Friday, August 29, 2014

Poem: Hallelujah

Hallelujah

By: Joi Maree Flowers

Hallelujah
Hallelujah

I praise His name

The name spoken in prayer
Sung in song
Shouted out loud

Jesus

Such a precious name

The name I carry with me
The name I'm shielded by
The name that saved me

Jesus

Hallelujah
Hallelujah

Amen

Monday, August 25, 2014

Poem: If You Will, Forgive Me

If You Will, Forgive Me

By: Joi Maree Flowers

For the days my presence was absent
For the schedule that never held a time slot for you to fit into
For the thoughts of you that went ignored
When an extended hand should have reached for you
Or a phone call should have been made
For the next times that turned into next times

For my ears that didn't listen
Because my mouth was quick to voice its opinion

For my eyes that only saw the outer
Because the inner I cared not to be introduced to

For my voice that should have spoken up and out
But instead let fear win the victory to silence it

For the brick wall that was built
That should have never separated us

For the loneliness you had to settle into
Because my company never joined you

For these and many more things

I apologize

And ask that you find it in your heart
And soul to forgive me

If you will

Friday, August 22, 2014

Poem: Little Black Book Gone

Little Black Book Gone

By: Joi Maree Flowers

Little black book
Filled with thrills and smiles

Little black book
The cause of trouble and frowns

Little black book
Filled with so many names

Little black book
Numerical digits filled each page

Little black book
Of my little childish ways

Little black book
No longer of use to me in my adult age

Because I've found love

And his name and number needs no little black book to hold it

Monday, August 18, 2014

Poem: Too Soon To Weep

Too Soon To Weep

By: Joi Maree Flowers

She didn't get to see him graduate high school
Didn't get to see him grow to become a man
As she transitioned from physical
To spiritual
Before he received his Rights of Passage

Her son
Left in the world without her presence

With no hand to hold
No arms to run into
No kiss to be placed on his forehead
To comfort him
To assure him
That
All was well
And will be

As only a Mother's love
Her love
Could heal the pain he's been inflicted with
A pain that won't ever be healed
Only eased with the remembrance of happy moments made yesterday
That'll find its way every now and then to memory's slide show

But how can she comfort him now when
The pain is due to her early demise

A pain of knowing that the last time was indeed the last

And

When he goes to call her name
And realizes that she again will never answer
To his voice

His weakened heart will ache

And the pain will again become stronger

The pain of having to live without her

Becoming unbearable to bear

The will to move forward a struggle

Because the reason to is hard to find through the cloudy vision of his watery eyes

Asking God why

Why her

Why so soon

Without a proper goodbye to be said

Without a chance to see her smile again

Without a chance for her to say I love you
Again

Unable to catch all the tears that fall

Unable to find a smile in the pain

Unable to understand why

So soon her presence from his life was taken away

Friday, August 15, 2014

Poem: Flowers

Flowers

By: Joi Maree Flowers

For some
Flowers are given once they've left this earth
I'd rather receive mine while I'm still here

To smell their fragrance
And admire their beauty

And appreciate them as the gift
They were given to me as

And in return they
Those flowers
Will blush at my adoration of them

And we all will smile

Monday, August 11, 2014

Poem: Without HER

Without HER

By: Joi Maree Flowers

His dreams were revealed in detail
But it lacked one thing

HER

She was excluded from his destiny
His tomorrows
As he planned to walk without her hand in his
For his itinerary held no space for her time
To be included

The punches of hurt
Felt through each heartbeat
The sorrow from rejection
Displayed in each fallen tear
SHE cried

As SHE saw forever with him
As her destiny
Unlike his
Included him

SHE so wanted his words to be a script
Recited to her in a nightmare
But she was awake
And this scene was very real

And unlike fictional tales

There were no words to be said
No actions to be taken
No rewind button to undo
His decision

For his words were spoken
And ended by a period

And
SHE
Weakened by disappointment
Accepted his fate

And from him
Departed

Friday, August 8, 2014

Poem: No Going Home

No Going Home

By: Joi Maree Flowers

I am only a presence
Not belonging
To this place

Unrelated
To the people who pass me by outside
And wave

I wear the clothes
That fail to fit my frame

My mouth chews the food
That I did not intend to eat

At night my eyes close
But I can never sleep in this foreign bed

As this place is not home
Only a room that I can afford until my next big gig

Until opportunity comes calling my name
Again

But when that will be
I hope soon

As I have no desire
To return to the place of my parents

To face the eyes of failure

Monday, August 4, 2014

Poem: My Testimony

My Testimony

By: Joi Maree Flowers

Folks don't know why the tears stream down my cheeks
When I pray or hear his Praises sung through song
Because they know not my testimony

They just don't know
How good God has been to me

How he's blessed me
Saved me
Rescued me
Steered me in the direction of forward
And not back

I've witnessed his works
Not only in me
But in those around me

I've been talked about and cursed through words by those who wished my down fall
But by God's favor I never saw their feet when at my lowest
Because he stood me tall to look over their heads

He received me as I am
Knowing I was a sinner
A work in progress

I've arrived at the place of present not by my own travels
But by the guided steps of my Lord and Savior
Who before my knowing already paved the way for the road to lead me here

He is the reason I know what love it
Because I got out of my own way so he could open the door
So love could find its way to me

He is the reason why I no longer suffer from loneliness
Because when in the physical company of myself
I know that He is there right next to me

He is the reason why I no longer seek the validation of others
Because He opened mine eyes
To see the beauty that is me

I can go on and on
But the hour won't allow the space for the time

But for the rest of my life
I will thank Him
Through prayer
And I will Praise Him
In song

Because My God
Had been so good to me

And without Him
I would not be

Friday, August 1, 2014

Poem: Keep The Key

Keep The Key


By: Joi Maree Flowers

I won't return
So that means you can stay
It's better that I hold on not to these memories
In this house that I wish to no longer call home

For we are too far gone
To return to the days of good
To smile away the pain
To forgive those made mistakes

As the foundation built to be strong
Has weakened
And now threatens to collapse
If we both should stay

In this place where one of us does not belong

So I'll go
And leave for your next desire
My key
And maybe she can strengthen again
These four walls
That once held inside it a broken we