, anywhere, everywhere
up and down Pennsylvania Avenue
two minutes from the White House
decades from the outhouse
proud men, foreign men
they have come
not to drive cabs
but to make a living
in a different kind of chaos
Copyright © September 2006 Latorial Faison
9.06.2006
Afterglow
by Latorial Faison
tonight I just want to dream
not scream
of some place new
or some new scene
a sacred place to be with you
a quiet place for just us two
where as we touch
our love grows much
much more than we'd ever imagined
and all that we may have forgotten
because we are one
and though life often blocks our sun
we have learned to bask
and relax in the memories
days we left each other shimmering
in the afterglow for all we know
of the phenomenon
in love
Copyright © September 6, 2006 Latorial Faison
tonight I just want to dream
not scream
of some place new
or some new scene
a sacred place to be with you
a quiet place for just us two
where as we touch
our love grows much
much more than we'd ever imagined
and all that we may have forgotten
because we are one
and though life often blocks our sun
we have learned to bask
and relax in the memories
days we left each other shimmering
in the afterglow for all we know
of the phenomenon
in love
Copyright © September 6, 2006 Latorial Faison
6.06.2006
Married To Uncle Sam
by Latorial Faison
a funny poem . . .
I didn't realize that
When my parents gave me away
It wasn't to my husband
On my wedding day.
They gave me to someone else.
And I knew it was a shame
When one day I woke up to find
That I had married Uncle Sam
Our first year of marriage
Was spent nations apart
Man of my dreams miles away
But always in my heart
The next year took us
Into a southern state
Where I found it hard
To adjust and to relate
I wanted to find a job
That paid a good rate
Educated without experience
Would unemployment be my fate?
From temporary to part-time
Without a benefit in the world
Uncle Sam had just begun
To rearrange my world
With two college degrees
Hanging on the wall
I never guessed that employers
Would take so long to call
Two years and a baby later
We moved on to a new state
Where house work and babytalk
Was my clean slate
Words became wisdom
Poetry kept me from falling
But underneath the lyrics
Was my second calling
I wrote a book or two
And sold them now and then
Writing occupied my time
Until life could make amends
We were on the road again
Off to the heart of Texas
Where life got really hot
In the battle of the sexes
Every soldier at the Hood
Was preparing for Iraq
The career goals of spouses
Were tossed to the back
Wife and mother first
Any other calling last
A full-time job teaching
Was a thing of the past
Off to war he went
My husband or Uncle Sam
Again, I had to think,
"This marriage is a sham!"
It's hard to fit a mold
So I dare not even try
But I questioned Uncle Sam
And often asked him "Why?"
But I held on to my vows
And the man I married that day
For I knew he'd been kidnapped
By a man whose beard is gray
I'm always on the lookout
For yet another position
To find my life's work
Is my sole mission
I don't fit the stereotype
Of the average officer's spouse
Hosting coffees and teas
In my decorated military house
I'm a different kind of woman
With a different kind of goal
Who didn't fall in love with Uncle Sam
And pledge to, with him, grow old.
Copyright © June 2006 Latorial Faison
a funny poem . . .
I didn't realize that
When my parents gave me away
It wasn't to my husband
On my wedding day.
They gave me to someone else.
And I knew it was a shame
When one day I woke up to find
That I had married Uncle Sam
Our first year of marriage
Was spent nations apart
Man of my dreams miles away
But always in my heart
The next year took us
Into a southern state
Where I found it hard
To adjust and to relate
I wanted to find a job
That paid a good rate
Educated without experience
Would unemployment be my fate?
From temporary to part-time
Without a benefit in the world
Uncle Sam had just begun
To rearrange my world
With two college degrees
Hanging on the wall
I never guessed that employers
Would take so long to call
Two years and a baby later
We moved on to a new state
Where house work and babytalk
Was my clean slate
Words became wisdom
Poetry kept me from falling
But underneath the lyrics
Was my second calling
I wrote a book or two
And sold them now and then
Writing occupied my time
Until life could make amends
We were on the road again
Off to the heart of Texas
Where life got really hot
In the battle of the sexes
Every soldier at the Hood
Was preparing for Iraq
The career goals of spouses
Were tossed to the back
Wife and mother first
Any other calling last
A full-time job teaching
Was a thing of the past
Off to war he went
My husband or Uncle Sam
Again, I had to think,
"This marriage is a sham!"
It's hard to fit a mold
So I dare not even try
But I questioned Uncle Sam
And often asked him "Why?"
But I held on to my vows
And the man I married that day
For I knew he'd been kidnapped
By a man whose beard is gray
I'm always on the lookout
For yet another position
To find my life's work
Is my sole mission
I don't fit the stereotype
Of the average officer's spouse
Hosting coffees and teas
In my decorated military house
I'm a different kind of woman
With a different kind of goal
Who didn't fall in love with Uncle Sam
And pledge to, with him, grow old.
Copyright © June 2006 Latorial Faison
5.28.2006
April
by Latorial Faison
month of my birth
tell me my worth
paint pictures of memories
I've had on this earth
you're a poem
a love that's new,
shades of pink
and variations of blue
you bring the spring
and birds that sing
beautiful skies
and everything
Copyright © May 2006 Latorial Faison
month of my birth
tell me my worth
paint pictures of memories
I've had on this earth
you're a poem
a love that's new,
shades of pink
and variations of blue
you bring the spring
and birds that sing
beautiful skies
and everything
Copyright © May 2006 Latorial Faison
5.22.2006
A Poem for Seneca
by Latorial Faison
The brave show up in unforeseen places
in and out of uniform, out of breath and
unfortunately, out of time, sometimes
out of sight, out of mind, as darkness
invades this world
In the getting sometimes you get no time
to reflect on the second where it all went
wrong, where they did you more harm
than good, brothers and sisters living life
to the fullest cry
We weep for you and the unfulfilled life
of what could have been, a life that shall
never come to pass this tragic moment
that found you face to face with your foes,
your friends, your fellowmen
It's all a dream it seems, and tomorrow
wouldn't be too late for you to walk through
the door and kiss your baby, stop by to see
your parents and grandparents or smile
when you see your brothers
Copyright © May 2006 Latorial Faison
The brave show up in unforeseen places
in and out of uniform, out of breath and
unfortunately, out of time, sometimes
out of sight, out of mind, as darkness
invades this world
In the getting sometimes you get no time
to reflect on the second where it all went
wrong, where they did you more harm
than good, brothers and sisters living life
to the fullest cry
We weep for you and the unfulfilled life
of what could have been, a life that shall
never come to pass this tragic moment
that found you face to face with your foes,
your friends, your fellowmen
It's all a dream it seems, and tomorrow
wouldn't be too late for you to walk through
the door and kiss your baby, stop by to see
your parents and grandparents or smile
when you see your brothers
Copyright © May 2006 Latorial Faison
5.18.2006
The Devil's Loose
by Latorial Faison
Four walls have driven men mad
with every sin known to man, God
and the devil himself. We wonder
now in a W era if anything is real:
the economy, citizenship, money,
or miracles. Maybe it's all a big lie,
and Bush is the devil's pawn come
to bring the house down with about
a thousand other clowns in white
face who laugh at us as we pull up
to fill up wondering what tomorrow
will bring, $5.00 a gallon or the end.
Copyright © May 2006 Latorial Faison
Four walls have driven men mad
with every sin known to man, God
and the devil himself. We wonder
now in a W era if anything is real:
the economy, citizenship, money,
or miracles. Maybe it's all a big lie,
and Bush is the devil's pawn come
to bring the house down with about
a thousand other clowns in white
face who laugh at us as we pull up
to fill up wondering what tomorrow
will bring, $5.00 a gallon or the end.
Copyright © May 2006 Latorial Faison
5.17.2006
Silent Treatment
by Latorial Faison
something surfaces
inside me
lending my ears to
every distraction known to
nuptials
then
there is the thought of
rearranging our lives
entirely
around
this
moment of chaos where
everything seems like
nothing
true
Copyright © May 2006 Latorial Faison
something surfaces
inside me
lending my ears to
every distraction known to
nuptials
then
there is the thought of
rearranging our lives
entirely
around
this
moment of chaos where
everything seems like
nothing
true
Copyright © May 2006 Latorial Faison
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