QUEEN

By J. Joy "Sistah Joy" Matthews Alford, Poet Laureate
Prince George's County, MD USA

When the world echoes sounds
That would keep us down
Poetry sends back refrains that say
Let me lift you

Let me give you insight to light your way

Unravel mysteries
Cope with life's inconsistencies
Comprehend that uncertainty
Paves the road we all travel

Let me share truths from ancestors
With youth and elder alike?
Share with true seekers answers that empower

Let not the fear of this hour
Rob the world this cherished light
Or deny tomorrow its victory

This is the charge of poetry
For this, she shall ever reign supreme
As Queen!

THE AFRICAN DRUM

By Diana Ferrus, artist, author, and poet
Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

Reborn, I am an African
at the feet of my roots I sit
and hear the beat, my heart
the African Drum
but the rhythm fades and I swept away by the different sounds of the orchestra
and I see us dance with world in our hands
and we go fast and we go slow
I see the girl with the dark brown hair
and ask if she will dance with me
but she turns away with no remorse
because she could not feel the beat, my heart, the African Drum
I see the girl with the light brown hair and refuse to sing a song with her
but she puts her hand warm into mine for she could feel the best  my heart the African Drum

Who am I the African
where lives my heart
and where lives my soul?
How many shades have I the African
Who am I
an African?
Who am I
an African?
I am an African!
I am an African!!!