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    Shayna SheNess Israel
    Retro Poem: Happy Birthday to My Lil' Sis on Xmas 12/25/2011
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    This is a poem written for my sister on her graduation day from undergrad. It is still fitting in so many ways on this celebration. Happy Birthday, Liz!!!

    Surviving Is No Small Feat

    For My Sistah on Her College Graduation Day, Graduating at 21yrs-old with a year-old Baby

    By Shayna SheNess Israel

     

    It is no small feat

    to climb a mountain

    whether it be rock

    or adversity

    & survive

    Survival is not

     a gift but a

    fought will--

    the child of needed action

    & undaunted courage

    Above a clouded sky

    you emerge

    on a precipice

    greeting the crowd

    of cheerers & naysayers

    well-wishers & witnesses

    mostly greeting

    the sun ahead

    Looking down

    before you

    you say

    “it is good”

                    ---

    ’87 a seed of light

    is born

    in a Brooklyn hospital room

    young eyes make out

    a scene of rush & bustle

    & glimpses into a future

    of work & choices--

    responsibility

    unfalteringly

    & with a child’s bravery

                    ---

    It is no small feat

    to dream & see it thru

    It is your time to rest

    to look upon your works

    & see that they are good

    to be in awe of sheer drive & determination

    This is your time to rest

    reflect, recharge

    before the new wave

    Take it

    It is your earnings

    your reward

    In quest for knowledge

    countless hours were spent

    reading articles

    typing papers

    late night at libraries

    thinking up outlines

    asking questions

    penning problems to the page

    Who would’ve thought

    that voyage

    would begin with cutting entries

    out of encyclopedias

    & pasting them to school reports

    or spelling essay “S A”

    or philosophizing with

    a big-gutted sistah

    under Snow White 

    & Cinderella sheets

    looking out past

    fairytale curtains

    to a truth--

    a future

    once again to be shared with

    that big-gutted sistah

       ---

    It is no small feat

    to shake hell from your heels

    & rise to a cooler day

    above the clouds

    with a baby at your hip

    & violence at your door

    a year shy of the average 


                 


    “I have a vision,” you say

    “I will see it thru.” You do

    Now a tall, statuesque

    womyn, daughter

    sistah, mother

    standing cap & gown

    in all your glory

    Once a skinny, little girl

    with a shiny forehead

     & hands clasped on your lap

    in a frilly dress

    in front of a Little Mermaid background

    smiling at your kindergarten accomplishments

    To see what

    two pictures would signify

    to your daughter:

    1.       Possibility is eminent

    2.       Dreams do come true

    3.       Hardship is not long lasting

    4.       & Belief is key

    Today

    I am proud

    This is your day

    this is no small feat

    Some do not make it to the otherside

    mounting the insurmountable

    sailing on uncertainty

    walking thru the wild

    The gauntlet

    that was your childhood

    was not without its scars

    ( Such a brazen soul! )

    The world will attempt

    to snuff out that kind of beauty

    It is your fortitude

    & godly compass

    that has seen you thru

    kept you

    steering you

    from calamity

    Survival is no small feat

    there are choices

    on this Earth

    fate is not determined

    by a wish

    To live & refuse to fail

    is one of the greatest testaments to

    a god within us all

    The water

    when it collides

    against rock

    does not stop

    but finds

    another way

    This, too, is a godly act

                    ---

    Today

    I am proud

    & honored to share

    this moment

    of triumph

    with you

    I have seen the wear

    the tides have exacted

    on your shores

    & I have seen

    you build them back

    My only advice

    is to rest

    the seasons change quickly

    & our moments are precious

    Celebrate!

    although, this is not

    what we’ve been used to

    Rest & celebration

    are ways to

    honor yourself

    & your deeds

    It is time to turn

    toward an inward eye

    There are crystals there

    with your reward

    © Copyright 2009 January 22
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    We Can Work It Out (Beatles' Song Rap Collaboration) 12/08/2011
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    Performed rap after Israel Gay Youth human rights panel on conflict:

    Can win anything with guns, germ & steel. Multiple perspectives, which one is real? We've been fighting for centuries, conflicting identities, winners or enemies; how can we heal? We've been told that we must compete, but all it's brought was destruction & greed, depletion of trees, patriarchy, profit before needs. We all got a force unstoppable. IMAGINE a new world possible. Trust the power of our unity without a doubt. Be change. Vision community. We can work it out. 

    Thanks Dudu Yzhaki for collaboration!
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    Train Chant: Sustained by Caky Core 08/26/2011
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    Chanting this chant this morning while dancing and stretch was cleansing and restorative.

    Train Chant: On the Afternoon R3 into the City

    Oh, Creatress Mother, I’m sustained by your core. It’s my cake; now Mother, I know if I seek you, you won’t forsake, now, Mother. It’s hard in this clandestine struggle inside the cupboard, but while under I discovered. Seeking you is seeking Justice, Truth. I’m in a bind for a time until the conditions prove the moment’s for the taking & the Mother lets loose, & the Mother lets loose. I’m in a bind for a time until the conditions prove the moment’s for the taking & the Mother lets loose
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    Hairpiece Crown 07/18/2011
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    Hairpiece Crown

    inspired by a Sistah on the SEPTA 109
    by Shayna SheNess Israel



    parts—hair pierced
    pieced
    peezy
    protein-gelled, permed braids
    greasy

    purchased hair
    hangs high noon-ed
    above Nyah’s neck
    pinned in hairpiece
    pon deh back
    a pulled plastic rounded—a stringy, slick, curled, high ponytail

    its studded, stony, stuck clip
    cradles converging cornrows
    curving towards a centerpiece
    a bulging bun tilting upwards
    a tiara top
    tapioca-colored—1b & 33

    accenting a
    falcon-ed face—pointed, bulb-ed, bulged
    lips lined & painted a pumping purple
    skin—sandy shaded
    chiseled cheek bones
    oversized shades
    skinny eyebrows—penciled & plucked

    a 70’s Sistah


    (C) Copyright 2009
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    First Post! 07/18/2011
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    Start blogging by creating a new post. You can edit or delete me by clicking under the comments. You can also customize your sidebar by dragging in elements from the top bar.
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      Author

       Shayna S. Israel is an educator, organizer, artist (poet/rapper) and founder. It is her passion for social justice and commitment to constructing spaces for womyn to develop leadership, networks and distinct voice that threads her various commitments.

      About
      This blog is to share daily writings as a way to make space for and honor creative voice.

      I draw inspiration from daily happenings, news media, history, special events and whatever my heart desires.

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