Holla!

hoLLa
a collection
of
womenz
Wordz
!
Holla!
A Collection of Womenz Wordz
First paperback edition published by
Literature for Life
215 Spadina Ave. suite 162 Toronto, ON M5T 2C7
416-203-9830/ fax: 416-979-3936
www.literatureforlife.org
womenzwordz.wordpress.com
Motion, editor
illustration by Amber Williams King
book design by riad
Copyright 2011 Literature for Life. All rights reserved. No part of this
publication may be photocopied, reproduced, stored in a retreval system,
or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical or
otherwise, without the permission of the publisher, except for the brief
passages quoted for review purposes. Copyrights for individual poems
remain with the authors.
Printed and bound in Canada by Q Print
www.qprint.ca
Thank U
The CREaToR
Literature For Life
Women Moving Forward
1900 Sheppard ave West
Humewood House
Verle Thompson
Jemini
riad
anna Piszczkiewicz
a Different Booklist
our Families
our Children
and all the Women With Wordz
Table of Contents
8
Intro
She Stanzas
Women’s Words
Everything
I am
I am
I am
Sadness
Procrastination
9
Rootz Kizzy
Shanae
Makida
Rochelle
Georgina
Georgina
Shanae
InkRhythm
Nas
DanceParty
Dub Insomnia
Ingoma
King on His Throne
18
Chauncey
Whitney
amber
Rootz Kizzy
Raine
Seeds
Rage
Children’s Story
Crayons
Hailey
Mom’s Grand Plan
Terminate
Untitled
Happiness
Red
17 Syllables
BEginning
Rage
Red Dress
3 a.m.
Empty Fills
My attitude
Scribbles
26
Makida
Makida
Whitney
Shanae
Rochelle
Whitney
Niki
Maltia
37
Womenz Wordz
Niki
Gabriella & Rochelle
Miss Cola
amber
Rootz Kizzy
Niki
amber
Meta4
Zig Zag
Roof & Ground
ode 2 Clyde
Yellow
Sunn/Rayn
47
ashley
Rochelle
Miss Cola
Whitney
Raine
Luv
Untitled
Hennessey
Feverish Buzz
Telephone Booth
36 Finch West
Subway Love
53
ashley
amber
Shanae
ashley
Makida
Miss Cola
Vizion
True Beauty
Roots & Culture
When SiStars Speak
The Walk
Lucid Dreams
This is for the Young ones
60
Niki
Rochelle
Rootz Kizzy
Latoya
Stephanie
Shanae
the authors
outro
68
70
Intro
It is a powerful thing when women come together: to share
stories, document their histories, rewrite their futures. Through
writing, reading, telling, speaking, a Sisterhood grows - a
sacred space, a safety, a push, a pull, a birthing, a circle of
support, challenge, healing.
Womenz Wordz presents a new collection, a coming together
of realness, reflection, rant and rave. The wordz whisper, shout,
caress and kick, remember and envision, tempt and testify.
These wordz can not be silent. From seeds in the mind to the
ink of pen tips, to the flowing, roaring rhythm of the lips, these
wordz Holla! These wordz were born to be heard. Love,
passion, anger, elevation, exclamation: proudly presenting
Womenz Wordz.
Motion
Toronto, 2011
SheStanzas
SheStanzas
10
Womens Words
They bring life to souls who possess the will to be physical.
They bring tears and laughter simultaneously.
Emotions deep like the atlantic,
Run long up the river Nile.
Back to the dayz when Queens were Heads of the army,
Giving commands and strategies
That led nations to victory!
Bringing about the revolution of Womens' Rights being respected.
Telling stories of struggles, expectations and rejections.
Her wordz bring power to a nation.
Give inspiration and motivation to a Woman like me.
Womens wordz are a gateway for love, for truth, for peace, for freedom, for justice.
Womens Wordz will not go unheard.
by Rootz Kizzy
SheStanzas
11
Everything
I am the King, the Queen and Everything in between
I am the Pedestal on which you stand just so you can be seen
I am the Fuel to your fire
The Need in your every desire
But yet, faithful complier
Cause I am the King, the Queen and Everything in between
I am the person you depend on
The person you should lean on, the counselor you confide in
I am neither left nor right hand
I am Both Hands, Understand?
Neither one nor the other but both
Your Sister and your Lover
by Shanae
12
SheStanzas
I am
I am the brown church
Bus stop across the street
Snow
Footprints
Cigarette butts
Cars, traffic, people
I am oxtail
The soft carrots
The juicy oxtail meat, hmm how it melts in you mouth
The flavors- the hot yet sweet
The lil dumplins inside
The wet gravy
I am passion
Freedom
Companionship
Genuine
Uniqueness
Success
I am Guh Deh !
Yes, man Drop!
Mommm
Uhhh
DaH
Watch yah!
Like!
are you serious?
oooo!
Mixx up!
Lawwd
Have mercy
Wha DaT?
I am my daughter
My mind
I am the before
he destroyed me
by Makida
13
SheStanzas
I am
I am hungry for a well-seasoned spicy curried goat
With fluffy white chewy well-steamed rice
along with fat yellow crunchy sweet corn with crisp
Green lettuce with shocking orange French dressing
With a zingy vinegar sweet taste that bring a sensation to my
Tongue with a Caribbean vibe
by Rochelle
SheStanzas
14
I am
I am my mirror, deep and square
I see it blank, an empty space
It looks so cold,
It looks so strange
Its light so dim,
Its face so pale…
I am hungry for knowledge
To empower myself
a place to belong
Where I feel I’m safe,
Where I feel accepted
Despite imperfections
I am eating a cake of protection
I am my dignity,
I am my freedom
I hide my secrets, my life
Inside this rock you cannot have
I am a pink quartz
With lots of heart
Whose soul you cannot scar.
I am my grandma’s house,
Where I grew up
So warm and loving
My place to hide
Myself, my life…
I am the sea,
an endless ocean
Fulfilled with tears
Where I hide my pain,
Where I hide my fear.
by Georgina
SheStanzas
15
Sadness
We have now became one person
I only look at you deep inside my own depression
It’s where I’ve found you, where I could find me
I’ve just discovered a hidden side inside of me
I’ve seen you and death just right in front of me
But I wasn’t afraid anymore…
Sadness gave me courage, sadness gave me love
Without you I couldn’t be myself no more
You held me captive, then set me free
Thanks to sadness… that at least I’m here
You left me for dead
With my dreams all over spread
But now for me I care, and I’m not scared,
It’s not thanks to them that my life was spared
It’s only mine, for me to see,
It’s only me who says who’s this
Who I may become,
Who he may be at least
If he doesn’t come then at least I’m free.
With sadness I’ve become stronger!
With sadness I satisfy my hunger
of crushed dreams that exist and last, no longer
Sadness has helped me out of inner confrontations
Than I ever did for me in lots situations
Not a state of mood it’s sadness, not only emotions
Sadness you’ve become for me my life, my love…my motion
You contain and know everything about me, and perhaps nothing at all
If you know me in my deepest darkest moments
Who else has the right to say they get me, they don’t know me…not at all!
SheStanzas
16
Who am I to trust after they judged me
and they judge me bad…, for what I wear you proudly… sadness
Like everyday clothes, for them you are only fashion
For me to give them nothing else but judge my nation
I shield myself, for who deserves to see my purest intention
In these times of tribulation, who acts according to perfection?
For what I hide
Nothing to be proud about,
Don’t wanna brag about
and compromise myself for accusations
You gave me reasons for confrontation
But on the contrary I prayed for redemption
It’s sadness now, my most satisfying feeling
Cus it was me not you who at the end was failing
This mess my life has come to be…for them a useless mission.
For them I’m lost, don’t know my vision
For you I have potential,
To be myself is what I envision.
With sadness I’ve become stronger!
With sadness I satisfy my hunger
of crushed dreams that exist and last, no longer
by Georgina
SheStanzas
17
Procrastinating
Sweaty palms of my own demise
cover my face to block the sunrise
I should've
could've
would've
but i didn’t
now here i am still sittin
waiting for time fly by
looking for another reason why
i should have
could have
would have
but i didn’t
get out of bed or is it all just in my head
somehow my thoughts are being mislead
could it be my brain just needs to be fed
i wanna run free but
something is keeping me.
by Shanae
InkRhythm
InkRhythm
19
Nas
Black & white
Try my life
Call me what you want
Imma make it
You
don't
know
what I been through
Scary trees
no leaves
Eyes are dark
face is screwed
by Chauncey
InkRhythm
20
Danceparty
The backseat driver is whistling
With a swollen lip
The cars pass by
I feel a grip
and a flow
Car goes
The road moves under me
The road moves pleasantly
The driver winks at the trees
Lining the street beats
Sun shining and my eyes meet
The glow
Engine humming, thumbing under
My ear tone, a little grown
Come from tires
I’m tired, sighing against
Passenger windows, tinted my memory
Stinted, spinning and lost in the lull of the
Sunday drive
I feel all together alive,
My toes naked, my hands resting
My heart stopped stressing
I got two songs in my chest
Loud and unrest
The beat turns and hums
Starting its quest across my arms and legs
My hands feel like it begs
Like it moves, grooves, soothes
I’m moving but still, stilly grooved in a big ball
of tape-track ribbon
Given this moment more thought
or not, might rot the bubble to pop
and unwind the plot of my daydreams, they seem
To mind their own business and scream in a
Silent voice of mist and steam
InkRhythm
21
The car stops and the lock pops
Feet shuffle out of the door
More cars pull up
Show up
Parking lots booming sound shots
Men moving live maestro enticing my
Eyes to go up, down,
You know
Dance party cranked up intensity
The moves leave a trace, a density,
Foot prints crush the ground underneath me, the
Beat swims from outside of me
and the cool air can’t stop we.
Dance party.
Someone approaches me, dark tall and lovely
Wearing a jeans jacket smiling
Speakers are spotted and the sound
Increases rips riffs in my chest make my feet slave to a hypnotic beat the heart, my feet
Stop
I freeze seize the man in front of me and whine.
Move up my body, shake my hips in triangles our hands and hair entangled
Body heat feeds the beat but spaces rub up against
our moves, Moves us further away
we are at a safe distance
Bob and sway
My eyes give away
true intentions
his lips whisper ‘don’t mention
it,’ the music fades out,
and I sit.
by Whitney
InkRhythm
22
Dub Insomnia
Night thoughts chase the dawn
as day breaking dreams are born
In the madness of midnight suns
Makeshift cock calls riddle his eardrums
and he presses the snooze button on the alarm clock
although he hasn’t slept yet
Dressed yet?
He still wears the slacks with the syrup stains
and the crumpled lunch receipt in the back pocket
Can’t remember what he had
But he knows it was awful
Stomach grumbles
as he reaches for another packet of ramen
“Shit, I shoulda never left
Sunrays for snowy landscapes
Coal pots for coffee cups…
and Mama.”
Night thoughts chase the dawn
as day breaking dreams are born
In the madness of midnight suns
The sky’s sparkling black pupils scorn his footsteps
“How dare you disturb this world’s slumber.”
But down under, he’s just another number
on another block, in a far away city
and even he haffu eat
So he stumbles on to the street
Sneakers saddening pavement as baby sleeps
Sweating for dimes
Fingers slipping through time
Souls caked in mud
Does hope die with the settling son?
Night thoughts chase the dawn
Day breaking dreams are born
In the madness
of
midnight
suns
by amber
InkRhythm
23
Ingoma
Ingoma, Ingoma,
Helped us to live on.
Music is life.
Music is light.
Ingoma.
our language sang in unique unity.
Beauty in our rhythm showed our endurance.
The beauty within our struggle was our insurance
to live another day and smile through Ingoma.
Through our great potential we strived and never gave up.
We fought and still fight til this day to let the chains up and off us.
See the beauty of us african people is our strength beyond measure.
The treasure is: from us everything came to be original
and then borrowed or photocopied.
Ingoma through war
Ingoma through birth
Ingoma brought blessings and also
cast
curses.
and dem wonda why we still ah work and still a cry
and still ah work and still ah buy
and still ah work and still ah try
and still ah work and still a fly.
Flying higher.
Ingoma.
our Ingoma makes us stronger.
Trials and tribulations shook our nations but only emptied our pockets.
Spirits still higher than rockets could reach.
See they knew that we were here to teach.
They thought that singers of songs in exile would not breach,
but little did they know.
Yes little do they know now that we know now more than ever before
that our strength in numbers
only does us good when our principles and values are in
1 accord.
We sing our Ingoma
and live on.
by Rootz Kizzy
InkRhythm
24
King on His Throne
Gold medals and badges
shadows fading
lights serious
serious eyes
dance hall floors
2 tones, scruffy
flashy experience, strong confidence
Top dogg, real badman
firm grounded
Intimidating, dark
King on his throne
by Raine
seeds
26
Seeds
Rage
I protect you by raising my voice
I protect you by shouting
I protect you by screaming
I am protecting you from the bruises
I am protecting you from the rage
I am protecting you from the emotional scars
I am protecting you from
the me
I can’t control
because
I love you.
by Makida
27
Seeds
Children’s Story
There once was a princess named Li-Li
Princess Li-Li had a problem.
She used to cry for everything.
She cries in the morning
She cries in the night
She cries even when she’s sleeping
She cries all the time.
She cried so much her friends didn’t want to play with her anymore.
Princess Li-Li didn’t know what to do.
She went to the queen and said…
“Mommy, none of my friends want to talk to me. Why?” as she cried.
“It’s because you cry way too much. Instead of crying, use your words.”
Princess Li-Li took her advice and instead of crying she used her words
and everything was good again with Princess Li-Li.
by Makida
Seeds
28
Crayons
I used to think that
My skin
Was too light
I’d fish
For a crayon
That matched my face
and I was left grappling two colors:
Sienna
and orange
I was 6 years old and couldn’t pronounce
Sienna
So I decided to announce
To my mother that
“I n’orange Momma!” She yelled at me
I got the wrong answer
“You’re black
my black child”
not gentle
rough and upset
by my confusions
I went back to the crayon box
and lined up the
Black
Crayon to my arm
It looked wrong
I held it up
against my hair
It seemed to match
and my friend Sarah her hands were
Peach
But mom called her
White
White is the color of the inside of her eyes
“She peach and I n’orange”
but mom
didn’t want to hear any of it.
by Whitney
29
Seeds
Hailey
Born with fair skin
full lips
Beautiful brown eyes
Looking right towards the sky
Five hours and 20 min.
she's all mine
my arms cradled her
while my hands held her tight
for this night was the best night of my life.
Morning has come
already my worry has begun
to me she was perfection
deserved all of my love and affection
life had a whole nother lesson for her
society's definition of beautiful stood at the extent of her long curly hair
how would i tell her
should i start by saying
there is no such thing as black and white
just a world full of people
filled with insecurities they feel they must hide
divided by pride and a bunch of hatred inside
tricked by the illusion of colour
i would have to explain to her why a white man is pink and a black man is really
brown
one day i will tell her that the world is cold but
no matter what you stay bold
hold your ground and never frown
don’t let anything they throw at you get you down
image is just an excuse they use to amuse
refuse to take form to an inevitable norm
remember where you came from
always know where you're going
steer clear of confusion
even if the rain is pouring
cause precision is the way to growth.
after all this my dear,
Mommy just wants you to know that
" I love you"
and soon you will know that all i have said
is true and to just "Be you".
by Shanae
30
Seeds
Children’s Book
Not so long ago, in a place not that far away from here, there was a little sevenyear-old boy named abraham who loved…NaTURE! and everything in it.
He wanted to know every little fact about it, every little thing about that marvelous
creation called…NaTURE!
He would spend hours, and days and months asking his mom about…NaTURE!
He would talk his mom’s ears off all day, asking her all type of questions.
Every day at the exact moment when mom decided to start doing something she
needed to do, a little voice would come to her ears:
-Mom? Why do we have snow every winter?But of course his mom, just like many other moms in the world, was always busy
with all the house chores, so she got him a book from the library, a book, about…
NaTURE!
So now, he would spend hours, and days, and months reading as many books as
possible, about…NaTURE!
Now everything was working ju-u-ust perfect! Little abraham’s reading peacefully
his books while his mom was busy doing all the house chores, just like many other
moms in the world, as always.
Everything was quiet, when all of a sudden a little voice came to mom’s ears:
-Mom? Do you know that every snowflake on earth is unique? None of them are
exactly the same shape!-
Seeds
31
But of course his mom, just like many other moms in the world, was always
busy with all the house chores, so she’d send him off outside, so he could get
to see by himself all those interesting facts he had learned in books, about…
NaTURE!
Son now, he would spend hours, and days, and…moths, exploring everything
around his home, every different place where he could learn, about…NaTURE!
Now everything was working ju-u-ust perfect! Little abraham exploring outside while his Mom was busy doing all the house chores, just like many other
moms in the world do, as always.
Everything was quiet inside, when all of a sudden a little voice came to
Mom’s mind. She couldn’t stop hearing that little voice, asking, telling all
these interesting facts, about…NaTURE!
She couldn’t stop thinking about all those marvelous things little abraham
told her,
about…NaTURE!
Now she wanted to see for herself all those interesting facts she had heard
from her little abraham, about…NaTURE!
So, she finally decided to stop, what many other moms in the world do, being
busy with all the house chores, so she could go out, find her little abraham
and get to see all this wonderful things, about…NaTURE!
Now this time everything was really working ju-u-ust perfect! Mother and
son, someplace outside, somewhere around this world, not only learning, but
experiencing and enjoying together all the beautiful things, about…NaTURE!
by Georgina
Seeds
32
Mom’s Grand Plan
From a baby to boy
you will grow into a man
9 months in security
after
you enter
no one will know your prosperity
Watch who you chill with!!!!
Boy do you hear me??
It’s me alone
He wasn’t man enough fi tek care ah wi…
So listen to my words boy
I dream of you destiny
Chilling on the block
will only bring you discrepancy
No matter how old you get
You will always be a part of me
It’s a life sentence boy
So stay near to me.
by Rochelle
33
Seeds
Terminate
terminate
final, pushing
a button
when i hear the news i
cry and cry
moments later, joy
burns my chest,
i welcome a baby
a boy
into my world
momma
she is the first
i tell, she dreamt it like a seer
the nurse gives me a number
for a clinic,
can’t believe her
smile anyway
say
i’m pro-life
god
would never give me something
i can’t handle
odd, the panel of single mothers
aunt, reels in my head
grandmother, my heroes
mother
say “terminate”
even homeboy,
thought I was coming back
to his sorry-ass, sits down
fast when i tell him.
for once
he shuts the fuck up, actually
listens.
a man passes by on rollerblades
with his kid
my man says, “ I cant be him.
terminate.”
34
Seeds
doctor:
“miscarriage
high risks,
built too small,
don’t go through it all”
he repeats;
i say:
don’t steal my fate doctorman
don’t squash my beat,
don’t mean miscarriage will come to pass
and i leave but
the last thing i see
is a sign:
DISPoSE DIaPERS IN WaSHRooM GaRBaGE
THaNK YoU.
i walk past
white doors, into a cold room
powder blue
and shut my eyes
tight as they
vacuum motherhood
out
of
me.
in Recovery an
asian girl my age
looks glossy, reddened
and wet. I want
her tears because I feel nothing
by Whitney
35
Seeds
Untitled
Slowly tearing my soul into pieces
Bending my already broken heart
In its almost healed creases
our time spent apart leaves me feeling defeated
Didn’t realize how much I needed
Didn’t know it was YoU who gave me the strength
Just to wake up and smile
Each and everyday
Remember what you said to mommy?
That no one can take me from you and you’ll always love me?
Each word stabs me in the heart
Felt my world slowly fall apart
My mistakes haunt me like a ghost in the night
Wish I could undo the hands of time
Undo my wrongs and make them right
I always had your best of intentions
Feels like I’ve been handed a life sentence
of constant wrong doings and bad decisions
Living life but not truly living
People taking never ever giving
Got lost along the journey
Love you baby and mommy’s sorry
by Niki
36
Seeds
Happiness
My entire life I’ve been searching for happiness
I began to think it was non-existent
Having a child young didn’t make my life easy
But I do not regret it because
it gave me motivation
Motivation to wake up each morning
Motivation to love
Motivation to strive for the best
and every time I see my child smile
It takes a load off my chest
and brightens up my day
My child’s love makes the pain go away
She’s all I’ve ever wanted
and more than I’ll ever need
Who would’ve known that having a child
could bring me happiness at 19
By Maltia
red
REd
38
17 Syllables of Rage
I am quiet rage
anger is my best weapon
I cannot be stopped
by Womenz Wordz
REd
39
BEginning
Where do u begin?
Where do u start
How do u react
When shit falls apart
Is it good or bad?
To feel heartbroken and sad
Is this what love is suppose to feel like
a burning aching pain that
Just doesn’t sit right
or is this God’s way
of showing
I am human
and he don’t
Like
What
It is
I am
Doing?
by Niki
40
REd
Rage
i feel you in my mind
head pounding
rewinding the moments
playing in slooooooooow mode
body frozen
blood cold
feelin so heavy
thoughts analyze'n, pick out
MURDER, SUICIDE, BLooD SPREaDING
crying and pain
My blood simmerzzzZ
boils
vapor rizing
(szzzz)..... invisible burn
double minded
FUCK, I'M CURSING
boasting
blood pressure rising
emotion
i'm dying
by Gabriella & Rochelle
REd
41
Red Dress
It was new years eve
as I stood in the front lobby
Listening to preacha man
a vibrant red dress walked through them doors
Through them doors and held fast unto my thoughts
My thoughts I swear my thoughts are not my own
own…what do I own
Betta yet what do I own that I can use
Use to get into this pretty red dress
My eyes don’t lie my tongue won’t rest
Until I get into this pretty red dress
My eyes can’t lie my dick won’t rest
Until I get into this pretty red dress
My eyes are searchin lurking and marking her body
My tongue dances my saliva flows
I smile she smiles
Ha ha piece of cake
Ill be in her bed tonight
Jus another hoe
Who was weakened by my sight
Hi I say what you doing tonight
to my surprise I get lost in her eyes
she’s a different kinda girl
she ain't fallin for my charm
This gon take some work
Gotta put in overtime
If I really wanna make this pussy mine
a week a day whatever its gonna take
Sooner or latah I kno she will break
Then and only then will I be satisfied
Sex is my disease that has devoured me
It comes to me so easy breezy
Like a buffet different platters an different trays
REd
42
That I neva had to work to get it came free
No ones eva said no to me
So I don't get her
Maybe my plan will work if I befriend her
and gain her truss
She's so beautiful
Its a must
I'm in lust
I need to buss
Come here gyal
I want to say
Say and yell and grab her away
away to a place where she can be mine
Mine all mine my her pussy's so divine
Devine and sweet and I jus want to beat
It up and then rest
But I cannot rest till I'm in that pretty red dress
by Miss Cola
43
REd
3 a.m.
Like a head on collision
Throwing him from his sleep
Slapping away that middle of the morning day dream
It’s creeping up the sheets
Settling in that hollow space between flesh and blood
Fresh hopes and rancid love
It’s an itch in his skin
Making the space between his fingers titillate
It’s a prick in his thoughts
He’s unable to scratch
a hunger of the mind
Left unsatisfied
So he eyes the empty wine bottle
and wishes he had bought two
But it’s three a.m. now
The smoking hour
The get high, forget life hour
and it’s getting harder to find
Getting harder and harder to decipher
The rhymes his mind makes
These crimes of perception stealing time away
The tricks his thieving eyes play
at four a.m.
When you see a man
alone at a kitchen table
Surrounded by four walls
and a cigarette
You’d will it to be a blunt too
Fill your lungs up and devour that demon of feeling
Seems good when freedom’s burning at the tip of your tongue
But the saddest part is when the fire dies
You see yourself in that last breath of smoke
all your hopes reduced to dust
Life’s loneliness wrapped up in that last puff
The saddest part is when the fire dies
and you’re still trying to take another pull
Take another pull
Take another pull
on the
night.
by amber
44
REd
Empty Fills
What do I say to an empty page preeing me with nothing to say?
Tells me look deep, and I just stare away.
But soon enough I feel the pen start to sway into alphabet spirals.
The ether in me is invited to dance.
Expressions take a chance to explain to this blank page my feelings locked away.
Is my pen the key or my courage unlocking destiny?
I mean what is meant to be just happens right?
Wordz take flight.
My mind is moving through time and space trying to remember my past life birthplace.
What brought me here?
FEaR?...........FEaR of Mastering FEaR?
To come here again and steer my vessel aGaIN!!!!
Repetition a friend that never leaves, but has tricks up the sleeves.
I begin to believe that repetition is good when good repeats, but wanna blame the
devil game
when BaD brings HEaT.
and when BaD repeats, who then is repetition to me?
Leaves me confused like a prison inmates, fresh bait to a world outside paradise
gates.
So I guess that's why we are sometimes met with the blank page to make sense of
the mess.
So I mess up this page up with the CRUMP, and let loose.
Reminded of the melanated ones with a noose round they neck squeezing the life
dead........hung
heads.
I live to tell a tale....Stories achieve and stories fail.
Will my stories sail across seas, through skies breeze and land in minds like my
wordz land these
lines of the blank page?
This world a stage to perform my symphony.
I pray ears listen to me.
by Rootz Kizzy
REd
45
My attitude
Don’t like my attitude?
Do you think I am uneducated, ghetto an rude?
Do you think I am conceited?
Do you assume I’m broken?
and that my soul has been defeated?
You based all these assumptions just off my attitude?
Judging me before you even know who I am!
My aTTITUDE is what lets me take a stand
against people like you!
You don’t know where I’ve come from,
or that I am a single mother with a son,
Just trying to get by day by day,
Still you have way too much to say!
You don’t know why I have cried my tears,
or why I hold on to my fears,
Where you there when my dreams were crushed?
No!
Your opinions, they come like a rush,
overwhelming,
You must stop!
I got my aTTITUDE
For people just like you
Uneducated
opinionated
and rude!
by Niki
46
REd
Scribbles
my aFRo’s as big as a mushroom cloud cuz i’ve got WaR on my
mind
MaSS MEDIa missiles aimed at my cerebellum
i try to tell ‘em that i’m innocent
but they keep insisting every instant that i’m THINKING
i’m a menace to THE SYSTEM
a suspect, armed and dangerous, simply because i QUESTIoN
by amber
meta4
Meta4
48
Zig Zag
Grown, ripped and separated from my bush
Greens, blacks & brown
Sorted into a baggie
Distributed about
My package is strong smelling
Head rush
Zig Zag joined as 2
Cut down sprinkled
Rolled
Very tight
So tight I am cut by the tip
Lighter flicked on fire burning
I am lit up
Puff puff pass
I’m going around
Burning slow
Rim of me wet wit saliva
Now I burn slower
Zig zag in-hailed
Coughing, choking
Make you sometimes think,
Sometimes I make you not remember…
by ashley
49
Meta4
Roof & Ground
I WILL WaIT FoR YoU
I WILL BE HERE WHEN YoU’RE GoNE
I WILL BE HERE WHEN YoU GET BaCK
I WILL NEVER LEaVE YoU
THE oNLY TIME YoU NoTICE oR TaKE a GooD
LooK aT ME IS WHEN
YoU’RE LaYING oN YoUR BaCK
THEN YoU REaLIZE.
I WaS THERE aLoNG .
YoU STEP oN ME YoU KICK ME
SCUFF ME SoMETIMES YoU PUNCH ME
PUT So MUCH PRESSURE oN ME
YoU DoNT EVEN KNoW IF
I CaN HaNDLE IT
THEN YoU TURN aRoUND
aND CLEaN ME UP
LIKE IT NEVER HaPPENED.
by Rochelle
50
Meta4
ode to Clyde
He is strong, reliable,
my ride or die forever
He's my best friend, my main man who leaves me never
We have several commonalities
We like the same color blue
You like to ride n I like to ride in yu too
Do yu memba when we first met
Ya I kno yu do
I knew right away that I loved yu and I'd always be true
True you and I had our ups and downs
You've made me cry and you've made me frown but regardless
me n yu always be cruisin town
Made me look good when mans dem be around
Yu was born is 02 an me in 89
But together we both shined
I gotchu
Boo hoo I heard the horrible news
The man at the shop hit me wit these big ass blues
I loved yu more than a brand new pair of shoes
Heard yu was dying got me sighin..jus all crazy upset
Jus here reminiscing again bout when we first met
Hmmm how could I forget
Got all my belongings set
and I was free
and I see my baby was stuntin like me
Gotta be grateful for yu sharin yur life with me
Yu been alive for 8 and mine for 4
I'd never close the door
But once more
I love yu
Yu were always by my side
I was yur bonnie and yu my clyde
My ride or die
Good-bye to my supa fly
Car
by Miss Cola
51
Meta4
Yellow
i am creamed with sugar
sweet-mixed butter
glowing in your baked goods
warming your belly
i am golden vanilla, plucked
sunflower petals, perfumed in
lemon zest and sunshine
by Whitney
52
Meta4
Sunn
You beg for me when I’m not around
wishing you had my rays
Though sometimes you hide in the shade
when I’m shining through for you
just the way you asked me to
You run for water and cold things instead
You always complain when I’m not around
when I show my love
back to you it’s too much and you going inside
to feel cool
to escape from me
as the evening goes
I turn warm
beautiful
orange amazing
to look or stare at
you try 2 stay up with me till I settle
You can’t wait to see me
in the morning when I rise
Rayn
Warm and cozy is how I feel
when you’re around
never can I get enough of
you wanting to leave your fresh scent in the air
Stormy times though
I never care
Draining sounds surround me
The love I have for you
I can wipe away
but the puddles still remain
by Raine
luv
54
Luv.?!
Untitled
When he speaks to me
My spirit stands frozen
It listens
Listens to the rhythm of his tone
His tone
ooooh his tone
Puts a vibrating ring to my phone
In my soul on underneath
My skin tone
He’s my forever
and will be my never
by ashley
55
Luv.?!
Hennessey
The memories tracing my skin disguise themselves
as your fingertips. When I lick my lips
I taste stale Hennessy-stained kisses,
like bitter grains of sugar,
and wonda
how long before the sweat of your flesh
no longer chokes me? Your phantom smile,
that playground grin of mischief,
still lingers in the shadows.
My breath smells of your promises,
the ones you whispered into my lungs like smoke.
I still cough up the blackened, unfulfilled hopes
and spit childhood dreams unto dirty concrete streets,
pretty rings and first kisses chasing the gutter.
Mommi always said, ‘watch yuhself.’
But images in a mirror aren’t always what they appear;
no matter how long you look.
I try to kill the fear buried in my belly –
but it’s already a dried-up seed, starved of light and love.
How did one mid-summa night touch
become my only truth?
July heat pressin’ down
on our bodies like a heavy hand,
strangling the air,
tryin’ to suffocate those sinista sounds.
But nothing’ can drown the symphony of a city soaked
with sweat, rum and lust.
Those cries grab the heavens,
dance around a mango-coloured moon and fall with the stars
like the glitter from my eyes.
I smelt you,
smelt you before I saw you.
Hennessey.
by amber
56
Luv.?!
Feverish Buzz
Warm blood running through me
my body he was into it
holding hands we were intimate
kissing on his full lips
he’s gripping on ma thighs
while I gaze into his eyes
heavy breathing in my chest
now he’s feeling up my breast
we gon thrust and then slam
to the beat of our heartbeats
wrapped up in da sheets
do anything to get a piece of you
but somehow it feels as if I’m leasing you
ask me not to fake
when all you do is pretend
tried to tell you how I feel but,
you was too busy gettin in.
by Shanae
57
Luv.?!
Telephone Booth
Speak Millions To Me
Cream, Black, Gold, Dreads
Fair Skinned
Telephone Booth
Realness……
Staring Wit Determination
With Struggle
With Heart, With Mission
Rectangles, Squares
Blues, Whites
open Mouth, Big Thick Lips
Facial Hair…. Dem Tattoos “Soooooo Sexy”….
Moisturized Lips
Shiny Chain…. “Ballin”
Graffiti…..
In The Mist
Into The Night air…. The Night Sky…..
Woolen Vest
Fall Time, Struggle Time…
Hungry Time, Get My Money Time
Hood Time
Night Time, Right Time….
Wanting More, Yearning For More….
Eyes Glaring
Murda Man Flocka
Mad at all This Government Shit
Coming for these Niggaz Tonight….
angry Searching For
More….
by ashley
58
Luv.?!
Subway Love
on the subway subway subway
one day
I was on the subway
Sunday
I was on the subway
Comin from church
Got lost on the subway
But found yur love
on that same subway
The Sheppard way
My final stop
1 bus
To my destination
1 must wonder how it came to be
Yu an me
Beautiful sight to see
My insecurities an my past have haunted me until yu came n set me
free
Showed me a love that I never thought existed
Told me to love myself and be me
and that’s real
In that moment as I stepped off the train
I looked up yu looked at me
an for a spit second life and time jus paused
Doo doo doo
Doors be closin
I be walkin
Felt a hand
Take me hand an lead me away
Lol wth
I got lost in his brown eyes
Hmmm his brown eyes
Wasn't tellin no lies
Said he loved my thighs
He smile I smile
What's ya name
Cola yurs
Chef
Cute so wassup
Nun yu
oh boo I had to holla at yu
Cause yu be mighty fine in that tight ass skirt
ass so big an poppin
Luv.?!
59
almost lost my shirt
I chuckle a bit n my bat my eyes
Pinch me I'm in a dream
This mans way to fly
Down to business
How much kids yu got
3 yu
1
Man
Naw
Girl
Naw
Numba
Pause
we walking an talkin tryna fine my bus
Saw the sunlight shine bright and glisten off his beautiful face
Truss
6'3 to 5'3
Tall to short
Light skin wit braids
Made me weak in the knees
Please lord please
Don't let this man tease me
He leans close
I can feel his sweet warm breath on my neck
as I hold my face away
He leans closer to my ear an all I hear him say
Is yur so beautiful damn
Gimme ya numba girl please
I wanna chance to make yu smile
N imma do it with ease
My bus is here
I gotta go
I give him my numba an walk away
ooo damn damn damn
Is what I hear him say
Sittin on the bus
Ring ring
Hello
all I wanted to do was hear yur voice one more time
Maybe we'll meet up soon
But for now its js goodbye
Click...
by Miss Cola
vizion
61
Vizion
True Beauty
She is the start of the day
Dim at first then gradually getting brighter
Protruding colors of yellow and pink
Punching through the dark shadows
That lingers like the fresh morning dew
She offers you a chance for change
Forgetting all of what happened yesterday
She can be kind and unforgiving
She can be calm and offer you comfort
other days she can be cold and undetected
But still she is constantly
Reminding you it's a new day
When you look at her you don’t recognize her
although she's there everyday
Many times you look past her or even acknowledge she is there
But she is there
and yet you are too blind to see
Her true beauty
by Niki
62
Vizion
Roots & Culture
Blackman, history knowledge and
beads and jewelry roots, serious, tension africa
shades of reds golds and green rust head wraps
profiled
upset,
anger
uprooted
truth
eyes are dimmed
hand on jaw
by Rochelle
Vizion
63
When SiStars speak
I feel the warmth of a goosebump adrenalin rush kind,
that makes your eyes cry.
Sounds of orishas, oracles, Griots, Storytellers, Truth-Revealers.
I am captivated in the essence of my sisters,
who are able to come to their senses knowing themselves,
and giving time to write so they may share their recital on world
stage.
amazed are many at the wavelength their thoughts ride,
but my heart beats one with them,
knowing their ancient line.
I give gratitude for the ties they have sealed with our anceStars.
They strive to speak their experience of truth,
whether balanced, acute or obtuse.
Who is to say what is greater than but yourself?
With the help of their heartbeat and breath,
they walked the stage and stood confident happily.
Inhale
Exhale
The breathtaking SiStars drew in the crowd gradually.
Each SiStar giving a Timely presence to remember
that stays with me forever.
So I wrote this poem because when SiStars speak I further recognize
my Strength.
When SiStars speak I work harder to recognize my weaknesses.
When SiStars speak I experience healing.
When SiStars speak I humble to the teachings.
When SiStars speak I remember my grandmothers.
When SiStars speak I am reminded of a revolution of luv.
When SiStars speak I know we can rise above energy-drainers,
those thinking they can clone our beings in petri dish containers.
When SiStars speak I see
Hatshepsut,
Vizion
64
Nzingah,
Nefertari,
Nanny,
Tubman,
assata,
Sistah Souljah,
Frances Cress Welsing,
Jewel Pookrum the Doctah'
Just to name a few, I told Yah'
When SiStars speak truth leak.
So let your teeth touch and mouth seal,
because SiStars speak what is real only for you to redefine what you
feel.
The oppressor tried to kill the SiStar through
Her Kings and Children,
Land and Material,
media and propaganda.
Hopin that we would never get into our proppa' stansa,
Because really and truly we would annihilate the massa'.
and I stand here ready,
like my SiStars been ready,
to hold the mic and BooM airwaves.
Resonating SoundPower to souls global,
Noble to live heavenly life.
Giving SiStars Respect seeing my reflection in their eyes.
I am at Peace.
by Rootz Kizzy
Vizion
65
The Walk
I hold onto the railing
While I look into sky
Thinking about my life
Seeing it through black and white
Seem worried
What I would say to God
Taking my time
to heaven
by Latoya
Vizion
66
Lucid dreams
I'm dreaming dreams so vividly
Wide open, my heart like a dove's wings spread wide
Love is me and it glides across the sky
Everything I've been searching for has always been inside
I was out for a ride
Searching through the amazons and rain forests outside
Then the rain came, pouring harder than a person who is dying for fame
The vanity turned most of us into insanity
It's a rat race out there and this is what life handed me
So I handed her a promise that it would only get better
Creator we are in this together
I see a path before me but I swear I've seen it before
I know I've been here before
Indigo skies in my mind I don't hide
Let pride wither and die
Crumble beneath my feet and reside
My womb captures all my deepest thoughts and desires
My inner Goddess taking my higher
I am the fuel that broadens my flame, my fire
I lose myself in the midst of life, it's a blur
a blur, that I conquered
I sit on my throne, true Lioness
Lioness on my throne
That used to sleep with a phone
Underneath her pillow
Like a weeping willow
by Stephanie
Vizion
67
This is for the Young ones
and this is for the young ones
thinking they gotta be wannabes
rollin around in mini niki minaj crews
but i ask you, when has a mirage ever proven true?
don’t be mislead by the pretty things
pretty wings meant to fly not to hide ur eyes
fake lashes and fake clothes false knowings and false goals
don’t you think you’re worth more than a pound of fake gold?
forget about the baubles
shine from truth
shine for you…
by Shanae
68
the authors
Quiet but powerful, calm yet dramatic, amber’s words blaze the page, painting
portraits of pain, love and truth. Through writing, designing and illustrating, she
will continue tackling art in all its life forms.
ashley is a single independent mom focused on honesty and living life full
force. Poetry is her escape from the world and its troubles. With words on her
mind and her head on her shoulders, she lives by the motto Go hard or go home!
With words at times gritty, and at time playful, Chauncey has explored her
poetic voice in the Lit4Life creative writing & reading circle.
Gabriella has stretched her imagination with her expressive poetry, telling
stories and sharing emotions in her work.
Georgina's poetry resonates with experience and insight, and skillfully deals
with themes ranging from struggle to overcoming to triumph.
Latoya is a mother and emerging creative writer in the Women Moving Forward
program. Her poetic voice is a welcome addition to "Holla!"
Makida is a talented mother of one, young but mature, strong minded, empathetic,
collected and never lets anyone feel alone. She wants to become a social worker
to inspire other young people.
Maltia is passionate about reading, writing and her daughter. She enjoys writing
in her journal, as well as creating poetry. Her dream is to one day write her own
memoir.
With love and respect for life and God, Miss Cola embraces life’s challenges to
the fullest. She seeks to express the truth through music, poetry, storytelling and
her autobiography-in-progress.
69
Nikita is a writer, fighter and a mother. Her writing is real and speaks the truth.
She is hoping to continue following her dreams and become a writer/journalist.
Raine is a lyricist, poet and mom, who shares words of wisdom and experience
flavored with roots, culture and rhythm.
Rochelle was a product of her environment, a mother of 4 who would be
oppressed no more. She got up one day and went through the door - a Woman
Moving Forward. I spread my wings out; now watch me soar.
Roots Kizzy’s passion is to have her powerful words penetrate minds with her
floetic heart-felt lyrics. a rising voice on the spoken word scene, with a new
book on the way, she is working hard to have her words heard all over the
world.
Full of flavour and internal rhyme, Shanae’s words & lyrics take you through a
storyline. a loving mother, she hopes to reach the lives of those entangled in a
hurricane of emotions that restricts them from over coming the storm.
Stephanie has a writer inside, that expresses herself through poetic words. With
dreams and determination, she is the mom of a young son.
Embracing the power of words, Whitney writes fiction, screenplays and most
recently poetry, which she shares with the world through her blog
writinginatree.com. a creative writing grad, her debut collection is ready to be
born.
outro
Literature for Life is committed to building a culture of literacy and learning for
young mothers and their families, through the Women With Words reading and
writing circles, programs, publications and creative community partnerships, which
promote access, education and empowerment.
Charitable Registration No:89431 8617RR0001
www.literatureforlife.org
Women Moving Forward is designed to give young families the foundation they
need to successfully attain security and independence. The young mothers in WMF
are ambitious, strong women who are determined to move forward in their lives
for the sake of their children’s futures.
www.womenmovingforwardcanada.org
a powerful collection of wordz from fresh new
poetik voices, that whisper, resonate, echo,
punctuate, speechify & HoLLa!
Holla!
a Collection of Womenz Wordz
Featuring
amber Williams King
ashley Dyett
Chauncey Boyce
Gabriella Paz
Georgina ortiveros Ruiz
Latoya Dwyer
Makida Jones
Maltia Noddle
Miss Cola
Niki Roberge
Raine Browne
Rochelle David
Rootz Kizzy
Shanae Smith
Stephanie Bedard Dempster
Whitney French