Portfolio

Virtuous Woman

I am woman
My worth?
Above rubies and pearls
My soul has been blessed with desire
For I speak my mind with wisdom
My words are filled with power
And my tongue seeks only to inspire
Let all men rise to praise me
My children call me blessed
As they seek to acquire my strength
Generations of Kings and Queens have I birthed
And girded with righteousness
I clothe myself with strength
Honor is my shield
I sing praises to my God every day
Peace, prosperity, health, I profess
Walk in faith every step of the way
Anointed, talented, divine of the Lord
No obstacles, no barriers, no stress
I walk with the aura of the queen that I am
People see me and they say
She is blessed!
My beauty is more than a skin-deep faccedil; ade
My intelligence, you cannot comprehend
For I walk with authority
Undeniable truth
And the ability to lead all men
A descendant of Eve
Yet a woman of rights
Proclaiming my place on the throne
Seek me, hear me
Take heed of my thoughts
Self reliant
Almighty and strong
Crowned with a sense of unshakable pride
I soar from the mountains on high
No power on earth can stop my flight
On the wings of eagles, I fly!

Women of Rhyme

We women of rhyme
Speak volumes
We impart knowledge, through words spoken
Ingest pain; absorb life like lines of coke and we are the catalysts of change
Starting evolutions
Absent of afro picks and dashikis
In this so called revolution
Now we just rock stilettos
Some of us stand in the pulpits preaching change
While others spit on mics in small poetry cafes
But our message is still the same
Hear us on the street as we chant for our freedom
Recognize our minds,
Celebrate our queendom
We don't want to just be equal
We want to be in charge
Cause please believe us women of rhyme, we got a lot to say
And if you ain't down with change, then move out the way
Cause we walking along side Martin Luther, Malcolm X, Huey Newton and Garvey
They told you about the brothas, but they forgot to warn you about the sistas
Not only do we change diapers,
We change the world
We run off to war holding Bibles like shields
While we hold and nurse our babies and wipe their tears
Wisdom flowing like sweet milk from full-blossomed breasts
Sometimes we got to speak loud to get these burdens off our chest
And yes
Some of us work outside the home
We pack up our lunches and build communities and dreams
Trying to hold onto our sanity and accomplish all these things
In spite of our hormonal changes
Some people get it twisted and call us a witch
And some get down right dirty and call us a bitch
But it's okay
Cause were expressing ourselves
In a world that takes everything you strive to achieve
Your opinion is all you got left
See that building in the distance, the one soaring so high
I bet a woman had a hand in making it touch the sky
Cause that's just our level
No glass ceilings, mean no limits and for us that means to fear
So we spit truth in knowledge that some don't want to hear
The words maybe raw but the message is clear
Women of rhyme are here
To say what the others can say
See we represent for the misused and abused that now have no voice
The ones living in fear cause they simply have no choice
The single mothers struggling and the ones walking the beat
The ones working two jobs trying to make ends meet
So if you got a woman at home being submissive
That's your business
But here we talk about triumph
And the will to succeed
We aint down with just self, stubbornness or greed
Were down with our future and desire to get ahead
We have a thirst for knowledge
And a desire to be fed
Spiritually that is
Women of rhyme got that sway in our step
The poetic vibe in our glide
We represent femininity to the fullest with God on our side
And with him in our pocket
We always got a smooth ride to success
Women of rhyme
Got that artistic, creative, talented blood in our veins
We keep doing what we do, cause we know its not in vain
We keep doing what we do, to ease all our pain
We keep doing what we do, to rekindle the flame
Just never let the fire go out
Cause once they stifle your ability to speak your mind
They kill your desire to fight!

Rebirth

I was born in the womb of jazz
Its rhythm vibrates through my veins
Feeding my soul like a potent drug
Taking hold of my senses
Wrapping its melody around my soul
I vibe, while my mind it releases
Unfolding my life like an open book
Saturating my spirit, every corner, every nook
Its harmonic presence makes love to my mind
Like lyrical honey tantalizing my tongue
Causing me and the music to become as one
One day
I hope to return to this life
As a jazz singer's poetic croon
Or perhaps I'll return as a sultry note
Being played by a saxophone

You can read many more of Stephanie's poems and short stories in her new book, Reflections of Self. It's available for $12.95 postpaid.

Just use the button below to purchase Reflections of Self securely online via credit card or e-check.

Virtuous Woman

Women of Rhyme

Rebirth

“Hot Water Cornbread,” Stephanie’s newest 2008 release, is a cookbook filled with treasured southern recipes and proverbs and poems. It is a soothing addition to any kitchen. It’s available for $10.00 postpaid.

Early
Before the dawn
Great Grandmas hum
Echoes softly
Against backdrops of
Mahalia Jackson
James Cleveland
The aroma of bacon, homemade biscuits and overlite eggs
Marinate my nose
The black iron skillet sizzles
Serenading
Good morning to you
As fresh dew
Trickles down the windowpane
I blink as sunshine kisses me through
Sheer flowered curtains
My cotton frilled electric blanket now cooled
Wondering
How anyone could sing such a tune
So beautiful this early in the morning
Thanking God for his blessings
“This is the day that the Lord has made
I will rejoice and be glad in it”
Perhaps Grandma always hummed
Because she truly knew the reason
behind the song