Book Excerpts
Excerpt from Random Thoughts
Vanilla musk, floating on an October breeze,
a short afro, a sweatshirt and jeans.
Smile as brilliant as the warm, summer sun,
veal cutlets, carrots, and chicken bouillon.
Laughing and dancing to “I Feel the Earth Move”,
toes, pretty and painted, in new platform shoes.
Never in my wildest dreams did I suspect,
that these random thoughts would be all I had left.
See more in Random Thoughts on Intimate Connections
Excerpt from Take Me
Take me. Take me, baby.
Take me from this life I’ve come to know.
Take me from big money moments and nothing to show.
Take me from stale bread dipped in lukewarm milk.
Take me from the projects to the penthouse,
…from flannel to silk.
See the full text of this poem in Random Thoughts on Intimate Connections
Excerpt from Visions from the Heart
Those things that we find least tangible
are those which are seen by the heart’s eye.
Those things, which become most innate within us
become the visions which never die.
Read the full text in Visions from the Heart
Excerpt from Praise
I have no words of wisdom to impart,
and no eloquent phrases to coin.
I have only what comes straight from my heart,
a praise, that you’re welcome to join.
I cannot stand before you and declare
myself a heaven-sent saint,
but I can give to God a praise,
when my body and mind feel faint.
I praise Him in times of trouble,
and my strength He does restore.
And, in peace and abundance,
I have reason to praise Him more.
See the full text in Visions from the Heart
Excerpt from Nanny Knows it All
Nanny once told the story of an Ethiopian emperor who was the first to make coins with his face on them. My brothers moved closer when she talked about the kings of Egypt, like King Imhotep, who was the architect of an Egyptian pyramid. The boys remembered learning about him in the after-school program at school.
My favorite part was seeing pictures of the colorful flags of the countries we learned about. Did you know that Ghana and Ethiopia have flags that are similar?
Nanny says that each color of the flag represents something important in their cultures. Even the colors in the fabrics Ethiopian emperors wore meant something special.
See the full text in Nanny Knows it All