seeking you - Likeleli

the road to seeking God's truth is not easy, and it is a one-man road

On my journey to God-discovery I learned about seeking God not because there's something in it, but because of a desire to build a relationship with Him...everything else is but a bonus

This poem is just really a small part of my journey, but it says a lot:

I sought my purpose
I sought my dream
I sought my vision
And You said to me
"Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness"

I misunderstood
And sought religion
A set of standards
A lifestyle
I sought to tithe for reward
I sought to pray for an answer
And You said to me
"Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness"

I sought to sing
I sought to write
I sought success
In the name of Christ
And You said
"All these things shall be added unto You"

So I sought afresh
And I sought Your face
I sought Your truth
I sought Your presence
And You gave me vision, purpose and dreams
Rewards, awards, songs, words and You said
"You sought my kingdom and you sought my righteousness
And all these things have been added unto you"

Woman, you belong!!! - by Nomonde Mapasa

Last year, at around August...I asked a very good friend of mine to write about what she thought about women.

Whether African women (in general), we any different from any other woman...
She got so inspired by the challenge...and it took her about six months to write the following poem!
And I love it so much that I asked for her permission to share it with you...I know for sure that you will enjoy this one:

"Woman you belonged to them from birth,
Her that bore you belonged to him that laid with her to conceive you,
It's the same for man at birth 'till they come of age,

For you, woman there is no coming of age to belong to self, you were bred to be his strength and weakness, you were bred to belong to him and be defined by him (as much as you were by your own thoughts) , you are to be him in strength and fault, still you are to cover him where he could not cover himself,

Would this fact make you worthless?
Nay, it's in fact the opposite, you were bred to be worth more than what earth has put forth over countless years,

In his absences you are to be him and survive,
In his absences you are to be him and mould them that were given to you and him,
In his absences you are to be him and you 'till you join him,

Would this fact make you worthless?
Nay, in fact it means you have the strength of thousands of men and it makes you worth more than anything else a man is to find on earth,

Woman you belong to him and still he is to treat you as his equal,
Woman yo belong to him and he to love you with everything he is,
Woman you belong to him and still he is to not hurt one strand on you,
Woman you belong to him and still you are his very heart and without you there is no life,

I believe this was the breed that roamed, they belonged until men had only girls as children and instilled what they would if they had boys, can we blame them?"

The Potter - by Likeleli

This one is my favourite poem, it reflects my understanding of God's role is in my life - which is, He is my creator and the one who holds the purpose of my life in His hands.
It was inspired by a sermon by ps At Boshoff @ CRC

"You formed me from the mire clay
Made of soil and water and a breath of life
You shaped me for your day
For your purpose you called me alive

as a formless seed you perceived me perfect
you looked at a rough draft of my design and said: it is good!!!
In my brokenness you found me intact
At my completion you looked again and declared: it is good!!!

You formed me in your likeness
I am like clay on a potter's wheel
When I'm marred by circumstances and blinded by darkness
You break me down to make me and perceive me perfect still

I do not dare question your calling for my life
I do not dare jump off the Potter's wheel
Not before my time has arrived
For incomplete I cannot serve the Potter's will

You formed me from the mire clay
You began my creation with the end in mind
You created me for this day
I am perfected under the Potter's light!!!"

Xoxo...

"walking"...Zora Howard

I have a love affair with poetry... I'm a sucker for good words. I've often fallen for guys just because they are articulate and can express themselves well...me and poetry together forever!!!

So I thought I should start a blog...my own poetry corner. Here, I will write some of my best origional work, and then also some of my favourite poems from my favourite poets...feel free to post your poems as well as comments.

The one poem that speaks to me as a woman is by Zora Howard and it's called walking. Tried googling the words but couldn't find them so you all will have to trust my listening abilities... Feel free to correct me where I didn't hear well, the errors will be minimal...but they will be there.

" He meant to say: I never met a lyrical goddess that uses hyphens to prove that, really, God is
I thought Nephrotite was dead and never wanted to believe in queens except for Queen "B's" like lil kim
Who etched the milky way on the small of your back so saturn's ring shake everytime your hips sway?
I watched your walk uprooting the cement and thought: if only for a sec the sun would fingerpaint my face and you'd stop walking towards Mecca,
Lady!!! Image your soul in my direction, I (want to) follow and learn...

But he said: eyo, Ma!!! Don't you know your curves tingle my nerves?
Let me rephrase, you walking from school must mean you got good "brain" and I would like to arrange some "tutoring"

And with his eyes I let him amputate me, (lowered) my chin so when he wished I'd already be on my knees
Promised a quarter plastic rings, he proposes and I squeeze my queendom in one size smaller apple-bottom jeans and then I could really be wifey
He told me God was missing me since I fell from the sky,

And though his metaphor was clever, I could never smile cause every night since I was nine my daddy told me I truly was an angel
Every night he'd sing me flat lullabies, he's make me promise to always walk like a woman did

With the sons of a nation complacent in the crook of your neck
With prayers of pigtail potential up your ribcage like vines
Balance your children's infinities in your hips
And carry divinity in your chin
Try not to trip
Walk hard little angel
He meant even when masses have tied your tounge to your soft palate
And given you a bounty of ebonics, manage to sing
With rythm and blues in your keys, write your own melodies

So I sang the sharp harmonies to my daddy's bedtime stories
But back when we used to hide candy wrappers in jean pockets,
Now we hide condom wrappers and daddy, I'm scared I've forgotten your lyric
Cause every song I sing ends with "shorty"
And everytime I walk someone calls "shorty"
We used to sip cherry pop, now we count cherries popped
Our skin doesn't shine like the moon but every shooting star we've ever wished upon ends on our laps
We used to count ourselves as daughters of eve but I figure we must be a generation of apple-tree serpents cause everytime I walk someone wants to psssss at me...
"Yo mommy", "yo baby"
Your mommies, your babies...

If you lifted your eyes from her face maybe you'd see your sister in her face, and hear her heart trying to break free...I'm still walking
Cause I promised my daddy I'd never rest , he said "woman, walk hard" and I've been walking ever since,
My feet aren't clean
I've got corns for every corner I've ever been called pretty
My soles are calloused for every step after that before he told me: he was only kidding but does believe he has a bright future in my jeans...when I say my soul is calloused!!!

So I'm asking my daddy to re-teach me those lyrics,
And to every ten year-olds on this street that still hop scotch but suck more than butter-scotch
- I implore you
Teach them back to these little boys that play with rubber toys that teach them how to be soldiers, but never how to be fathers
Bullet proof vests and finger stuck in their jeans, that teach them how to be gangsters so they don't find time to dream
Teach them how to ice swollen wombs where infants of dry placentas tug at women who can not give any longer
I wanna learn back the words to that song "her body is sacred and his mind is stronger"
But I can't teach you how to say it...I'm too busy Walking!!!

Shooooo, that was long!!! But writting it just gave me goosebumps.
This woman is a great writer, hope you enjoy it. And check the vid out on you-tube
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