It could be you. Will you take a Stand?

This piece will be donated to THE GIRL BLUE PROJECT for "It could be you. Will you take Stand?" A staged reading and art auction at Stage 52 Theatre for people with HIV/AIDS Dec. 11 @ 8pm.www.tofighthiv.org/goto/Shawnet

Gratitude

I am thankful for this day
For love and forgiveness
For peace and ease
Good ideas and dreams
I am thankful for art
And process
Thankful for grace and friends
So grateful for friends
I am thankful for family
Thankful for my son
For his safety
I am thankful for my health
For God's love
Spread

A poem a day for 2013 - day 342 - Mind business

Life is a continuous cycle
Until you're dead
Said the old man in the mental health office
Next to me
And he went on
About Egyptian and Greek mythologies
About war and hell
God and race and names and truth and the devil
Yes the devil too

But you know man can't tell a story
Without changing it
He said
And I agree

He is blind
This man with so much wisdom
So much talk about seeing in the dark
About what God said to him

I have no choice, he said
I can only walk by faith

And what about me
And my sighted self
And my faith
And when I
Forget

Gratitude

I am thankful for home
For my eyes opening again
For new friends
I am thankful for health
For ideas
For following through
I am thankful for art
And words
I am so thankful for words
And rest
And good good easy rest last night
I am thankful for new day
For my son
For my whole community
I am thankful for songs that bless my life
For food and money and shelter
For clothes
Energy to move and shout
I am thankful for technology
For iPads and phones
For communication
I am thankful for the path being paved for my son
For his protection
For my niece and nephew
For my mother
Sister
Sisters
Brothers
I am thankful for love
All day

Dr. Valerie Bridgeman

Gratitude

I am thankful for being back home
For an easy flight
For productive work
Good food
Truth telling
Soul worship
I am thankful for many perspectives
For love
I am thankful for my son
For my reflection
For smiling
I am thankful for easy
For peace
I am eager for work
For family
Friends
Sleep
So good rest
Tonight

A poem a day for 2013 - day 341 - Say sister

These women
Brown and bleeding
In sacred circle
Prayer and praise
Can you hear how loud we sing hallelujah

These hands lifted
See this dirt under these nails
This clay, this flour, this brown sugar
Tongues shouting, clicking
These feet knocking
O these rebellious women
Who dare speak
Who leap to live their lives fully
Spill secrets about yesterday
Who said we can't tell the truth about our own lives

A poem a day for 2013 - day 340 - Blessing

I am full
And thankful
And loved
I am so well loved

Dr. Valerie Bridgeman and Dr. Gay Byron at Howard University

Dr. Valerie Bridgeman leading group

WomanPreach! The buzz of writing and thinking.

WomanPreach! Praise and worship at Howard University