Poetry

Drenched in Purple
By Matenneh-Rose L. Dunbar

Noted for its status that of the nobles
Quoted throughout stories of the calm
A place of something notable lurks inside
Fumbling quietly to be let out of the cave
A lit summer garden of truthful radiance
In purple
Dotted about evenly on open fields and skins
Routed by the deep roots buried in the fount
A song echoed along the land moist in crème
Stitched purply by hands of a numb sweet mom
Drink the freshness of a coconut tree juice
In purple
Blotted as with glue to sit fix for an eye wonder
At the thin run of a crafty machine to wear shy
Age rubbed on the thread no sign of an up march
Soaked in the grunge of a shade so cool it purples
Exclusively breathing to life a cluster of rare finds
In purple

No Thought
By Matenneh-Rose L. Dunbar

For the worries of the deep sea fish
For the tears are not seen in the sea
No thought
For those who crave for motherhood now
For your youth was for bluff and good times
No thought
For a camel on the long hot walk in sand
For the amount of reserve water is in belly
No thought
For the thievery of a wide wing strong eagle
For the way of the eagle is known by chickens
No thought
For the food that will grace my table tonight
For the hands of providence has already made
No thought
For the old woman who wishes she had my gifts

THE LONE STAR FOREVER

THE LONE STAR FOREVER
By Edwin J. Barclay

When freedom raised her glowing form
On Montserrado's verdant height
She set within the dome of night,
Midst low'ring skies and thunder-storms
The star of liberty!
And seizing from her waking morn,
Its burnished shield of golden flame
She lifted in her proud name,
And roused a nation long forlorn,
To nobler destiny!

REFRAIN

The Lone Star forever!
The Lone Star forever!
O long may it float o'er land and o'er seas
Desert it? No! Never!
Uphold it? for Ever!
O shout for the Lone Starred banner,

All hail!

Then speeding in her course, along
The broad Atlantic's golden strand,
She woke reverberant through the land
A nation's loud triumphant song,
The song of liberty!
And o'er Liberia's altar fires
She wide the lone-starred flag unfurled
Proclaimed to an expectant world
The birth of Africa's sons an sires
The birth of liberty!

REFRAIN

Then, forward, sons of freedom march!
Defend the sacred heritage!
The nation's call from age to age
Where'er it sounds 'neath Heaven's arch
Where ever foes assail
Be ever ready to obey
'Gainst treason and rebellion's front,
'Gainst foul aggression. In the brunt
Of Battle lay the heroes' way!
All hail, Lone Star, All hail
REFRAIN

Lone Star Afloat
By H. Carey Thomas

Star of my hope declining,
Help thou my soul repining;
Out from this holocaust,

NAOMI CAMPBELL

By Matenneh-Rose L. Dunbar

As the goddess of beauty robed in a curvy crème attire is seated
As the entire world watches on live the drill of a hostile witness
As the smooth face of a marble toned black girl looks sternly on
As learned few all in black gowns busy at writing or listening keenly
As Naomi defends
As a protest to that intrusion into her private life is flung open
As a defense asks her to tell us what the bad guy of the Grain Coast did
As all sit put to hear her put chains of the prison around her own neck
As the pouted lip cat walker does her best trick right before their legal eyes
As Naomi struggles
As the stage play ran from left to right the acts showed no magic moment
As new exhibits were put on the big screen to feed the enemy with more guesses
As the black icon swallowed her teeth to save the day for the cause of the stone
As it was merely a few dirty stones a life time nearly destroyed for blood diamonds
As Naomi battles.

Dirty Looking Pebbles

By Matenneh-Rose L. Dunbar

On the world stage the acts played out live
On the catwalk glued to her swings and sways live
Merely before half the crowd she under oath spieled
Merely the event fragments neatly puzzled and steeled
The tones are at their best in this place of grave attention
The learned crew in black gowns armed to defend detention

In The Calabash

By Matenneh-Rose L. Dunbar

They drew the world here to call it soccer city
Goodness that was a golden kick for fabrigas
Strained voices high pitched as they nearly score
Even the octopus Paul has said his hug for a win
To the stillness of trumpets vuvuzelas we watch
In the calabash

Yes the calabash built in way on a southern tip
Dug out the seedling and the foamy white mass
To cut open the massive tree fruit that hangs up
Taken to a place honored for a fan time of thrill
To the seats of over eighty-four thousand greats
In the calabash

Reeling side to sides when a few good men kick out
Two teams with a history of leather records daze us
Into a second new half the ball begins to roll fastly
While we wait a one hundred and forty-fourth goal
A two first timers run and drill from the yellow card
In the calabash

I Will Write a Song

By Matenneh-Rose L. Dunbar

About the way the rains fell today
About the height of the rain in my room
About how the whole town stood still
About the fuss she made to move her bags
I will write a song

Tell the story of how she sweeps in the water
Tell what is the dirt she intends to clean in water
Tell how her feet are submerged in the river water
Tell how the children play ball in the messy water
I will write a song

Well they built homes on the rocks down the cliff

Keep Trying on

By Bai Best

We are just one of the millions of stars in the sky
Trying to shine as the world passes by
And as we try to stay on just like we have for so long
We’ll keep on trying much harder and harder
And harder

The more we try, the better we can make it
We just can’t sit and let the world pass us by
In union strong, our success can be sure
As we keep trying on
Harder and harder

And as Liberia goes through all of its hard times
Let’s put our trust in God and God alone
For He has brought us up this far
And He will take us safely home
As we keep trying on, harder and harder

The more we try, the better we can make it
We just can’t sit and let the world pass us by
In union strong, our success can be sure
As we keep trying on
Harder and harder

Palm Spring

By Matenneh-Rose L. Dunbar

The edifice rolls down the hill like hot palm oil
Like hot chocolate rolls on the sides of a cake
This house sits over the edge of the vast Atlantic
From where eyes rove over the endless wave lash
Under the moonlight the silvery glow sparkles all
Sitting at palm spring
The wicker seats groomed in black varnish glistens
Seats face a wide circular glass topped wicker radian
Labored by the salt shaker pepper grinder and paper
In white heavy ceramics matching all set table décor

HOPE

BY Jerry Tulay

Hope is what you see
When you scan the face
Of a young baby
Hope is what you feel
When a smile walks
Down the face of a
Destitute

Hope –

Hope comes alive with
Eyes and ears and legs
And feathers too
It flies away once
Forgotten

But remains hopeful and
Watchful and dutiful
It never ceases to believe
In the genuine self
It is always in
And out of us
Sometimes with nothing
To say

Sometimes with something
To say
To make you soar—
Glide till you join
The birds in the sky.

The Earth Has a Fever

By Stanley D. Quaye

The symptoms are showing
The tides are rising
The ozone is depleting
and her temperature is increasing
floods are killing
diseases are extincting
all living things.

Ice bergs at the poles are melting
Polar bears are mourning
Earthquake is coming
tsunami is destroying
the earth had got a fever
is there a cure?

Our beaches are going
the oceans are overflowing
deserts are shifting
crimes are increasing
my planet is warming
humanity is crying
The fever is increasing
What can we do?

A Forgotten Tree

By: Satta C. Sonie

I Shelter you when it’s raining
I shelter you when it’s hot
I bear you fruits when you need food.

I give you firewood to warm you
I give you my leaves for your health
I give you my roots for your strength

I made you feel the wonders of god

Come Light a Lamp

By Joseph G. Richards

Come and light a lamp
Here in the darkness
Where for twenty four years
Darkness prevailed.

Come and light a lamp
The lamp a symbol of life
Liberty and joy are beacons

Come and light a lamp
So the children of war can see
What they have missed all these years
For we are to blame.

Come and light a lamp
For you and me to join hands
In fulfillment of this
ECOWAS / UNMIL Peace accord

Come and light a lamp
And say good bye to the
ECOMOG, UN, EU, and all who helped;
For we are the culprits.

Come and light a lamp
And say thank you once again
For keeping the Lone Star flying
And to the fighters for once reasoning
As the guns are silenced

The Armed Struggle

By Stanley D. Quaye

The armed struggle came
Like a whirlwind.
It whirled around many legs
And dragged them down the stream.

It left some with great wealth
others with lot of tears
yet others with something else
that no soul can ever tell.

Oh! armed struggle, you're
more than just a trouble
your children, you did devour
my land and life you did scramble
therefore, go and return no more.

Poem Dedicated to all Fathers

By Satta C. Sonie

F- Full of love and compassion

A- Always waiting and listening to the call of his children in times of needs

T- Trust worthiness and transparency brings pride to his children

Forum's Funeral Bells

By Fr. Robert G. Tikpor

Last week Forum was laid to rest
Among his friends, I heard, one Kenneth Best,
Lost for funeral expenses, Pearl B. Bull know the chest
Assurance for his salvation, Christ knows he lives the crest.

But I heard the church bells solemnly tolling
Adding these days when cell phones are ringing
How come then taxis and phen phen riders are coming
With loads of mourners are far in ringing.

Since at whose burial you saw such bustle
When hiana boys have come to push and hustle.
Since when you saw mourners together so mingle
With such laughter and young people's giggle

Have you heard that businessmen from Liberia and India
Philanthropists from the U.K., Pakistan and Libya
Market women from 'Duala' and nearby Virginia
Pastors and Gospel singers from Bassa and Nigeria

There're wonders in nature as comedies and tragedies
“Forum walks so fast,” someone said. “Forum always flies.”
School children from Cathedral School noted: “One of his Batires.
“He'll always be in people's minds. He never dies.”

One Year Ago

By Joseph G. Richards

One year ago you went away
For it was one year ago
(I lost my love)
Yes, one year ago a heart you broke
It was then that I shed the first tears
For one year ago you went away.

One year ago someone stole my love
And shattered all my faith and admiration

Of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

By Jerry Tulay

You hear the sound of
An Iron in her voice
Her eyes capture too many
In too few
Walks neither too fast
Nor too slow
Her smile is a
Sunrise even at night.
Complete
With keen ears to listen
And an arm to lean on.
Ellen
Quite bearable,
Quite suitable.

Pictures

By Matenneh-Rose L. Dunbar

On the stylish white portable laptop
The front page called the LCD screen
Busied with the moments in seconds
We all do not so remember but laugh
Some serious and most very hilarious
On grounds that mold great minds
Many walks meet to form legal unions
Every bit of intimidate slogan resounds
Gives promises the courtroom awaits
Usually the race not to the swift but fit
On the supreme floors we gather shots
Gone like the new all faces spread a joke
In suits made of black stuff for the legal
Responsible to the smallest of peoples alive
Groomed in the black gown of civil distinct

Forum

The Lunatic

Mongs. Fr. Robert G. Tikpor

His unkempt beard was mixed pepper and salt,
His spoken language was grammatically impeccable;
He seemed convincing his main contentions were impeachable,
But some who knew him felt that his condition was his own fault.
He argues his Alma Mater is Bassa, St. Peter Claver.
He saw a young lady strolled by, an enchantress that looks like his wife,

Give Her Power

By Matenneh-Rose L. Dunbar

The cash runs out on a Wednesday it is rough
The morning will be dry for the children to eat
The air in the ace kitchen is tense even to the ears
The husband man will do his worst just to hear
Give her power
The cash is not the issue here rather talk time
The morning so happy shall remain so with kids
The air round about the palour colored in smiles
The husband man reads the riot act to save face
Give her more power
The cash painted in green wades buy for the home
The morning scent smells of fried eggs and lipton
The airs if any of the stale rainy outdoors filters in
The husband huffs and puffs at the slightest request
Give her that power

The Old Soldier

By Matenneh-Rose L. Dunbar

Once upon a time he watched the birth
Youthful in the green regalia and cap
On the say of the queen her majesty agile
A tutor in valour gives his best forever
The old soldier
Before his eyes rows of boys and girls
Ninety-two years old he finds a dowel
Built on the cliffs his dreams he shares
Young seemless future he makes to shine
The old soldier
Out of the jagged natural concrete lands
Crafted to be like the best from the master
Into huge corporations the humble invades
Gone as the time he finds a new headmaster
The old soldier
On his cane he is helped down those very slopes

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