I see you burst into suns

Miniature stars

Twinkle blue

In the moonlight's shadow

Single-minded delight,

Sparkling smiles

You paint pictures

In my layered world

Strip away the rugged surface

Unwrap the gift of me

Lying there

Unblemished and unadorned

Gleen slashes of light

Illuminate the contracting

Mass of sorrow

Unplugging the tangled

Threads of pain

This angry clew

Is my life

That you detangle

You shooting down

The comet as you stretch

Out your hand

That I slowly grasp

I feel the silvery electric charges

Running down

Tingling smoothe

I capture the yellow explosions

Of you bursting into suns.

- Tricia Wint

----------

My X

An xchange

I remember me

Swimming down

Dreaming of xctasy

Floating in naive optimism

Adrift in poetic xpressionism ...

It was you! Then my

Hopeless foul xcess

With stress oozing out

Froating from my mouth

Me, the xclusion

Sudden xtruviation

Stripped naked

Of my dreams

You delight in this xfoliation

I'm the xhibition

That you mock

In this tainted museum

The cruel xperiment!

The xtreme xploitation

That I xperience

I hear ringing xplosions

And scream!! No longer

Can I sink in demise

My X

No longer will I cry!

So I rip you from

My heart

Melt the xtraction of you

Burn the picture that once

Resided there

Now you're the xtinction

The perrenial xtermination.

- Tricia Wint

-------------

Oh balm a people!

Barack Obama

The silent sobbing of slaves across the sea

Let us loose from our shackles

Let us loose from our shackles

In the dusk of dawn

In the dusk of dawn

Our ancestors lay hanging like leaves freely swaying in the wind.

My heart lies motionless six feet under

I watched my shadow flee my cold, ghostly frame

I have wondered aimlessly among the 'living' for all my life

Enslaved to face their cruelty; my scars

Peeled my identity and dignity; my self-confidence

For the crack of the whip is a shower of curse upon my ashen skin.

Oh balm, a people of mental slavery

Oh balm, a people. Oh, what a bravery!

What a milestone! Barack Obama, we share in your victory

Oh balm a people, we have surely made history

- Daneika Brackett

----------

Dedicated to you

I dedicate this to you to express my love,

I dedicate this to you because you soared into my heart as a dove,

I dedicate this to you because you make me smile,

I dedicate this to you because you make me agile,

I dedicate this to you because you care,

I dedicate this to you because you erase my fear.

I dedicate this is to you because of your kiss,

I dedicate this to you because it is you I miss,

I dedicate this to you because I am your wife,

I dedicate this to you because you give meaning to life,

I dedicate this to you because you are my dream,

I dedicate this to you because we are a team.

- Keisha-Ann Rhoden

-----------

After shock

After Chrismus, mi bruck worse than dawg

Mi spen' all di money pon decoration fi di yaad

Di pickney dem did pest mi fi Gran' Maakit money

Plus me did haffi buy gift fi more than one honey

Di dawg a grin him teet' 'cause him have nuff bone

But poor ole me haffi a walk a look loan

Di rush and excitement did tek ova mi brain

Now mi can't even buy umbrella fi cover from di rain

Di ham was good and so was di sorrel;

But mi know dis new year going to start wid quarrel.

Leftovers done from di 27th and we cyaan cook a good pot

Di peppa light dem did pretty; but dis ya light bill is not!

I hope Father Christmas can help mi wid dis new year

'cause me alone cannot hangle dis ya stress mi dear!

- J.A. Lawrence