Gregory (gshaw57) Upshaw
Gregory (gshaw57) Upshaw Poems
Part I (Revelation)
This is what I see-
I see myself through you-
...
Words flow like Ebonics
You know, you know
That beat popping
Rhythmic sound of the ghetto—
...
This is for the fathers
Who has been the mainstay in our lives
Who have brought joy, pride and love
Into our lives-
...
There is a ribbon
That so eloquently draped her gravesite
She was a victim of violence—
...
As I move motionlessly through the rubble-
The manifestation of buildings—destroy
I picture myself, my family engrossed within the rubble—
...
I am awake
I cannot relate
My mind has no cognitive re-call
As if I have fallen
...
Abyss has engulfed me!
Darkness has overshadowed me!
The burden of life has overwhelmed me!
My soul harden with grief,
...
Worn torn cities—inner city violence
Death, sorrow and misery
Feelings of discontent
Conceptualize with malcontent—
...
As a young child
I was a kindred spirit
Of another time and era
With the stubbornness of a bull—
...
Shadow walkers
Invisible Icons
Hidden—un-noticed
Imaginary replicas
...
Our Lives, Our Lives
Dreams of lives
Once lived—has been detached
Destroyed
...
Life, it is the ever-changing venues of time
It is time itself—
Life is torment, sorrow, laughter, joy,
...
Imagine yourself cold; hungry-emotionally drain
Wondering how your child would be fed
Think about that moment
When that hunger grabs you from within
...
Death do not assume victory
There is no white flag
For I am still here
My life, my soul, still enriched
...
He makes me cry
One day at a time
He makes me cry
As my tears dropp in a perfect straight line
...
It was Tuesday evening—November 4 2008
When I gander toward the sky
My eyes teary with pride—
...
World issues
Masquerading in contradictions
Hidden challenges
With no answers for tomorrow problems
...
Gregory (gshaw57) Upshaw Biography
Vital Statistics: African-male, age 51, living in Washington State. My view point on life: I feel my life is evolving each and everything day I awake. For this I am bless that my Savior allows me another opportunity to change my life. With this opportunity, I must strive to do everything with in my human spirit to make a difference both with my family and within my community. My Interest: Social Advocate, Law, poetry, writing, reading and research My Music: Gospel, Jazz, R & B and little classical. (But my involvement in Gospel is where I am at now) My Favorite Books: JR Tolkien (the Hobbit, Lord of the Rings I, II, III) , Stephen King (Stand, It, Winter Storm) , Hamlet, West Side Story, Of Mice and Men, Peter Bacho (Entry's) , Alex Haley (Roots) etc... Poetry: AI (Vice) , Langston Hughes, John Dunne, Maya Angelou, and Harriet Beecher Stowe etc...)
The Best Poem Of Gregory (gshaw57) Upshaw
Art Therapy Mirror Reflection/ Inner-Self Monologue
Part I (Revelation)
This is what I see-
I see myself through you-
I do not like what I see-
For I see confusion, despair, hopelessness, and frustration-
For that is what I view from within-
Gerald, Barnes, Cynthia and you Chuck-
I know that your convictions are free of restrictions-
You see a strong, honorable and intelligent individual-
Not Black, White or Yellow but an individual-
However, my-self’s spirit is stricken by tragedies, pain, and sorrow-
My life is full of turbulence and horror-
I have witnessed death up close-
As a guardian, a protector, I fail to protect an innocence-
She was thirteen and innocent,
And
I was not there!
Part II (Child’s memory)
When I was a child, approaching thirteen, my life was ripped away suddenly-
I felt tease and torture by my mother’s death-
She was only ‘35’
She was here and then was gone-
I felt robbed, my heart stolen, ripped away violently-
Hatred, bitterness-
Hell! The world was my damn enemy-
As the oldest of four, my vivid images of my child-hood indicated
Turmoil
My brother, my sisters, seem to be spared the mental illusion of a strong extended family-
For the family, I knew died fatally with my mother’s death-
It became us against the world!
A philosophy that kept me sane, I think-
My brother the representation of a gentleman’s quarterly-
And
I, the representation of the (ugly) duckling-
My sisters were beautiful black Queens-
So to view myself, as intelligent, strong, and honorable-
I cannot see what is beyond the vividness of my wilderness-
The trees, the shrubbery, the overcast shadows of despair-
Filter between the grayness clouds and the darkness skies above-
I am alone! Truly alone!
Yet when I view my reflection through the mirror-
There is hope, a small scope of hope!
But
Hope none-the-less-
Hope that I must cling on to-
And
With that ray of hope-
I can view a microscopic glimpse of light-
Light that shines through a long but narrow tunnel—
Part III (Revelation reveal)
Tunnel of light has been reveal to me-
I understand the truth, or at least the beginning of the truth-
Had the truth been concealed and hidden on a shelf-
That shelf which had lain dormant within this shell of a body-
Am I the barriers that forbids my progression of life-
Am I the walls that forbids my mind’s wealth to expand and grow-
Can it be that easy, that I have truly lost my way—?
For my hindrance is myself-
I think I know that now-
My torture have been within me-
My enemy is myself-
Know! It cannot be-
And
I will not give in to such a lie-
But yet, my friends, my loved ones, my reflection of myself-
Reveals something different-
Damn! Tried as I might, I am utterly trapped-
Trapped within my inner-self-
By depression
By pain
By tormented demons
I understand now what lies within-
It is my inner-self, my demon-
That I must fight in order to free my soul and “My Dignity”
Maybe, I might find my serenity, my peace of mind-
ONE DAY SOON—
Written by Gregory Upshaw (gshaw57)
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