Poetry: 5 Poems by Anthony Haywood

From Boy to Man

Dedicated to Old Friends

It's time for me to break out.

I've got to burst this bubble. This automobile

has four wheels and inside lies my struggle.

Done nothing but run me over, back &

forth, causing lots of trouble. I'm going pop

every wheel and let this car crash.

Blow out my pains to keep from going insane.

Heal my wounds real fast. Time to expose my true face

bare never ashamed to hide behind a mask.

And when that struggle is dead, I'll be a whole

new man. I'll get back on up and on my own

two feet. I'll try to stand to one day say:

I can do anything now, cause I believe I can.

Those of you who think you knew me

when I was lying down,

left me to rot while you

painted red on the town. Now that you

see a new me, your smiles turn to frowns in disguise.

You're nothing but a blue-nosed clown

bright and I'm hype because I'm the

college-bound type. Even when trouble and fear

backed me in a corner, I still stood to fight.

And although I wear glasses, I never needed

them to see the light.

Point of View

Dedicated to America

I am, I am, I am stuck. Stuck to

the point of not breathing.

Held back by all different stereotypes

trying to keep me from achieving.

They had me believing that life was all fair.

I said, "Hey, mom, you're looking at the next

President of the United States here."

She said, "I'm sorry, my son, but you can't go there."

I said, "Why, mom? My hopes you just took?"

She said, "No, my son, you don't have the right look."

I said, "Look? You mean the one on my face?"

She said, "No, my son. You just aren't the right race."

I said, "But, moms, I have a lot of heart."

She said, "Sorry, my son, but your skin is too dark."

I said, "So, is it because I'm Black?"

She said, "America is racist, and that's just a fact."

I said, "So, mom, is it ever gonna change?" And still to

this day she didn't answer me back.

But that right there was just one point of view.

If Martin Luther King had a dream, I guess I can too.

Hoping for Her Hopelessly

Dedicated to Rochelle

For all the people who assume that I'm exaggerating

Waiting for my perfect girl so soon I'll be dating

Her hips and lips make my

Temperature rise and it's got

My heart baking

Faking drowning just to get a kiss

From her CPR got me waiting

First time I saw those eyes wide

Shining bright

I knew that soon I wasn't going to

Leave without a fight

But it's like hoping she would be

Mine and our love would last forever night

I think it's right that I assume five

Foot four would be her height

Not a Princess but an Elizabeth-like Queen

Other guys get jealous heads turn

When we would walk onto the scene

Pray every night for this dream

Hard to believe but it seems

For every day that goes by nothing

Is ever achieved

Wonder if I walked right by her

And she looked but I looked mean.

A Dream Come True

Dedicated to Avianca

When I first met my dream girl

I realized I no longer was asleep

To describe her in one word

Would be like climbing a hill that's steep

It's a hard-to-do task

She came to me this year maybe

Because it was God that I asked

This girl is like candy and

I have a sweet tooth

I touched her just to see if it was

An illusion or mirage just to tell you the truth

But all I felt was smooth velvety skin

34, 25, 36, those are the measurements of a body so slim

Voice like a cool breeze,

When I hear her speak it makes my heart tingle

Being with her doesn't only mean

Now I'm no longer single

It really translates into

The fact that I am one of those big puzzles

And it's so hard to find it but she's

The last piece she completes me so and when

I'm with her we are at peace

Just like your best memory, I will not let her go

Avianca, you are my queen, I'm not afraid to let everyone

Know.

Love, At First Sight

Dedicated to Women

My love for you is like Charmin's tissue

Soft, gentle and very beautiful.

When I'm next to you

It feels like my face turns blue

Because it feels like

I'm holding my breath, waiting to gather up

Enough to say one word,

To let you know I want you to be my boo

So I can do something

That no man has done for you.

Every day I ask myself

How could someone so

Gorgeous be looking at me

I'm thinking I should act quickly

For you every time I see, still

Wondering to myself, 'Am I worthy?'

One day, I hope that I can gather

Up the courage to speak

Because a dream date with you is what I seek

8:00, Friday, how about next week?