why don’t you?
lift your arms and
heal yourself
stand taller than you
were made
be stronger
than fear
mould dreams into
rainbows
why don’t you
set root and
paint the world
green with envy
you are alive
simplify your needs and
grow wings,
or stand still,
and skin lizards,
decorate yourself
with war paint,
shake off the dust,
why don’t you
uproot yourself and
walk a mile
in any direction you like,
you must at least
try,
To rage against
this idea
that you cannot
and perhaps
the sweat off your brow
will seed
fertile ground,
coat handsome men with lust
for life
become
aphrodisiac
♦photo –webstockpro.com♦
evocative short poetry – words move
Short Poetry 
How utterly lovely Kolembo!
Loved the challenge buried in this piece. Get up, get moving, do something, don’t waste your life because life is an aphrodisiac if you will only live it!
K, this is ripe with truth. To begin, that’s the most difficult. Standing still, even backing up, is easy when you feel you were “born without bootstraps,” (you know what I mean) and taking that first step feels like jumping off a cliff. This reads like a challenge to oneself, and it certainly made me sit up and take notice. Peace, Amy
Hi kolembo,
That is a really thought provoking poem making one think about bettering oneself instead of just accepting that you will always be the same. I really like how you start out showing us how we can make changes and then end with what we would all like to be, someone who is loved.
Thanks ever so much for sharing this with us for this weeks Theme Thursdays new beginnings, something we always need at times.
God bless.
“why don’t you
uproot yourself and
walk a mile
in any direction you like”
An inspiring call out for change. Very motivational. I enjoyed the message behind this poem as well as the imagery you used.
David
Very inspirational..enjoyed reading it..nice flow..Great selection of words and phrasing to direct the question of ‘why don’t we just do it’? Love it.
Very nice poem, a lot of things to think about in there. I think you have inspired me to get to work on some incomplete poems I have.
Really nice job here. I really enjoyed the way the skeleton of the piece is built with aimed questioning, trying to motivate another yet trying to figure it out yourself. Poems like these I’ve always found quite therapeutic. There’s a few abstract metaphors in here that I just love as well. Really good read. Thanks
Wise words to live by. Love the way the poem and photo work together.
Lovely and uplifting!
These couplets, in particular, are incredible:
“stand taller than you
were made”
“or stand still,
and skin lizards”
This is my first time here. I like what I see and hope you’ll resume writing soon.
nice man, i hear heart behind this…really nice piece man…been a while since i read you and saw you over at another site…hope you are well..
Yes, of course. Why don’t we?
We either can’t.
Or we won’t.
Neither answer is acceptable.
Great write.
Hi, me again. Honourable mention today on my one-day-late Tuesday Poem 🙂 Hoping you soon post some poetry… please!!!
Well done buddy! Yes, I think it’s time eh? I just can’t find my head!
Oh, I know you’ll find it. I don’t know if I made sense above… what I meant to say is that I gave you honourable mention 🙂 because of your generous spirit and words. Now, go find your head and your marvelous thoughts!!! 🙂
I miss you, and I, like you, haven’t written much lately… at least nothing I’ve put up to share. That’s OK… only, I miss you and your words. Just letting you know that.
What an inspirational upbeat poem. I like your style.
Hey,
Did you send me an email saying that you are stuck in the UK, unable to pay your hotel bills?? If you didn’t, someone is messing with your email – yahoo account I believe. Just to give you a heads-up.
Keep the poetry coming :-).
x
hey kemi,
how lovely to see you pop up!
I had a difficult year last year, so revving up to see what kind of writing comes to me this year.
I hope you are well – your profile pic elicits such strong emotions from me!
Reminds me of my sisters, and my time abroad…strong black women in foreign lands, fending for them selves, battling the world!
Ahhh.
Thanks for the heads up. Yup, I was hacked this morning, and the English isn’t even very good!
It’s embarrasing eh? Anyway, the matter was reported and is being dealt with…I hope!
Thanks again, and onward!
You are alive. Let’s see it. Toss your words into the storm. Be the fife of Ramasi 🙂
Be more than we were born to be?
Not so novel of a concept, but oh so noble.
Loved it.
Tim
Haha, yes, the poem is filled with cliche, but enjoyed the rhythm as it came and it kinda wouldn’t comply to editing so here it is!
I think it’s the relationship with the photo that I enjoy.
One of my biggest challenges is the cliche thing… I fight it and sometimes give in as well 🙂 Miss reading your words Kenny… but I don’t have many right now either. TTYL LA
This was really awesome! Thank you so much for visiting me @ the Infamous a few weeks back by the way. I’ll definitely be keeping up with your writing
ONE MONTH LATER WHERE ARE YOU! please come back xo
Aieee! Haha, I’m lost here. Poetry is like standing in a raging storm at the moment, far too emotional.
I lost a WHOLE file of stuff I’d been working on, months and months of it, so apart from the incredible despondancy, I have nothing to ponder!
I’ll get there….!
Absolutely beautiful poetry with a lot of wisdom To be stronger than fear is a great wisdom
Kenny, you constantly amaze and astound me with your beautiful and evocative poetry. this is a another great one – one of your best! Keep on writing and thrilling me! 😆
oh my goodness you are so poetic. Very well written and spoken . 🙂
I love this, and it is ‘the’ question that we all should face. Good philosophically, and beautiful poetically.
Lady Nyo
Titirangi Storyteller says:
February 6, 2012 at 2:57 pm (Edit)
I love the way this flows. At first almost a reprimand and then moving through the possibilities and ending a fantasy… I’m smiling…
Reply
laurieanichols says:
February 6, 2012 at 6:47 pm (Edit)
It is effortless to read, it flows like a stream into your consciousness and leaves you energized and hopeful
Reply
rhoda says:
February 8, 2012 at 5:10 pm (Edit)
I like the bit of, ‘….the sweat off your brow will soak through and seed the ground…..’
Puts the different scenes of my life in some sort of shape I can identify with.
Reply
Yay!! You’re back…where have you been?!?! Those damn aliens have got a lot to answer for!!
But welcome back…you have been missed 🙂
I’m reading this… again. A physical response… again. So good. So true. Thanks for taking me there. I hope you don’t mind that I shared a link to your blog on my FB page. I guess I’m sharing you 🙂
love the line that stands alone: “you are alive.”
Great to be reading your words again K! ‘stand still and skin lizards’ really knocked me out,
Love the couplets, and the enjambment that keeps the reader a little stilted and edgy, hanging of the edge of each stanza. Well crafted piece
Kenny,
I’ve so missed your poetry. This one is so inspiring and rich with figurative language. Bravo! You’ve done it . . . again!
Good message.
Hubs (Ashley)
I love this poem about shaking off our self-imposed limits.
Oh Kenny! Poems don’t get much better than this! Love it, love it, love it. . .ad infinitum!
Nice poetry…it seems like a long time since I’ve seen you!!!
Love the last two couplets. This is a beautiful piece of writing.
Pamela
btw: thanks so much for the lovely comment on my site.
Good one for this month!
The quintessential question…why don’t we?