Empty bank account
and a pocket full of dreams
Apathy we can do without
Cause these streets are mean
But it seems
That in my future there’s green
Not just cash
The flowers and fruit of my seeds
My heart is shining as the sun beams
I’m leveling peaks
as I reclaim these streets
inside this body
Art and Community meet and greet
rock through riots with rhyme and
and push hate aside with a beats
We can bring joy and peace
in the mist of the guns and heat
My buckets are shallow
But my well runs deep
Taking you around the world in 80 poems
Handing street kids mics
Instead of throwing them bones
Compassion is the tone
No companions or cellular phones
Starting with me, myself and God
But no need to do this alone
Join my parade
Painting the gray streets another shade
Recreate dirty curbs
with positive words
Anything but greedy
Decorate brick walls of destruction
With Picasso graffiti
while feeding the needy
With the fruit of our creation
inspire imagination
extinguish hesitation
Making concrete sidewalks
spring vegetation
One block at a time
Is how you change a nation
Mix a bag of patience
and a gallon of determination
With much preparation
We can get to baking
Stop the flashing and the faking
Its poetry we’re making

I am the  liquid life coursing down of the river Nile

The rhythm of my waves will carry you miles

I am the beat of the wind, blunt, cold and agile

I am the red apple from New York giving you a taste of bitter sweet with a smile

I am the sound of fury coming at you without vacillation

I am Queens Sheba on white wings leading a black nation

There is so much promise in the form that is short but wild

I am a ferocious lion rocking my mane with vigor and style 

I have the depth and the rhyme of  the lyricis Lauren Hill

I am the $1,000 shoes your feet are longing to fill

I am the jewels and the crown of queen Neferiti

I am generous hands that give to the needy

I am the hair that stands up on the back of your neck

I am the trump card, not a joker but the ace of spade in your deck

I am a royal priesthood of faith so show some respect

I am a black diamond in the rough so you better come correct

I am the perseverance you need in the 26^th mile

I am the plate of righteousness you feed to your child

I am a defeaning silence blaring and loud

I am the color of light and the vision of sound

To say that I am fabulous is putting it mild

I’m a hard-working woman rich and profound

I am the sun rays shimmering on deep-fried skin

I am the purity of virgins never touched by men

I am the prophetic ruler of a stubborn hard hearted people

I am in the body of Christ, the church and the steeple

I am the spark of lighting inside your soul dying to heat you

I am the voice of nature, animals and people

I am the hungry bear in the forest waiting to eat you

I am a fatal injection deadly and lethal

I am the eyeglasses of truth and I see all of your evil

I am the stain glass windows in the grandest cathedral

I am the goal that takes your eons to meet

I am the climax of life with multiple peaks

I am the concrete sidewalk that harvests a rose

I am the wide awake zeal that’s hard to compose

I am the meter of poetry and plot of your prose

Who I am truly

Only God really knows

But to you

I am a strong tower of mahogany, crystal and gold

Watch in awe as my glory unfolds

I am irreplaceable and I’ve broken the mold

I am a priceless gem that can’t be bought, borrowed or sold

If  somebody asks, don’t say you ain’t been told

That I am every woman

Black

Beautiful

And Bold

Behind those silent eyes is a beautiful voice

So speak

Speak with passion, speak with purpose

Speak with power and authority

Speak for those whose tongues have been torn out by hate, oppression and slaughter

Speak for the starving children and the motherless daughter

The lost, abused, diseased and the hopeless

Speak for them like my ancestors sung

For hope, for glory, for a better day to come

But first, learn to speak for yourself

Move shyness, low self esteem and fear from your throat

Speak to your fears, shout at your insecurities, and scream from your hurt

Tell your dreams to get up and walk,

Your dead circumstances to arise

Your true self to emerge

Say what’s on your mind, don’t let this ugly world steal your shine or make you leave those power packed words behind

For someone has paid for your freedom of speech with their very blood

So embrace your choice and let your voice be heard through every fiber of your being

Don’t just talk

Speak

If your vocal cords are stressed from being played by the strings of life,

use body language

Your eyes are vessels of hope and encouragement

Your teeth the sunshine of your smile’s universe

From your lips spring the fullness of joy and praise

Let your breasts be the plates serving up strength, courage and righteousness

Your arms communicate sweetness, your embrace like sugar melting over the bitterness of a broken heart, a wounded spirit or a tormented mind

Press your hands toward the mark of a higher calling, rising up into a mighty fist that will strike a blow to the face of domination, desolation and despair

Talk the language of love through the tender touch of those soft finger tips drying the tears of humanity

On your shoulders sit the terminology of turmoil bore silently by those who have gone before you waiting to be bench pressed by your vocals

On your back is the language of lynchings and lashings that lasted centuries so turn around and the let the world read the writing out loud

Articulate the miracle of life from your loins, birthing a new creation 

And when you have dont all you can, your legs is telling you to stand on HIS word

Running with purpose and conviction your feet can also be heard

When your body is tired let nature take its course

Make your voice rumble like thunder, project electric expressions like lightning and your words rain down like a mighty storm

Your message like dew drops soaking into the soil of our minds, igniting seeds and becoming the roots of transformation

The fruit of your lips feed the hungry, with the clever combination of consonants and vowels

Your words are the balm for our sore souls

Your verbs the trees of life

Your life should resonate like a King speech, delivering greatness on the steps of the memorial to progress and change

Your terms the north star from which our youth’s dreams are hung

Letting them know that the power of life and death is not in a the barrel of a gun, but in the power of the tongue

So in your own vernacular, in that unique voice, with every limb, make the choice to speak

For if you remain mute, you mutilate your right to be heard

Open up your mouth and speak releasing the power that is in your words

Hello nice to meet you my name is Ebony
So you want to know what I do, how I’m made, the essence of me.
Ok, let me see if I can break down my etymology, word for word, letter for letter.
E is what I go by for short, but in short
Ebony is efficient, effective, and eager to achieve the epitome of excellence. Sometimes I lack empathy, but I do some things effortlessly like wake up early and exercise essentially everyday.
Be Clear
Ebony is a born again, baptized, blood washed believer. She is blunt, beautiful, balanced and basically a blast to befriend especially as Black Violet, who she has recently been.
O and just in case you were wondering,
Ebony is essentially an overachiever, obsessively organized, but not OCD, objective and open-minded, outspoken and occasionally ornery.
N What else can I add to this narrative?
Ebony is a native New Yorker that embraces her natural nappiness and from nine to 5 neutralizes neighborhood neglect and nuisance.
Y I do ask a lot of random questions, like your goals, dreams and inhibitions, your biggest regret and spiritual positions. And yes, I do yearn for the yesteryear when youngsters had an unyielding yearn for education instead yapping on yahoo. And that goes for you adults too.
Yes, Ebony is my name and I’ve broken me down, word for word, letter for letter, and just like fine wine, with age, I’ll only get even better.

For the WordSmith Poetry Jam, I’m the organizer MC and I promote it
And on top of that I’m trying to become a real live poet
Maybe I’ve always been one and simply didn’t know it
Perhaps I’ve never had the confidence or audience to show it
But if you give me a few minutes of your time, I think I wont blow it.
I’ve been inspired to write rhymes, to capture the verses that are running through my mind, sprinting toward the finish line that will make my whole stanza shine
From my heart flow metaphors pumping life into my words so that you can feel my prose, making your heart stop before I close.
In my soul is a pen, writing the who, what and when with lyrics that expose my mind, will and emotion
I’m a real live poet and it’s not a notion
A real live poet, a wizard and poetry is my potion
So not is my time, I’m ready to shine, commit lyrical crimes at the drop of a dime
I’m a real life poet and I’m coming into my prime.
REAL – Read to Elevate your Awareness Lyrically
Spitting
LIVE – Life-giving, Inspirational Verses Eloquently
POET– A Prophet Orating Everlasting Truth
I’m a real live poet and this poem is the proof.
I’m a real live poet delivering fire, life and truth.