Auszug. © Genehmigter Nachdruck. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

Chronicles of a Momma's Boy

AuthorHouse

Contents

"The Calling"...........................................................1"The Power Of GOD"......................................................5"My Momma Built this Country, America"..................................11"Soul through the sole of the bottom of your shoes".....................15"A Letter from Chile"...................................................19"Her name is Xemania"...................................................25"The Day My Brother Bernard Shot the Bus driver"........................31"Never Belated Loved"...................................................41The Obituary............................................................45Romono & Juquette.......................................................47"Gunshots in the Family"................................................55"Hats Off To Jackie"....................................................63Hats off to Mother Minnie Hargrow.......................................69"Second Visit To Bus Boys and Poets"....................................75Lessons from My Pastor..................................................83A Song and A Dream for OPRAH............................................93A Written Praise........................................................99"A Prayer for Our President Obama"......................................103"My Darkest Secret".....................................................107"The Drummer Boy's Christmas"...........................................115"The Judgment Day"......................................................123

Chapter One

A Poem Written October 20, 1981

"The Calling"

A voice Much greater than my father's So loudly shouted my name. With more clarity and authority Called from wherever it came. It cried like a clap of thunder And it echoed like an endless sky. With force that made me wonder If I am the beckoned and why So I silenced all around me And I listened with an un-waxed ear To see what Ghost had found me And what words I could hear.

This voice that cried with urgency Just would not let me free It screams were like an emergency And it continued to call on me. So I trembled in attention Questioning what to do Not knowing what to mention And especially to Who. To Who?

Should I run to the stranger And admit that I hear a voice Or run away with anger And make another choice.

This voice, this voice keeps calling And I don't know from where And what is more appalling Is to know that it is really there.

It is not my imagination And there is no one playing a trick It speaks to me from the heaven And it makes me real sick. Sick I can not stand the pain Of hearing the voice any longer But the more I try to restrain The voice keeps getting stronger. Oh the voice, ah, the voice I can hear it calling me The voice, aw, the voice Whispering so desperately! There is no use I can remember The last time I ran to hide, the voice just got louder And started calling from the inside. This voice I keep on hearing Makes it seems so hard But the reason I am not fearing Cause I know this voice is God

Chapter Two

Written January 1982

"The Power Of GOD"

God is Powerful I am powerless.

God causes the birds to sing The rivers to wave The trees to bloom The ice to glaze The moon to shine The sun to rise The lost to find The rivers to tide God causes the owls to peep The grass to grow The child to speak The wise to know The earth to yield Its greatest fruit The grapes in fields To leave its roots

The Heavens to stand In a Kingdom above God created all man In peace and love The valleys low The mountains high A colorful rainbow In a great light blue sky.

God created the fish in the sea The fowl of the air And of you and me And great folks everywhere.

The rain, the snow The sleet, the hail The trees, the forest The rockies, the trail.

God created the colors The flavors, the dark and the light The stars in the galaxy that shine so bright God created life and death And every breath The body, the blood The skin and the hair The smart, the heart The concern and the care.

God created hearing, tasting, smelling, touching and sight God created morning, evening, day and night.

God created people and places and all kind of things Even peace and joy and the grace God brings God created music and dancing, romancing and love The faith in a union is blessed from above.

Yes, in the beginning God created this world And out from a void the earth God hurled.

Into a darkness God spoke a light Then separated them all from day and night

When considering creation From the world's foundation It is amazing to think a link To this generation.

It was the best God could do When he tended a moment To create me and you.

It took a miracle to create the moon and stars It took a miracle to create airplanes and cars.

Computers, technology, fax and the microwave But even more miraculous my soul he saved.

Yes it took a miracle to create Heaven and earth And the miracle expanded as God gave me new birth.

The miracle gets better each day of my life As God has delivered me from all pain and strife.

I bow before Him cause His is my King God is the reason my soul does sing

My Father in the Heaven above Hollowed be thine name as means great love

Let thine will be done in all the earth As I send your glory for all you are worth Give this day my daily bread It is by your hand that this man is fed.

Forgive me my debts As I forgive my debtors too

Lead me not into temptation And the evil I do. For thine Is the Kingdom The Power and the Glory Forever your praise Will be my life story.

As God reins in the east, west, north and south His praise shall continually be in my mouth. All powerful, omnicipant Most wonderfully magnificent, Alpha and Omega Beginning and the End. My Father, My Father, My Father, My Friend I will submit to your Power Every hour with a "Yes and Amen"

Chapter Three

Written July 4, 1982

My Momma Built This Country, America.

My momma built this country, America. All by herself, she did it. My momma. Didn't no man help her. My momma did it all by herself. My moma built America.

Moma laid her little black babies aside to tend to the master's wife sons. My moma. Her blood went into the dirt and the soil of the land. My moma built this country.

Her sweat gave steam to the irons that folded laundry starched white for quarters. Her labor is what made this country bold and brave and strong. My moma built America.

Moma is the one who told Ms. Ross "Listen here, Ms. Betsy, when you are sewing that flag add a little red, white and...