Oh Happy Day!

I celebrate!
I rejoice!
In spite of what you think to do to bring me down
on this round face of mine
joy can always be found
and on occasion when you find me a bit blue
know that it's not because of you
for my emotions often change
but my peace remains the same
for when all is said and done
and my final race is run
I know my victory is won
I know my destination and my place
so when you see a smile upon my face
know that you did not put it in place
but the anticipation of the day
when all joy is released and free
when all worry, doubt, pain, grief, and misery are gone
that's the day for which I long
Oh Happy Day!

Winter Time

There is a chill in the air
wind gushes through my parka
and chills tingle down my back
a feel of anticipation for the seasons' holidays beckons me on
from the fall of October, to the thankful feasting of November
I await the delight of December with all of its trimmings, from the one true gift of life
to the lights, trees, family gatherings, and treat filled nights of rest
as I anticipate the coming days I try to remain focused and peaceful
in my zeal for with each passing day I cross out numbers waiting for that coveted break
that only you can deliver, hand wrapped, neatly and colorful with a big bow on top you are my
one true gift!

Am I a rapper? You be the judge!

O.K, so back in the day when I was very very young I was a bit of a wanna be, I mean I wanted to be MC Lyte or some other smooth female MC. I actually use to battle my brother and between you and me, I think I beat him more than he would care to say. Anyway, I on a regular basis do not usually watch BET, however, I happen to briefly turn to the awards show and watch some of the performers in the Cypher, and I was inspired by some and left wondering what in the world with others. Nevertheless, I must say I have been way disenchanted with the rap game for a long long time, and so I wrote a rap about it, wanna hear it? Here it goes.... and it sounds a little something like this....

Prolifically speaking I give words life
birth out of me like a woman in travail;
impregnated with this gift I must TELL
the WORLD, the TRUTH
for you've been in darkness too long, cloaked in the shadow and the shackles of your
iced out jewelry and your "FABULOUS HOMES"
material wealth your only gain while your rhymes lack moral depth and all sound the SAME
Give me the classics of the old school, where the purpose was to uplift, groove, and bust a MOVE
Now you rappers lack class cuz you left school too soon
As a teacher I can teach ya how to get back to the basics, to the nature of what it means to be
a lyrical genius not a one hit liner with cliche' slang/slanging EBONICS
 you need HOOKED ON PHONICS
so you can speak right
who said a rapper had to mumble and loose syllables to sound tight?
Crisp and clean words ring clearer and more profound than your preschool like sounds
Please excuse if I do offend, just trying to shed light on the industries plight, it's time for us, my brothers and sisters to make our words RIGHT, not just get another spot on the radio rotation
selling our souls for the 10 cent CD donations
 instead we must enlighten future generations
so if my words strike a cord with you the next time you in the studio let your music speak the truth
about how money and fame can lead to destruction and lost if you don't carefully weigh the cost
how inspiration can lead to desperation
 where you find no place
you become just another famous face
lost in the crowd
place wisdom and knowledge above money motivation and let them be your first inclination
so put pen to paper
and truly for the first time RHYME!

Can heaven recommend you?

So on yesterday the preacher chose a topic that was very poignant to me, he asked the question can heaven recommend you? I gave that some thought, and I would have to be honest and say I really don't know the answer to that question. I would love to say of course heaven can, but I really don't know.... only God does. So here goes the poem of the day....

Recommended by Heaven

A call was sent out all around
from the blue of the clouds you could feel the ground quake
But not many, only one could here the sound
Proud and joyous was the candidate found
who came highly qualified and fit for the job
humbly he answered and expressed his gratitude to God,
but yet he had one question that seemed to weigh him down
before he could enjoy the moment he had to know
Why was I chosen and no one else? What separates me from the rest?
With a hearty pat on the back and an expression of love, God answered simply,
You are my beloved, my own precious child, my son and in all the earth their is none to be found
as highly recommended as you are you see
because you come from part of me

Poetry: My Voice: Catching Up

Poetry: My Voice: Catching Up: So, I missed my post yesterday due to a very hectic schedule...five different plays, a kindergarten program (by the way my baby is destined ...

Letting Go

So on Sunday the preacher's topic was Letting Go. Letting Go? You may ask yourself what does that mean exactly? Well, he gave many examples of things that we need to let go of, such as past pain, hurt, frustration, revenge, negativity, etc. I could go on, but I think you get my drift. Well, most people would like to think they are free of their past, however, since we are just humans after all, I think that we all have some things that still grip us, and hinder us from being the blessed children of God that we should be. Therefore I share these lines with you...the task of letting go of things that have been with us for a long time is hard, but the reward of shedding the dead weight of those things is PRICELESS!

Letting Go (by Jay-Me)

Your tentacles clung to my flesh in a death grip
deeper and deeper I would drip
drip into your miserable depressed web of deceit
Walking around in defeat
With years of anger, frustration, hurt, and pain, laying claim to my frame
as if they were my identity instead of the true me
the girl with a smile in place, a jilt to her step, and a faith built on experience, and a love only God could give
Are you for real?
Trying to hold me down, lowly to the ground, walking with my head down?  
Please know you are the jester, you are the clown!
For I learned that giving it up is better then giving in,
I also learned that revenge is not my friend
So all the things that had me bound, I release them with joy, I lay them down
So know that although you thought to break me, overtake me, and turn me around
I'm letting go of every single thing that sought to weigh me down
I'm Letting go, Letting go, Letting go
and in letting go, I know for sure
in my release I will be  
Forever free
Living in God's intended purpose for me
LET IT GO!

My Uncle By Jamie W Hoffman

In honor of my Uncle Buddy I write this poem with love, gone, but not forgotten!

I remember when your old gray truck would rumble up the dirt road
You'd swagger in the house in your polyester shorts and high top socks and flip flops with a grin on your face and with our little legs we would race, race to see you
excitement would fill our hearts at the thought of a trip to the convenient mart
or a spin in your front seat, we would let our imaginations soar as we drove around Grandma Pearl's yard going nowhere but loving every minute of it
candy treats and wise cracking jokes were your gifts to us
and as a reward Grandma Pearl always had something sweet for you to eat
cake, bread pudding, turnovers, and pies were all like sunshine to your eyes
for I remember those days well, long ago but never gone
You, the Patriarch of the family, not just an Uncle, but our Uncle, not just a Buddy,
But our Buddy, Our much loved Uncle Buddy!  

Jamie Wiggins Hoffman

I am by Jamie Wiggins Hoffman

I am
I am not just a woman
I am not just a sister
I am not just a mother
I am not just a friend
I am not just a wife
I am
I am a woman of color with love for all
I am a sister with listening ears and words to encourage through all of life's struggles
I am a mother with overflowing love and compassion for my own training and teaching to make them strong
I am a friend until the end my support will never end
I am a wife of virtue and half to his whole the missing link to his soul
I am beyond all of this the purpose filled creature created by God to give glory to his name and let his praises ring to the end of my life until my last breath it is my desire to be used by him until my rest!

I contemplate

So in life we often wonder what direction we are headed in, we ponder our futures, fates, and our success. But, sometimes we have no clue as to what it is we are doing, although it is clear that we have many desires, dreams, hopes, and aspirations, we wonder will we ever see the realization of them? and what are we doing now to ensure their success? (excuse the grammar not feeling very grammatical right now) So I contemplate.....

You told me I had purpose
You told me I had a place
You told me I had talent
But I seemed to have lost it along the way
in this journey we call life
the day to day drill the
ups the downs
the highs the lows
the joys the sorrows
the innermost place where only you see
you see me
in all my nakedness
no I can't hide from you
I can't pretend to be
I can only be me
at the end of the day
with my flaws layered upon my shell of outer protection
with my wondering and contemplation
of what is to come
I'd love to live each day as if it was my last one
but I can't
because the shadow of tomorrow is always there
waiting
lurking in its guise; oh how I despise the day doubt
I'd much rather live in the comfort and security of your shelter and protection
So I cast aside this contemplation of what could, should, and would be
I shroud myself instead in what is, and I cover myself in faith for what is to come
and always, always, I pray a prayer of thanks for what has passed, the good and the bad
for with each day I gain strength to live!

Back Again

So I am not a women of my word, it has been a long, long, time since I last posted. I am feeling a bit guilty. But, alas life goes on... and on.. and then the dreaded darkness! Just kidding a little morbid humor for you. I will try to redeem myself so I hope this poem blows you away. Here goes.......



Alone with my loneliness (thoughts)

I asked for a moment just one second of peace
in answer my brain screamed at me!
Why seek you rest when I seek to speak?
Constant thoughts run, trample, and play
in my head all day
I asked quiet to hold them at bay
But quiet refused to answer  me
So instead I SCREAMED
Let me be!
ALONE
with my lone-li-ness
let me touch the rest of a easy mind
let me caress the sanity of blankness
let me stare at nothing and be content
let me be free from the stress of thinking
And in reply, I got for my gift: No, I think not,  not I, for my purpose is not to leave you alone
My purpose is to make you contemplate
each breath you take
I'll remind you that you are, you are
A-L-I-V-E  

---Jamie Hoffman

A New Day

Not much introduction today straight to the poem!

Woke up this morning sun shining through
let light come in and cover you
 for the day
brings forth new
challenges and changes
the question is
how will you let it affect you?
will you arise to the day?
or will you let the thought of night take you away?

Catching Up

So, I missed my post yesterday due to a very hectic schedule...five different plays, a kindergarten program (by the way my baby is destined to be a star), and then to top it all off a Poetry Palooza! Well, here goes two for the price of one!

Time (The Precious Gift)

Each moment precious and sacred
a treasure indeed
But how did you get wasted?
Ate away at in greed
Chewed by boredom
Depression and Dread
Wished away, as if the passing of day was not enough
nights become days, days become night
lost in transition
Your moments take flight
minutes become seconds
days become hours
months become weeks
And then....
You wake up and see
That age like time has passed you by
With this you make a vow
To live, live like tomorrow is over
Live like your life has purpose
Live like your Creator intended you to
For God in his Greatness holds the Master Clock
He in his divinity decides when it Stops
When he holds back the hand on yours will it add up to a little or a lot?    

Spring Fever

I had  a pretty good day to day. However, it's the time of year when all of my fellow educators get that sudden itch, the sun is shining a little brighter, the days seem endless, and the breaks few and far between! Think God for Spring! Spring Break! I got the fever!

I got chills and I'm sweating bullets
of perspiration for if these days don't ease by
I might act out in desperation
I got the fever
not of the bodily kind but that of the mind
for a mental break
I must take
for the lack of relaxation
causes me to contemplate
how many more days must I wait?
Mind, Body, and Soul screaming Spring B-R-E-A-K!

The Long Road Home

So today, I was traveling back to my wonderful home on interstate 85S, and I discovered something rather simple about myself. I hate driving! I like going places, many places, but I would much rather be a passenger than the one in the driving seat. Well, enough of that on to the poem of the day!

The Long Ride Home

Traveling down the gray concrete streets
bumps and pot holes along the way
as if life were a rode and the cars the people
you meet
focusing intently on the destination ahead
but hoping for the end of the high speed lanes
wanting some sanity from the changing signs and passing wide white lines
what if life were a rode? a street? an interstate?
What if we all were just travelers trying to find our way back
back to where we truly belong
Where is home?
Are we there yet?

Empowered!

I just left the Women's Empowerment Convention where Mr. Steve Harvey was the keynote speaker. He did a great job. So did the rest of the performers. Well, enough of that. Are you ready for the poem of the day? Here goes.....

Empowered

Strong yet meek
nurturer of all who seek
life
I am woman
multiple shades of variant rays
shapes and forms of many
we are innerly powered
with beauty and grace
smiles of radiance emanate from our faces
from our unique races and places
we are filled with this power
with this gift
that God in his wisdom did impart
as he formed woman from man
he gave us just one more treasure from our counterparts
the ability to love from our whole heart
I AM EMPOWERED!

Day Break

I woke up early today
contemplating daybreak
will this day break
me
or will this day be
the day that I become more of myself
the self I'd like to be
I hope that it will be/cause in this day
I find that I am free!

--JayMe   

Daily Inspirations

Poetry is near and dear to my heart. I thought it was time that I let my poetry be shared with the rest of the world! Therefore, each day I will post a new poem to share with you all. The poem will be original and fresh based on the mood I'm in on that day.