The Forgotteni Poem by Almedia Knight-Oliver

i know how it feels to be second and not
Know what to do about it; and know the
first one who refused to care about me.

i know how it feels being depressed inside
a small capsule filled with unhappiness, and
imprisoned by hopelessness and guards.

i still remember, how i felt riding greyhound buses
unnoticed, by those seated comfortably up front,
white curtains concealing Negroes from light and whites.

i know saints on knees praying and hoping for somebody
or somethings to reign outside somewhere; and late in life
asks "what did I do with every moment within myself.

i know how it feels to be forgotten and alone sitting
on stinky garbage cans eating from cans; and most
who pass by are oblivion to others but themselves.

i know how it feels being a broken-winged bird who
who knew not leaving the nest smart, because her
two baby birds were not ready to fly yet.

Month after month red roses bloomed in the womb
nowadays, no more flowers, dead, and no seeds left
for planting in spring.

i know how painful it feels to remember
that child I "got but didn't get" and not
depriving anything from those I did get.

i know how it feels being the ignored flower growing
through the cracked sidewalk, and poor children
being neglected by cracks in the welfare system.

I know about beauty, fears, joy, and loneliness
I know about stories held that are signs of me;
I know a poem is the obscure soul of an forgotten one...


Almedia Knight-Oliver January 19,2011