Brenda's Child
The Queen of Self-Esteem!
Why I'm Brenda's Child
Brenda Kay Swinton
February 8,1959 to September 4,1982
Brenda’s Child
I’m Brenda’s Child, inside and out.
See, she died when I was four,
but her memory lives on in me.
So much that at times I feel
I’m doomed to repeat her destiny.
It’s scary that she died at 23,
because that’s just a few years younger than me.
Breast Cancer was the culprit that took her away, you see.
But her memory lives on in me.
It’s more than just her physical features,
it’s what my grandmother told me when she said
I had "her ways."
Her love of art and how she moves.
Her desire
to just want to take care of others.
So much that at times
she ignored her own health.
My mother put everyone
she loved before herself.
And when I came of age
and was trying to discover me,
in my confusion,
I had to recall
her memory.
And now I have “Brenda’s Child” tattooed on me.
Because that’s me.
At times I’m hurt
that she’s not here to see
what I’ve become.
And I know she would have been
the best grandmother to my son.
But instead of concentrating
on what I lost,
I pay tribute to what I’ve gained.
Her blood in my veins,
her qualities
that show through in me,
her memory that will always be,
and all the things that make me…
Brenda’s Child
Langston Hughes and Nikki Giovanni...my inspiration
I Write
I didn’t write this poem to win a Pulitzer Prize
Or to get a rise out of the audience
I didn’t write this poem to be socially conscious
Or to turn you on and get you excited.
This poem wasn’t meant to fulfill your fantasies.
I didn’t write this poem to make you laugh or to make you cry.
I didn’t write this poem to blow your mind
With my knowledge of big 15 and 20 letter words
And I didn’t write this poem to win $500 in slam
Or be on Russell Simmons Poetry Jam
For you to judge me as the best or the worst
Or grade me from 1 to 10.
I didn’t write this to make you fall in love,
Or feel guilty about being who you are,
Or to get you to start a revolution.
I write because I’m a poet and poets write poems.
I write because it frees my soul, eases my mind.
But if it gives you perspective and makes you think,
Inspires you, then good …for you!
If you compliment me, or became a faithful fan,
Then I thank you,
But I write for me
I write poetry because I’m a poet, and poets write poems!
This is actually my first book I created when I was 8 years old. I've always wanted to be a writer, even then. But honestly, my drawing sucked,huh? The point is...I was born to write!!!!!
