Tantra Zawadi | Thirteen Yellow Haiku

Yellow Haiku

1.
Honeys, you look good
Brown and full in the middle
Sunflower faces

2.
Yellow taffeta
Dancing ’round and ’round
Twirling in its breadth

3.
Golden light through slat
Welcomes a new day!  I pray
For peace in this one . . .

4.
Buzzing ’round my bed
Because he thinks I’m honey — 
I’m just a stinger

5.
A promise of love
Naturally magical
Canary haiku

6.
When you look at me
The sun sings a vibrant tune
So hot, yet so cool

7.
Fresh corn on the cob
You, me, and hot barbecue
Lying on the grass

8.
Lemony sunrise
Streaming through my window pane
First hint of morning

9.
Gold on my finger
Spinning together with you
I do and I am

10.
Buttery patter
A song for my beating heart
I love you right there

11.
Turmeric and spice
Swirling in my deepest pot
I need this season

12.
Grits, cooked down gently
Salted, buttered, and well loved
Mom in the morning

13.
Graduation day
We were beautiful chaos
Giggling in straw hats

______________________________

   

Tantra-zawadi, Brooklyn-born performance poet and international recording artist, is a 2020 Brooklyn Arts Fund grantee!
She is the author of three books of poetry, alifepoeminprogress (Chuma Spirit Books), Gathered at Her Sky, and Bubbles: One Conscious Breath (Poets Wear Prada). A passionate educator and instigator, she has collaborated with The Senegal-America Project, Betti Makoni’s Girl Child Network Worldwide, and Black Art in America. To learn more, or to hear her latest house music releases, please visit: https://www.traxsource.com/artist/29323/tantra-zawadi or http://tantrazawadi.com/.

Prince A. McNally | Pre-K

Pre-K

It was fall

in Brooklyn,

when the beautiful

weather of September

and I were strolling

beneath low-hanging trees,

walking hand-in-hand,

with the Autumn breeze. 

I closed my eyes

to breathe,

slowly inhaling

the intoxicating

laughter

of little children,

joyfully skipping

as they happily

headed off to  

their first day

of  Pre-K,

Taking baby steps

towards their futures

like little birdies,

so eager to fly away

with their precious

little dreams. 

Watching them leave

their mother's nest

for the very first time,

I couldn't help

but smile inside

as their precious

little wings

fluttered nervously

beneath

their clothing. 

____________________________________________

Prince A. McNally is a Brooklyn-born poet, writer, philosopher, activist, and spoken word artist. His work focuses primarily on the human condition and social injustice. A rising voice on the NYC poetry scene, Prince has been featured at Otto's Shrunken Head for Show Do Tell, KGB Red Room for the NeuroNautic Institute, The Parkside Lounge for Great Weather for Media, and Lady Stardust for Rick Eckerle, among other venues. His poems have appeared in TUCK Magazine, The Blue Mountain Review, Leaves of Ink, Creative Talents Unleashed (Featured Writer), and in the anthologies Fire and Ice: An Anthology of Collaborations, The World Poets Open Mic: 2016 Anthology, BEAT-itude: National Beat Poetry Festival 10 Year Anthology, and We Are BEAT: National Beat Poetry Foundation Anthology. He is currently working on his first collection of poetry.

Tantra Zawadi | Green Is My Favorite Color

Central Park

A blanket of green
Surrounded by black asphalt
Embracing the light

Everybody’s Money

From hand to purse
Dollar bills move in the night
Green no matter what

Queen

Her aura lengthens
Green stems bend and swerve to see
A Queen in their midst

Leaves

I don’t want to move
Lord knows I don’t want to stay
Collard greens and you

Grand Exit

He left at sunrise
Rocking his worn out green cap
His loyalty rides

The Path

Heavy and layered
The weight of your past presents
Miles of greens to cross

Sunday Best

My favorite coat
Homemade lime green swing knee length
From my mother’s hands

Stirring

So I made them soup
Filled with green split peas and beans
Stirred with mother’s love

Silent Green

Looking from the sky
Stretches of green stun my eyes
And nobody knows

Grandson’s Hands

He reached for a twig
Used it to cut grandma’s greens
Strong like her cooking

My Garden

My sweet green garden
Perfumes the air with color
They speak in real life

Reveal

Back when I was young
I made some green promises
Most I truly meant

_________________________________________

Tantra-zawadi, Brooklyn born, international performance poet, is the author of three books of poetry, alifepoeminprogress (Chuma Spirit Books), Gathered at Her Sky and Bubbles: One Conscious Breath (Poets Wear Prada). She is a passionate educator, recording artist, and instigator with The Senegal-America Project, and a 2020 Brooklyn Arts Fund grantee! To learn more, or to hear her latest house music releases, please visit https://www.traxsource.com/artist/29323/tantra-zawadi or http://tantrazawadi.com/.