To My Mother on her Birthday - By Jaha Zainabu

Take me back Take me back Take me back, dear Lord To the place Where I first received You Today I visited the church I grew up in. Against the folkways of the dress standard, I wore dashiki and blue jeans. This has been a year of confounding emotional backs and forths and I, to my own bewilderment,... Sign in to see full entry.

when my son was in the first grade he was in a math competition in his class. easy rules. whoever answered the math questions correctly first was the winner. the winner of this fierce competition, that lasted twenty minutes (maybe), would get a package of flexipencils. twelve of them. i mean,... Sign in to see full entry.

im going walking. God is good. God is good. i am at peace with my life. i love myself. i am happy with who i am. i am happy with who i am. *note here, the entries in your journal when youre reminding yourself of how happy you were over and over. sometimes you werent. Sign in to see full entry.

sometimes its in you / just in you / gotta come out / dont matter none / that it dont make sense to nobody / not even you / especially you it dont matter none / that you cant sing / or write a poem / tell no story / nothin like that what difference it make / dont nobody wanna hear it / or if you... Sign in to see full entry.

the fall is the best time of year to me trees got red and yellow leaves and green got brown all in it and me i dont never rake no leaves let em all fall what i got to say about it my neighbors dont know which to do with me let em all fall let em fall in a million big ole piles and i go into my... Sign in to see full entry.

God holds the hearts of women in a special place / i feel / the benevolent eye that watches the sparrow / watches us / i know / still the conversations of victim / defeat / and not enough / show up / harmoniously / in whispers / often / today we understand / as if understanding were cure / through... Sign in to see full entry.

it comes most in the dark of morning / the remembering of stories you never had to tell / truths about daddy i would find out soon enough anyway / or not / luxuries you could not afford / because he gambled the check away sometimes / he chased women sometimes what you had to swallow / hearing us... Sign in to see full entry.