Bag lady, I know your shoulders are weighed down
from weight of the world residing inside your bags—
Pain
Discrimination
Racial profiling
Heartache
Low self-esteem…
The stitching is coming apart because it’s filled with our issues—
Jealousy
Disappointment
Fear
Disgust
Hate…
It’s been taking on our weight for far too long.
I know it’s tired.
The skeletons in our closets
are itching to come outside.
We’ve got to lay these bones to rest in peace,
so I’m opening the bag to let it all go.
Today, we will purge together
‘cause we weren’t built to break
Yet we bend while weathering our storms.
We may get lost in the dark,
however, there’s light at the end of every tunnel…
The sun shines each day.
We don’t always see it
sleeping behind the clouds
until it reveals itself after we receive our lessons
as students of Life University!
Treat every fresh 24 you’re blessed with
as new opportunities to
learn.
Raindrops keep falling on our heads…
Bear in mind that we were born with the ability to float
with our heads above water.
We may have to go through
to get through.
Winds might whip us away from our comfort zones
before we prepare to be moved.
We’ll soar on the winds of change
landing exactly where we should be
right
on
time.
Lightning could spark a good flame or two,
or maybe sparks won’t fly at all
while we waste time as burn victims,
scorched by a bad match.
Time is the one thing we spend we
can’t
ever
get
back.
Our hearts turn cold,
frozen stiff by deception,
chilled with self-doubt,
icy from the sting of love lost.
We fall numb,
immobilized with anger or bitterness
which ultimately shortens our lives.
Thawing souls survive
warmed after realizing the key to survival is
living life to the fullest
while spreading love without abandon.
Bad weather can be too heavy for us to bear.
Know that our days won’t always be filled with sunshine,
rainbows, or lucky charms.
Don’t get stuck stupidly living with regret.
If may never be that fifth!
If it were, we’d all be tipsy right now!
Laugh when you want to cry.
Dance like no one’s watching.
Let go of the past, then
live!
The future depends on you and I thriving today!
I opened these bags to tell y’all
if we know better,
we can all do better…
But,
I’m tired, y’all!
You should be, too.
Lay your burdens down!
Stop carrying around all of this
mess!
Fill your bags with
faith,
passion,
hope,
peace,
joy,
integrity,
understanding,
happiness,
and most importantly
love!
Go ahead!
Get you some!
I did!
Now my bags are more manageable to carry around.
©Rosemarie Wilson aka One Single Rose®
Rosemarie Wilson a.k.a. One Single Rose®️ is an award-winning poet and playwright, spoken word artist, singer, actress, filmmaker, author of three self-published poetry collections, nice and naughty chapbooks. Rosemarie is the first poet to be filmed in Motown’s infamous Studio A and the first Motown Mic Performance Artist of the Year. She is currently a featured artist and songwriter dubbed Queen Rose with Defected Records, the United Kingdom’s #1 house music record label. Find her streaming on all platforms as One Single Rose®️ or Queen Rose. She is also the first poet published under the Broadside-Lotus Press merger, two of the oldest African-American presses in the United States. As a poetry host, she has hosted various open mics as well as performed for local and international dignitaries. For more information on One Single Rose®, visit www.onesinglerose.com to peek into her rose garden.
