Performed by Val Cole

Poetry Reading:

If only I could see

with a mind without

Distractions.

what would I see

would I see me

what would I do

would I take a knife

and then take a life

would I see

clarity

Would I be

Free

Or are the distractions in our

lives the only thing keeping
...

Performed by Val Cole

POEM:

Shame, Shame go away I don’t want you any day
Shamed into Silence…
My spirit was dehumanized
Shamed into Silence…
By the words of my grandma “It's yo’ own fault y’ know mens cain't control theyselves
Shamed into Silence…
By the hands of my grandma beating 'til I cou...

Performed by Val Cole

POEM:

the dream
the reality
the ghettos
the insanity
the inhumanity
look at the world’s state
poverty
look how power rapes
could I take
dirty water under
the poorest living conditions
still praying, hoping, wishing
dreaming of that new day
dreaming of equal opportunity
h...

Performed by Val Cole

POEM:

Let’s take a walk
You said.
Okay, I said.
And here we are
High above the East River
On a pedestrian walkway
On the Triboro Bridge
Hiking from Astoria
To Randall’s Island
As rush-hour traffic
Streams by.
I hate my life
You say.
And I know
You’re not joking.
I wonde...

Performed by Val Cole

POEM:

Standing in Line. Eyes front.
No acknowledgment. Robotic recruits
Uniforms pressed. Knife-edge creases.
Summer sunshine. Corona causation.
Shoes shone. Reflective leather. Bows tied.
Tarsal protection. Cobbled, with a mirror image.

No one speaks. Wordless. Mute.
P...

Performed by Val Cole

POEM:

There was a special place at the end of the orchard, where a small clearing with a clump of young trees, hovered just above the creek. The child loved to come here. She loved the joy she felt when she saw the sun filtering through the wattle trees, the green mosses...

Performed by Val Cole

POEM:

I see like the sky sees—
Winding rivers, peaks, small bushes, tall trees…
A reality surrounded by all shades of purples and golds,
Humanity held together by unseen yet powerful bonds.
I hear like the mountain hears—
It feels like the air lent me its ears.
I hear ec...

Performed by Val Cole

Read Poem:

Continue being you
Continue to evolve with change
Continue being true
Some may believe it’s a stain to not follow the rules
So be it
They were not supposed to continue…
Continue to navigate through the cracks and ditches
Only God knows how many the enemy tried ...

Performed by Val Cole

Performed by Val Cole

POEM:

Is It Because I’m black, by Jermal Perkins

Is it Because I am black
Is it Because I am different from
You seen me And I seen you
We looked at each other
I seen the anger in your eyes
I continue walking down the street
It was pretty dark outside
I heard the Sirens ...

Performed by Steve Rizzo

Big Lonely Doug by Ekaterina Karassev

I walked down the path and touched Big Lonely Doug.

He poked me in my chest and whispered in my ear,

"Do you know why I am left here?

Do you know why people keep approaching,

Taking off their shoes, hugging me and crying?

Do ...

Reading by Val Cole

The Face of a Woman
By Chris Mills
2020

The face of a woman is where emotions stream live
Revealing the beauty that within her resides.
She rises to a challenge to make life better for just one
And works ceaselessly until the deed is done.
Her expression, as she sees the f...

Read Poem: Tiptoeing Elephants, by John Hansen

Why do people take offence
so easily these days?
It seems that almost everything
offends in certain ways.

No matter what is said or done,
written or expressed,
someone somewhere, who knows why,
will be visibly distressed.

There once was something...