President Taft: A Woman’s Desire

“I am not in favor of suffrage for women until I can be convinced that all the women desire it; and when they desire it I am in favor of giving it”– President William Taft, 2/2/1909

For a man who speaks of a woman’s desire
President Taft has slid off the lid
By failing to acknowledge to what we aspire

Use your charm with jiggling belly and crooked smile
To which, my desire for suffrage is more encouraged
I wouldn’t give up my vote for the jewels of the Nile

Go milk your cow Mooly Woolly
Outta my way, I gotta battle to fight
Smashing china and chains of domesticity

On what a woman desires, you and I disagree
Like bathtub you got stuck in, this debate is tight
The strongman pulled with all his might
And still couldn’t get you free!

Your vice-president is missing, I hear
There are many candidates at your front door
Women who work hard everyday of the year

We are an army to fear
With nothing to loose, and everything to live for
President Taft give us the vote, we stand and cheer!

Lynn Mari, © 2010.

Inprison: Haiku Poetry

You write poetry
Casting diamonds on steel bars
Then the rain came down.

– Lynn Mari, © 2012

I took this picture while watching a rainstorm in my car. The rainbow is a sign of God’s covenant never to flood the earth. God holds back raging storms in our life, and always gives a sign that He is there!

Praying Through the Pain

I.
Lightning strikes behind the eye,
Igniting pathways of fire

Human voltage–
Migraine throws me to the ground

Head cradled into chest,
Hands and knees curl into each other
Clothing and flesh singe.

II.
I felt lightning once before—
In a circle of prayer

Electricity passed between our hands,
In tears coursing down our cheeks

Move those chairs, clear the room
Pray ‘til we get a breakthrough
One by one we surrendered to the Spirit.

III.
Sometimes there are no words for our afflictions…
Pastor prayed Jesus, Jesus, Jesus

Blurred vision, frayed nerves-
I could not speak or move

God knows every word before one is uttered–
Even in silence, He comforts
Those who pray through the pain.

Lynn Mari, © 2011.

If you are suffering from Migraines, please consult a medical doctor or neurologist—you don’t have to live with the pain! Besides medication, there are other alternative treatments which may be useful. I have found that 20 minutes breathing in pure oxygen offers great relief to Migraines, magnesium may also prevent them; so have hope because with prayer and proper medical care you may experience relief of symptoms.

M.A.G.N.U.M. Migrain Awareness Group: http://www.migraines.org/help/

Patient.co.uk Migraines: http://www.patient.co.uk/health/Migraine.htm

Web MD Cluster Headaches: http://www.webmd.com/migraines-headaches/guide/cluster-headaches

When Music Used to Elevate

Rappers talk about the street life, but live better than you and me
And dine with presidents impressed by celebrity…

Remember when music used to elevate?
These are heroes we need to celebrate:

Slaves escaping on Underground Railroad
Used hymns to speak in secret code.

Their children fought racism on Cotton Club stage
Tears and triumph birthed the music and dance of the Jazz Age.

Songs of Civil Rights protest,
Black Power and Kickin’ rap beats
like bullets flyin’ off bullet proof vest…

Rockin’ thru the streets and blogosphere
But do we really hear?

Rappers claim to be livin’ King’s dream…
But why their lyrics so obscene?

You’ve turned a blessing into a curse
Droppin’ rhymes that roll
Through my hood like a curse.

Remember when music used to elevate?

Lynn Mari, © 2011

Image Courtesy Of: http://www.wm8c.com

Sometimes, silence and tears are all that is needed…(Haiku)

Don’t speak to my pain
In the silence hold my hand
The warmth will dry tears.

Lynn Mari, © 2011

One face remains clear (Haibun)

Lost in thought…Fashion magazine lies in a crumpled heap on my lap. I frown at my cappuccino, foaming inside a misshapen clay mug, whose mottled gray-green color matches that of a catfish swimming at the bottom of a muddy river. I wonder why expensive coffee shops insist on using mugs so ugly that the drinks are barely tolerable. From across the room a familiar gaze settles on the line of my shoulders, slowly moving towards my eyes. I remember a long-ago conversation about that very topic; how lips warmed by coffee brushed against my cheek in a shy first kiss… I lift my head, there is confusion as the room suddenly becomes fuzzy…

Sepia portraits
Hold love and loss between frames
One face remains clear.

Lynn Mari, © 2011.

Poetry in 6 Words or Less

Inspired by my adorable kids..

Title: Boom! Bang! Whaaat?!

Toddler smiles, pots hurled down stairs.

Title: Playing Rock Star

Wig and boots go flying, yipyiyiyi!

Lynn Mari, © 2010.

An Angel Watching Over (Poetry/Inspiration)

Angels remind that God is there
News is carried on angel wings from earth to heavenly lair
God is present, aware
Every need is ministered with care
Love, strength and peace return in answered prayer.

Lynn Mari, ©2008

The Power to Turn (Poetry, Freewrite)

A crumpled page turns in a book of fairy tales…

What if the glass slipper was never claimed
And the moment slipped away?

Would the girl realize that she was beautiful?
Or yearn for to be someone else?

Would she sew a gown out of scraps,
Imagining songs of love among the skitter of mice?
Or mourn for what could have been?

Would she cry in the loneliness?
Or cry until her heart was emptied
and strength emerged?

Would she seek solace in the darkness
Of her attic room?
Or seek a prince, who would
Crown her with jewels and
Take her away from it all?

A glass slipper glimmers on darkened stairwell
The chimes ring midnight,
stars tremble.

Slender fingers slide across the page,
There is a pause as the girl considers…
the power to turn.

Lynn Mari, © 2010.

Places of Longing and Regret (Haibun)

Fireflies dance in the darkness, illuminating places of longing and regret…Caught in a spring rain we found shelter in an abandoned farmhouse. Ancient nails popped in the whirl of the wind, rain seeped through rotting boards. Gasping for air, we fell into each other, trembling beneath the thunder in our hearts. Muddy footprints now dusty smudges mark where we once stood. Alone I stand with the taste of rain on my lips.

If given wings, fly
A firefly caught in a jar
Is dimmed by its light.

Lynn Mari, © 2010.

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Haibun is a type of poetry that combines prose with Haiku. Haibun was developed by a Japanese monk, Basho (1644-1694), who wrote about his travels through Japan in Haiku, prose and sketches. Haibun is a reflective style of writing, describing moments and events of everyday life or things found in nature. The Haiku contained in Haibun does not have to relate to the subject, it is up to the reader to make th connection–if any.