It’s Black History Month 2016. Every year I start off strong trying to write some poetry continuously during the month of February. Let’s see how it goes this year
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march thirty one : a haiku for alumni #30poems30days #NaPoWriMo
I’ve been slacking this month but Instagram and haiku make writing even a little something easier .
#NaPoWriMo
#poetry
#marchthirtyone
march thirty one: a late poem remembering MLK #NaPoWriMo
On April 4th we commemorate the life and untimely death of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Here’s the short poem I wrote this past Saturday. I didn’t get a chance to post it on that day. See the original poem also on Twitter.
April 4.
Remember #MLK.
Honor his life,
his work,
his legacy
by seeking justice.
Always.
@napowrimo2015 #Poetry
Check out @ivywriter’s Tweet: https://twitter.com/ivywriter/status/584554735253860352?s=09
#marchthirtyone
#poetry
#NaPoWriMo
march thirty one: april poems for #NaPoWriMo 2015
neglect 4/4/15
oh april my love
i cannot find time to write
please forgive me my dear
#marchthirtyone
#NaPoWriMo
#poetry
kellea tibbs
#28DaysOfPoetry: The Black History Month Chronicles: America, The Beautiful
america, the beautiful – 2/2/15
America
The Beautiful
Black Is
Beautiful
We know this
Yet, how is it that
darkness
seems to bring about
fear
and we trust
people
in the light
Word to the wise
just because one’s
skin is light
does not mean
they have
your best interest
at heart
Be careful when you walk
into the light
when we sleep in the dark
our instincts become
more aware
of our surroundings
and we might find
that what we do in the dark
will inevitably
come to light
copyright 2015
#marchthirtyonepoetry
#28DaysOfPoetry – The Black History Chronicles: black history month
black history month – 2/1/15
America’s
distorted history
often exudes
an amnesia
of sorts
that conveniently
ignores
the
trueness
of Black Life
in America
that
for 28 days
while short lived
allows for
the correction
of wrongs
the chance
to
tell truths
and
gives us a reason
to write,
read, dance
sing and
reminisce
about
how life
could, should
be
for those of us
who
involuntarily
made peace
in a place
where
we were
not welcome
copyright 2015
#marchthirtyonepoetry
march thirty one: #30poems30days – poetry inspired by pop culture – sports and racism
photo from Google.com
I originally wrote this poem in 2006 and revised it in 2014. It’s to interesting how this topic of the intersection of sports and racism continues to be a problem in American society juxtaposed against the importance of sports in the lives of American youth and our need for recreational activities. Sports and athletic events has also become somewhat of a status symbol, afforded only by those with money to pay for front row seats at stadiums or who’s corporations can buy season tickets for it’s employees, leaving the everyday citizen to watch it on TV or forcing at home viewers to go broke investing in a “viewing package” of all football/basketball/baseball all the time just to stay caught up with the Jones’. This issue is out of hand and the recent alleged racist rant by L.A. Clippers owner Donald Sterling only exacerbates the problem as well as opens a window into the true feelings and comfort level of many older white men in America who still own most of the land and commodities in our society. So much to talk about, so little time….
A New Kind Of Strange Fruit (2006, updated 2014)
instead of hanging from trees
we hang from
basketball hoops
and we sprint down a field
running and jumping
performing at tip top speed
all for a contract
that puts a price
on your back
our athletes
are treated
like servants
bouncing and throwing a ball
on a plantation
disguised as an institution
of higher education
trading our talents
for entertainment
and naming rights
on stadiums
alumni return to campus
to tailgate
and drink
and swap stories
about
their fortune 500 careers
and talk about
how fast that new boy
can run down the field
these so called students
are plucked from their hoods
promised big dreams
promised a life of
sex and groupies
only to be left with a life of
trying to maintain a scholarship
trying not to fall asleep in class
trying to prove
that they’re more than
a black buck
recruited
to fill a slot
on a team
that wins championships
only to encourage donors
to keep on digging
in their pockets
leaving players
wondering
why their coach
is treated like a king
and they are treated
like a commodity?
And then they get drafted
and traded
like stocks
traded and sold
to the highest bidder
to fill their pockets with some change
in order to fill their lives
with material goods
only to make their owners empires bigger
all at the expense of racial progress?
now tell me again
what is the difference
between sports
and the oppressive
capitalistic
institutionalized
system
we came to know as
slavery?
thank you for reading march thirty one poetry
follow me on twitter: @ivywriter
