Can I forgive?

Can I forgive you for destroying my world
turning it upside down
to only turn away.

Can I forgive your sweet words or soft touch?
Knowing to me that you meant so much

Can I forgive you for the sleepless nights
or tearful days?
When I recounted every interaction and
email in twenty different ways.

Can I forgive you for touching my heart
Even though we are apart

Can I forgive you for being my perfect
match that will never be?
Because at the end of the day
you left me.

Kenyatta D. Berry
August 5, 2008
* Inspired by "Wings of Forgiveness" by India Arie

Silent Love

If I could sing, I would write a page
full of melodies that remind me of you.

If my voice could hit an octave, I would share
my love with you and only you.

If my fingers could tickle the ivories, you would
know how much you mean to me.

Oh, If I could sing I would tell you
my innermost thoughts without hesitation

But, since my voice can't hit an octave
and I can't tickle the ivories.

I shall remain silenced, hoping, wishing and
wanting you to know

If only I could sing.

Kenyatta D. Berry
January 31, 2007

The Pulse

I stand before you on the pulse,
the pulse of Greatness.

My fingertips feel the beating of my future,
my success, my Greatness.

I am on the pulse of impact, of change
I am on the pulse of Greatness.

My eyes see the vision,
the forest among the trees.
the Greatness.

I hear the sound of success,
rolling in like a tidal wave on the Pacific.

The pulse of Greatness is near.

My voice quivers with excitement
when I talk about you, my future.

I am on the pulse,
the pulse of Greatness.

The Rock

I have a vision that I often see
and it's a picture of me.
Around me at my arms and feet,
lie the hands of everyone I meet.
Those who pull and push me in their direction
or grab hold for dear life.
Those whom I have helped pull from struggle and strife.
I am a rock, a solid base to stand and
one who is always willing to give a helping hand.
But when the rock begins to crumble and
my feet are no longer strong enough to stand,
whom will lend me,
a helping hand.

I can no longer understand or even see
why I am a rock and
everyone leans on me.
I am strong but not stronger than any other woman or man
yet around me lies a field of stronghold hands.

I have a vision that I often see and it's a picture of me.
But I am no longer crumbling but standing alone,
I not lending anyone's heart a temporary home.
I am listening to no more problems and no more fears,
but I am living for Kenyatta and I have been for years.
Yet this vision may never come to pass,
because I have been the rock for at least ten years in the past.
So as much I may try and wish that it came true,
I shall continue to stand with the hands of old and new.

Make me a better person

Please bless me with the vision to see goodness in everyone.
To not become judgmental when others judge me.

Give me the power of faith when a storm confronts me.
Make me humble as I grow stronger each and everyday.

As you make me a new person, help me see.
That I am no better than any other human being.

Please give me the ability to hear the critics and dispel their words.
To hear the cheers those are rarely heard.

Give me the strength to get through
The cards of life dealt by you.

Make me a better person, stronger and wiser as the day becomes night.
Standing by me as I put up this fight.

GOD please sustain me on the path towards you.
Make me a better person by leading me to you.

Faded memories

thoughts of you
drift through
my mind

I taste the remnants
of your kiss
on my lips.

I feel your hands
on my waist
like a ghost of the past.

thoughts of us
drift through
my mind

walking on the
beach with the
white sand at our feet

sailing in the summertime
with the blue sea
basking beneath us

dining by candlelight
almost every night

faded memories
of a jaded past
slipping away

like the sands
of a hourglass
of time

You are a faded memory
we are a faded memory
my heart is faded.

If I could sing

if I could sing
the songs I would write
the melodies that
would flow from
my fingertips

if I could sing
the words I would speak
would explode
from my lips

if I could sing
the smiles I would bring
my words would touch
every woman and man

anyone who knew love
would know me
know my music

If I could sing
the hearts I could touch
with just one verse

If I could sing
I would tell you
how much I love you.

Different Love

You caught me by surprise
You made me love you
And your simplicity
Without my permission.

I thought that I was in control
Of my personal life
I was the boss of me and decided
Whom I would love

You showed me a different kind of love
Love based on friendship
Love based on tenderness
And not race.

You showed me a new way to love.
A way I had never experienced before.
I became a novice
When I met you.

I came to love differently
Without even knowing
That I loved you at the time.

Your other lovers

I am not like any of your other lovers
I am a different and unique in my own right.
I will never falter and rarely do I fight.
My plan is not to use you or cause you pain.
I only want to fall in love again.

Yet, I continue to be met with your doubts and your fears.
That I will leave you or turn your happiness to tears.
My heart belongs only to you and
my soul does too.
I am not like any of the others,
I am unique and different
as I am your perfect lover.

Dancing in the Moonlight

Tonight
I danced
for the first time
since you left me

Tonight
I smiled
for the first time
in a long while.

I put on my favorite
CD and loaded up
my favorite MP3’s

I sipped on a
smooth glass
of Chianti

I ate Filet Mignon
I nibbled on
a mixed green salad

Tonight
I watched the
sunset and
the moon rise.

I watched
my moments
with you
drift away.

Tonight,
I danced in the
moonlight
by myself.

While releasing
my heart from you.

Cursed

she sits on her couch
sipping her favorite drink
her cherry lips pout seductively

she strokes her hair
her eyes sparkle when she smiles
she is beauty

in a crowded room
she commands attention
she is in control

her words are like angels
dancing on your tongue
she is intellect

sitting down at a table
with candlelight flickering
at her fingertips

she takes a sip of her
best red wine
She dines alone again.

she is beauty
she is intellect
she is cursed.

Lost Soul

Surrounded by gusty winds
Ample trees
Tall grass
I wonder the field, lost

Searching for a sign
Something to hold onto
To help me understand
What I am going through?

Looking into the endless blue sky
Searching for an image
For a precursor of peace and tranquility
I wonder the barren earth, lost

What will I do?
Where will I go?
Who will I become?
I wonder the world, a lost soul.

Who walks behind me?

Who walks behind me, a vision I can not see?
But a presence I feel with an ever-slight chill.
Who walks behind me and follows in my days.
Who whispers words of wisdom to mend my ways?
I do not see a soul or even an outline of a body.
But I feel the presence all around me.
Who walks behind me as I accomplish my goals?
And try to write a story that I have not told.
Who sees me cry in the middle of the night?
Or holds my hand when I have lost sight
Who walks behind me through this journey called life?

It is my ancestors and my angels who help heal me from strife.
They walk behind me, although them I can not see.
I feel their love and presence around me.

They walk behind me.

The Shadow

I look at my soul in the shadow of itself.

To the past that has made me
The present that is me.

The future that will become me.

I revisit my heart with all its wombs.

In my writing I show the healing of myself.

With my eyes, I can now see, the new and exciting me.

Someone whom GOD has touched with talent.

I look at my soul in the shadow of myself.

And the picture is now clear.

I have found myself.

In the shadow of me.

Wishful Thinking

Tree lined streets and the smell of fresh fruit
The summer’s sun beams down on my skin and I want to realize the child within.
I walk through the streets gazing at those who roam about.
I stop at a bench to ponder, what is life all about?
Is it about my debts that are high with no end in sight?
Or is it about the taste of fresh strawberries that melt in my mouth with each bite?
Is it about the music blaring from the car that just passed?
Or is it a true love I wish for and hope will last.
As I walk back to my office and feel the breeze on my cheek.
I hope I will make it through the next week.
I have obligations, deadline and employees who stress me so.
But in a society based on the corporate world I cannot let go.

So I will take my vision of the tree lined streets and fresh lemonade.
And compare that to the money I have made.
The result will be the same as it is everyday.
A simple life will win out!
Oh what, a luxury that would be.
I know that my life is too settled and I do not have the courage to let go.
I can’t start over not knowing where to go.
I must have security because I have built a wall of material possessions around me.

As the share consumes my path and the sunlight disappears.
I hear my inner voice, but chose to let it fall on death ears.
Then I raise my hands to the sky and pray for the strength to move on.
Maybe I will wake up and see, that a life of simplicity is the best for me.

A Moment

Will there be a moment when you do not cross my mind?

When my eyes won’t sparkle at the mere sight of you.
When my body won’t shake at the remembrance of your touch.
When my smile won’t gleam at the thought of your dimples.

Will there be a moment when you do not cross my mind?

When my lips won’t part and speak the goodness of your name
When my arms won’t reach out to hold you again.
When my nose won’t smell your scent in my sheets.

Will there be a moment without you?

A moment where I won’t miss you and your naiveté.
A moment when I won’t think of all the silly things you say.
A moment where I won’t appreciate all the crazy things you do.

Will there be a moment without you?

U Mystify Me

U mystify me[1]

It’s your eyes
It’s your smile.

It’s your smell
It’s your aura

U mystify me

It’s your intellect
Your skill

You do something to me.
It makes me smile at the thought of you.

You make me love you
In ways I didn’t know existed

I am captivated by you.
Beneath your spell, I reside.

You mystify me

No one can hold a candle to you.

You mystify me.

[1] Inspiration, “You do something to me”, Lena Horne

The first person

I want to be the first person
You see when you wake

I want to be the first person
To hear a child call you “dad”

I want to be the first person
To hug you each day

And the last person
To kiss you each night

I want to be the first and only woman
That you make your wife.

Ready for Love

There comes a time in your life
When you are ready for love

When you want to hold someone
As they sleep

You want to wake up to their smile
Each and every day

There comes a time when running the streets
And partying every night runs dry

When you want to spend candle lit nights
With someone special

You want to open your heart
To the feeling of love.

There comes a time when your empty heart
Wants to find a home

When you want to share your tears of joy and pain
With your soul mate

You want to fall in love again

There comes a time when you are ready for love
And my time is now.

I am ready for you.

Restless

I am restless with my thoughts of you
My mind wonders to a place
where we can be
one

I am restless with my desire for you
My heart is lighten
By the sight of
You

I am restless
Just thinking
About you
And us

I am restless to
Become one

Stillness

You must be still, the Lord said to me.

Let me control your thoughts, your heart and your possibility.

Be still.

Let me take you to the place, you need to be.

Let me make your life filled with the love of me.

When you wonder why there is pain in your heart.

Let me take away the hurt and heal the lonely parts.

I will touch your soul and let you know, that all that is you begins with me.

We love each other, in your growth to be.

Be still, you are still evolving in to my possibilities.

Be still.

I Got Lost

On my way
to find myself
I got lost

I forgot
who was
my friend

I lost my heart
I became blind
I became deaf

I walked along
this journey
with my own
footprints.

On my way
to find Kenyatta
I got lost

I lost faith
in myself
in God

I got lost.

He Smiled

Walking down a lonely street
Busy with cars
Horns honking
Music blaring

He smiled

My eyes were weary
My voice yelled “what are you doing?”
As the car whizzed by me
Honking my horn over and over again

He smiled

Clean Clothes on my back
Breakfast in my stomach
Shelter over my head
All the luxuries of life

I couldn’t smile

He walks barefoot
Torn clothes
Empty stomach
He is homeless

And He smiled

My Window

Outside my window I see, a world open to me.

There are so many possibilities.

Outside my window stands one single tree.

Not supported by any friends or family.

It thrives on the sun warming its leaves and the slight summer breeze.

Outside my window I see green grass and blue sky.

I watch the clouds slowly move by.

I raise my hands to the sun.

Hoping its rays will rejuvenate me.

I hear the sounds of the world as they pass by.

Will I step outside my window?

To see the world of opportunity.

Or will I sit here in comfort watching the world move without me.

Battle

Battle

I am fighting with myself
learning how to walk again
after you have broken my knees

Learning how to speak again
after you have squelched my voice

Learning how to hear again
after you have silenced my ears.

I am fighting with myself
Understanding the balance
of me

The creativity and
the logical side of me

Learning to see things for what they are
and not what I want them to be.

Learning to trust myself and
truly be me.

Learning to toss out fear
and replace it with hope.

I am fighting with myself.
To understand my heart and
set it free.

Learning how to love again
how to trust again.

Learning that pain is not
the only part of life.

I am fighting with myself
in my quest
for something new.

I am fighting a battle
my heart and my mind
to let go and get over you.

Asylum

Today I walked outside to find green trees and bright skies.
Finding a kind and caring world outside of your lies.
I walked through the fields and out to the beach.
Where I stood in silence and let the air embrace me.
I looked at the beautiful blue sea so calm and full of tranquility.
Before this was a weapon of death for me.
I wanted to perish instead of live without you.
But now I embrace happiness and toss out blue.
Today, I left my asylum of pain, where my heart remained dying.
And my soul was crying.
I have opened up myself to the beauty around me.
I have said GOODBYE to insanity.

Ivories

fingertips
touching
the ivories
so lightly

gentle breeze
blows through
the summer
screen

I sing
in a voice
gifted from
heaven

touching
the souls of
those that surround me

I tickle the ivories
with my fingertips

I smile
when I hit that
note, so high

I laugh
and the family
chimes in
on a old tune

I tickle the ivories
with my fingertips

I cry when
I recite the pain
I knew from love.

I huddle closer
when I remember
the darkness

Still I dance in the
moonlight
as I tickle
the ivories.

Music Moves Me

Fingers tapping on key
Melody forms from my finger tips
With every note
A song drapes from my lips

Music moves me

Simple pleasures
Heart felt emotion
Swaying my hips
Snapping my fingers

Music moves me

Inspiration greater than the sea
Never knowing what will come out of me
My voice carries
Singing a song to sooth my worries

Music moves me

The greatest thing ever created
The sound of a powerful voice
The tip of a guitar
The silhouette of musicians afar

Music moves me

To do strange things
Like write poetry
About how
Music moves me.

Reflection

I stare into space wondering about me and my life.

Where is this journey taking me?

From Detroit to DC to Boston

Where am I going?

Sometimes I feel lost with no direction in sight

Other times the path is clear

What have I become?

How did I get here?

To a spirit, a clarity, a person

That is reflecting at mere age of 33.

July 15, 2005

Sea

I prepare my boat for sailing

Pack my items and board for my journey

I am leaving the coast of Boston

Heading to the Atlantic to see
where the wind takes me

Lifting my sails

When I arrive to the point
about 15 miles out to sea

There is nothing in front of me

On the other side of the sea
is Europe

Behind me is a life unknown

I lift my sails

And swim out to sea
to see where my spirit takes me.

July 15, 2005

Changing Times

When I decided to pursue a new me and open myself to the possibilities.
My eyes saw the blue sky with its wonderful wispy clouds.
I voiced my freedom, aloud.
My ears heard sounds that were once silent to me.
And my heart felt the possibilities.
All the signs pointed too yes and the achievement of success.
And in my mind, I know I am the best.

These are changing times.

I recall when fear consumed me and stopped me from growing.
But deep inside, I knew.
Success would be imminent to me.
My eyes were shut to the glory of fame.
I never thought, in lights I would see me name.
My mouth spoke words of the positivist, but my heart had no faith in me.

These are changing times.

Fear no longer consumes my mind, I have found faith in me and I revel in my possibility.
These are changing times and the growth of my brilliant mind.

Breakaway

running for blocks
not knowing where I am
or where I am going

I am running.

from indecision
from unhappiness

I am running.

into darkness
with no light to guide the way
or no roadmap to lead me.

I am running.

from poverty
from fear

I am running.

into the sea
to escape the life behind me.

I am running

I am breaking away.
I am leaving behind
the ancient me.

I am running
into the darkness.

Once flamed, twice burned

You were my shadow
my piece de resistance

I wanted to be only with you
and grow old with you.
My flame you burned brightly in the night.
Then you vanished from my sight.

It was as if I had walked through fire
and felt the cinch of the flames.
It ached my voice to whisper your name.

I saw you again and felt the love that never departed.
My goal was to get something new started.

We met in a park on a cloudy day
upon the coldest bench we sat
to start our love affair again
to embark on the road to happiness.

You grasped my hand and promised me the world
To be true this time and make me your only girl

Then someone walked by and caught the attention of you
and I became twice burned

left by the ashes of us.

The Mirror

A wall of glass
surrounds me.

I run to escape
the face staring back at me.

There is no way out.

A tear flows from my arduous eyes
and slides onto my lips.

I quiver at the sight of me
Alone I stand.

There is no one to turn 2.

My body aches from the burdens it carries
it grows weary each day.

My voice cracks when I speak
my words are monotonous.

There is no turning back.

I touch the mirror with my trodden fingertips
and I realize there is no escaping.

I am the mirror image of me.

Nothing Is Better

There is nothing
Better than loving you

A perfect spring day
With bright green leaves

Can’t compare to you

A sunny afternoon
On a Caribbean beach
With the perfect tan
And seashells at my feet.

Can’t compare to you

There is nothing
Better than loving you.

A quiet spring rain
On that Sunday afternoon
When it’s ok to be inside.

Can’t compare to you

There is nothing
Better than love

There is nothing
Better in my life
Than loving you.

In 2 Deep

Drowning
Suffocating
Surrounded
No Escape
I am in 2 deep

Wishing
Waiting
Wanting
Hoping
I am in 2 deep

Searching
For love
For you
For my soul mate
I am in 2 deep

Into the vision of love
Into the romance of love
Into the vulnerability of love
Into the idea of being in love
I am in 2 deep

Vibrant Blue

I stood before the canvas last night staring into its space, a soft pillow white.
I rubbed my hands across it and closed my eyes.
Forming a vivid picture of you in my mind.
My brush strokes the paper ever so sweet.
I don’t want to wake you, so I must be discreet.
I start with a soft and gentle touch painting the love in your face.
I smile because I know with you my heart has found its place.
As the picture becomes clear and I think more of my life with you.
My colors change from pale roses to vibrant blue.
The stroke of my brush quickens and with force I paint this picture of you.
The harder and harder I paint, the more vibrant becomes my blue.
What once represented love now represents pain.
Where I was to write your name, I etch it in the same.
I stood before the canvas last night to paint a gentle picture of you.
But instead I painted a relationship with some love and pain of vibrant blue.

Dangerously in Love

I am dangerously in love
With a fantasy
Something that will never
Come true

I am dangerously in love
With you

I am in love with the
Thought of
Someone to take
Care of me

I am dangerously in love
With you

I am in love with the
Tenderness of a kiss
The subtle suggestion
Of my sexiness

I am dangerously in love
With you

I am in love with hope
That someone
Will Rescue me
From obscurity

I am in dangerously in love
With you

I miss you
I want you
I know I can’t have you
But I am

I am dangerously in love
With you

You are my fantasy
Not my reality
You are perfect
And you do not exist

But I am dangerously
In love with you

Destiny

When we met it was a meant to be.

You touched my soul like sweet destiny.

Love smiled upon me when you looked into my eyes.

There I stood mesmerized.

Your voice was so smooth and calm.

I knew my heart you could not harm.

I felt your hand and became numb.

I was reassured you were the one.

The day I met you, destiny engulfed me.

You are a treasure, my sweet angel sent to me,

You are my destiny.

The Look

You stole my heart with one simple look.
I stopped breathing and fell into love.
You made me believe in everything,
Then I knew that true love was not a dream.
With one look you made my world change.
You did not even say your name.
It took no words to convey your message.
I felt the warmth in my heart and soul.
Your look showed me what’s truly behind you.
A man searching for love and it’s simplicity.
A man searching for the only woman he will ever need.
Your look let us know that for one moment
We would hold on to each other forever.

Remember Me

In a field of daisies
I stare at the sky
Imagining your touch

Under a waterfall
I soak up the sound
Of water beating against the rocks

At the train station
I take a seat upon a wooden bench
Smiling at my thoughts of you

In the library
I walk the aisles
Caressing the books with my fingertips

On a road once dangerous, jagged and crooked
It takes a new turn
And I enter a perfect world

In a Perfect World

In a perfect world your kiss would melt my lips
Your hand would caress my hips
Your touch would make me quiver
And the thought of you would make me shiver

In a perfect world I could cross that line
With no consequence in mind
I could touch you, feel you and
Make love to you.

In a perfect world, I wouldn’t need to write poetry
Or hide my thoughts of ecstasy
Oh, if we lived in a perfect world
I could enjoy you and me.

The Shelf

I sat in the darkness for a moment
making sure this was the right move,
am I ready?

I turned on the light after reassuring
myself that the time had come.
I walked to the closet and
opened the heavy door.

A slight draft slipped through
the crack.

Things were strewn on the shelves
and clothes had no hangers.

At the top of the shelf
was a dusty ruby red box
with a silver ribbon.

I took it off the shelf
blew off the dust and
walked into the living room,
where I sat on the couch
next to you.

I opened it with some nervousness
this would be the night.
It is a special thing to share
so handle it with care.

That night, I took my heart off the shelf
and gave it to you.

I could smell you

I could smell you
when I entered the room.

I could sense your presence
When you were near

I could taste your lips on mine.
I could hold onto the image of you for all time.

I imagined you loving me and me loving you.
Oh, how I could smell you.

I wanted to taste the sensuality of your lips
And feel your hands on my hips

I could hear your breathe on my neck
As you stood near me on the deck.

I could smell you before I saw you
I knew that I wanted you.

I smile when I think about you
And the smell of you.

Oh, how I could smell you.

Nothing is Better

there is a road
that leads
to something
new

to something
neither of us
expected

there is a valley
that is either
low or high
depending on your view

there is a type
of love that
has led me
to you.

I have traveled
many roads
to get here

there is a new place
for you
to rest your head
to shed your tears

to open your heart
welcome to your
new place
my love.

A work of art

Untouched
Rare in form
In beauty

A work of art

Visually appealing
A sight for sore eyes
Reflecting the heavens

A work of art

Still
Precious
Overpowering

A work of art

Captivating
Exquisite
You

A work of art

Portrait

If I could draw you
what beauty the canvas would know

Your eyes would set the page on fire
your smile would brighten any onlookers frown

Your body radiates perfection
Your aura is angelic

If I could draw you
what beauty I would see

If I close my eyes
Your image is light in a hall of darkness.

If I could draw you
I would melt a thousand hearts

You are beauty
You are happiness

You are intellect
You are truth

If I could draw you
from the canvas beauty would speak.

The portrait of you
at one sight makes many weak.

Oh, if I could draw you.

Queen

Radiant like the sun she lights up the room
She walks in Beauty as Lord Bryon wrote
No one holds a candle to her sexiness.
She is a genius like Albert Einstein
Her beauty lies in the keenness of her mind.

She is a queen.

She struts through your life like a dream.
She seems like an illusion.
She has impeccable taste.
She is a faithful friend.

She is a queen.

She is unpretentious about her looks.
She is humble in her intellect.
There is no limit to what she can do.
She can make any of your dreams come true.
Her potential is rarely seen.

She is a queen.

The Shadow

I look at my soul in the shadow of itself.

To the past that has made me

The present that is me.

The future that will become me.

I revisit my heart with all its wombs.

In my writing I show the healing of myself.

With my eyes, I can now see, the new and exciting me.

Someone whom GOD has touched with talent.

I look at my soul in the shadow of myself.

And the picture is now clear.

I have found myself.

In the shadow of me.