Poets Circle (September)

Ashanti Files

Ashanti is the author of Woven a beautiful collection of poems with fire and insight. In her own words: For me, poetry is an echo of what the heart senses. While emotions are difficult to put into words, the art and craft of poetry is my attempt do to justice to the heart by reaching the minds of others. I am a Registered Nurse by trade, a wife by choice and a mother by fortune. My poetry reveals my trials and triumphs as a woman of color. It explores Social and Political issues as well as love, sensuality, Mental Health and the struggle to live life on my terms.

Carpe Diem

The phrase is carpe diem

But Chadeick Boseman is dead

It was of natural causes

Which is more than can be said

About Biianna Taylor and Sandra Bland

When I think of my daughters my stomach clams

Up into a little ball and I spit up bile

From the imaginary promises and americas guile

To call this nation free

Barbed wire around the white house

A president whose mediocrity 

Is praised by the uninformed 

And dependent on by the 1%

Black children dying daily

And our nations money is spent 

On a space force

Let’s talk about the race force

Of white men who treat us like the most dangerous game

Killing us so frequently it puts poes work to shame

SAY HER NAME

I so damn tired 

Of another report of another gun fired

Taking the life a suspect

Black Americans treated worse than king George’s subjects

Yet you reject that it’s time for OUR revolution 

You reject that our lives matter the same

You reject our right to bear arms

You reject that this time we ain’t playing 

By the same rules as activists in the past

We will not be moved

We refuse to kiss the ass 

Of democrats who lie 

Shit they haven’t earned our vote

Clinton is known for how Monica choked 

On his dick and we choking on the dems complacency 

Choking on republican rage

Choking on the fact that our Facebook page

Sparks outcry from another black death

And just like the plague you better hold your breath

Don your masks and but dont close your eyes

Momma Maya promised you again I will rise

And we rise in anger

We rise in pain

We rise and refuse to fall

So SAY HER GOT DAMN NAME

Carpe Diem

Poets Circle (September)

Rachel Rose

Rachel Rose is a South Texas native and a graduate of both Baylor University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in German literature. She writes both poetry and prose bringing attention to the very real and pressing issue of domestic abuse. In her free time, Rachel is an ardent ballroom dancer, active in her church and a full-time cat lover.

A Womens Tears

I hated crying.
You said you hated it too,
But you only hated it when it was you.

You loved and lived to see my tears.
You said yours was a desert people of fear and tears.
Yours was a people of longing for home and longing for escape.
And so they cried out: tears of confusion and frustration,
Praying to a nameless and meaningless god.

These tears were not your tears.
You only knew salted crocodile tears which could allay my fears
That you were not really ‘you’.
The ‘you’ I knew cried with me,
For me.
The ‘you’ you knew cried tears
Only for you.
They served you.

I cried and we cried at every movie done.
I cried and we cried when you told me I was wrong.
I cried and we cried at every fight you won.
I cried until you would cry with me no more.
When you abused and accused my innocent tears of the nefarious motives of your own.
You didn’t care.

And I cried the tears of a woman longing for home and for escape,
So I cried out tears of confusion and frustration,
Praying to a nameless and meaningless god.
And these tears were not your tears.

Now I knew the ‘you’ you knew.
I knew your crocodile tears,
And I knew you,
And I was afraid.

Poets Circle (August)

Will Reger

Will Reger was born and raised in the St. Louis, Missouri area. He has been writing poetry since he was a child, and publishing poetry since 2010. He is currently the Poet Laureate for the City of Urbana and a founding member of the CU (Champaign-Urbana) Poetry Group (cupoetry.com). He has a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and currently teaches at Illinois State University in Bloomington-Normal, Illinois. He lives in Champaign, Illinois, with his wife, Mary, with whom he has raised four children. When he is not teaching or writing poetry, he collects flutes, plays flutes, and sometimes even writes poems about flutes. He can be found at https://twitter.com/wmreger.



Love on a Knoll

The adjunct Badger, heavy after class,
lay back on cool academic grass
(that knoll on the dark side of the quad)
to rest his eyes and ponder his lady love.
He wrote her poems, feeling himself a bard,
though these were verses she knew nothing of.

She was, as he knew, pragmatic and young,
in secretarial school, not one for fun.
For him, she was the torch that lit his nights.
Her sweater’s pulse, her ample skirt, her tights.
He loved the blue beacons of her eyes,
how they swiveled over her warm dunes.

He thought he wanted to collate her bones,
but he had papers to mark and a manuscript
on the seven compound tenses simplified
for the Freshman to be proofed and shipped.
He told himself to call but he hated phones.
Later, he drove by her dorm, terrified.

Poets Circle (August)

KARYN KING

Karyn is 33 year old from a small town in Southern Illinois. She was born with Cerebral Palsy which makes it difficult to walk and do many basic things but despite having cerebral palsy Karyn makes life the best way she knows how by encouraging others through the guidance that God gave her to share with others. She is a faithful member of Bible Way Church Of God In Christ (C.O.G.I.C) in Pulaski, IL . She wears many hats such as praise dancer (from a chair) member of the choir, a junior secretary, and she is apart of Y.W.C.C. Young Women’s Christian Council. A church groups that focuses on communicating issues that arise with young women and how to become women of excellence in their walk with Christ. Karyn enjoys playing video games, and writing. She started writing as a way to escape feeling unaccepted and excluded in society. 

Her Poem is entitled: The Perfect Purpose Girl

She’s always dreamed big dreams. Hard to accomplish or so it seems but she knows with God all things are possible. The perfect purpose girl would often sit around wondering what her purpose was in life. The perfect purpose girl is always willing to help others despite her own challenges. The perfect purpose girl only wants to please the Lord. The perfect purpose girl would often cry with hurt feelings asking God why oh why. The perfect purpose girl wanted to explain she is not perfect nor does she try to be. Only striving to be the best at what God has given her. The perfect purpose girl would often hide behind the mask not ever wanting people to see the real her. The perfect purpose girl is called by God to fulfill her perfect purpose.

Her second poem is entitled: I Prayed For You Today!

As I woke up this morning I had a talk with the Lord. I asked what was my mission for today?! He said to pray. I’m writing you just to say I prayed for you today. As I sat on the path way waiting for my day to begin. I thought of you again. I’m writing you just to say I prayed for you today. As you continue on this journey I’m sure it wont be easy, but continue on. Just remember God has placed me in your life even if it’s just to say a prayer with you today. As I turn to look away for a moment just before ending my day. I ask God to take care of you and your family and bless you all in a very special way. Here’s a little note to say I prayed for you today.