Poetry

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Can anyone relate?

From early on,
Some would shake their head
And to think they might of said;
"Don’t get out of you pram little one
You lot are surreal, it seems to have gone a bit mad,
Three boys and two kid sisters
people racing in and out,
all hours of the day
Where are the elders?
Oh dear, something needs to be done!"

Yet when I heard the tales,
Mummy would tell me, of the stories of her home
About my wonderful grandma and all the family,
Especially great uncle Simeon and uncle Nathan
They made my head spin
They were so grandiose
They were really heart warming
- It was SO different -
Man, the family were so close

It was easy to see why from early on
I saw terrible disparity
Of how it used to be and what it had become
I thought, surely things can’t change that much?
This is the Enger –land…
Alas, something has to be done!

Indeed, From early on
I would discuss current affairs,
And I would use this as a vehicle for change
I wasn’t afraid – That’s why I studied a social degree
I knew that vision could transform the world
And more importantly, compliment my biblical sobriety!

I wasn't perfect at all,
But I stuck out like sore thumb
I was a Youth Scripture League scholar
I can assure you, I was not dumb!
This little brown girl with big words
I’m sorry as words can sometimes scare…
But that’s what I learned – L-E-A-R-N-E-D – check the syllabus
I thought everyone understood
Fear not! For we are in God’s care!

From day one how was I ever going to fit in?
I played the Clarinet for goodness sake
I read journals for knowledge
I camped out during the week
And came home to turntables and blues dance at the weekend
Man, I thought I was going insane!

Though I must admit I checked for Hip Hop, all kinds of music
My favourite was that track:
‘Friends, how many of us have them?’
That song was like a thinking mans anthem,
And Jazz Soul too was good music and great
Incognito were the maestro’s
I could so easily relate...
Many of their tunes are 'still friend of mine'...

But anyway I digress…

I was one of the competitive Met Police Panda trophy kids
General knowledge was my specialist thing
But the only police that they spoke about at home
Were the ones who were doing the arresting!
It was all topsy turvy…It was upside down
My coping strategy was to laugh a lot
I developed a fun loving side,
I could make people laugh
I was a little bit like coco the clown!

I also applied myself to music and theatre
And all thing’s creative
I just detested being bored and I liked being different
I was never conventional and didn’t wanna be either
I always believed my gifts were heaven sent
But where did I go…why couldn’t I be me?
I wasn’t black enough and I wasn’t worldly enough
I wasn’t white and puritanical either
…these are just metaphors I hope you can see…
I was trying to find my place on earth
When all along I was a Zionist
And my place was Heavenly

I wasn’t this class or that class - I was just me
And me was too smart for my own surround
Me was funny, goofy and quirky..

Tell me can anybody relate?

Well, Jesus has a message for us all today,
So that we may understand our human complexity
It’s the same message he gave to Zaccchaeus
And To Nicodemus, and to the Woman at the well
And to The Sons of Zebedee
In fact, to so so many…

Jesus talks;
‘I don’t want tin soldiers following me at all
Hold your peace, peace be still;
Your uniqueness is exactly to requirement
And is the answer to my call
When you get to Heaven who do you think you will find?
Mannequins from the display...
Or real people who have lived real lives?
Who were desperate, and held on come what may!
You see I came to save man from himself
To become his ultimate bail,
Because he can not do so,
Man is fallible and he is liable to fail…
Truly, man can become better with time,
So long as I’m by his side,
But the reality is you will always need me,
You can do nothing of your own.
Don’t be dismayed if you feel like you have failed - you haven’t,
I knew you before you were born,
And I knew that you would be exactly who you are,
There are a billion billion on this planet,
How on earth could you all in the same way conform?
I came to save the whole world - not little group’s elite –
I transcend culture, I transcend time, and I transcend this earth,
Can I the Lord ever be fazed?
These are things, the millions that I create,
So do not be confused, perplexed and dazed
Out of infinity you are distinctive?
Now dear child tell me, can you, to me relate?”

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