The Whistle

"The Whistle" is a poem inspired by the story of Emmett Till.  A group of former students recited this piece during a public performance in March, 2015, at my favorite coffee house, The Friendly Coffee Lounge.  What pride I felt with these girls!  The poem appears in my chapbook, and the live performance can be viewed here:

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Scars

Oh, how the stars 
mimic the scars!
Exposed in the solitude of night
time reflection,
seeking redemption 
for the depth disguised
by lackadaisical smiles
that walk through day’s distractions,
only to resurface
when darkness blankets
the skies 
and grants tears 
to the eyes
that see in mirrored
reflections 
the truths that lie,
the truths,
that lie dormant
from sunrise to
sun
set,
when all the regret
and a lifetime of debt
settle in the mind,
revealing again
the scars mimicked 
by the stars 
of night.