Poems of a Shattered Heart
by
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Journey
I had a dream!
In my dream I journeyed to a strange land
a land far, far away from home.
As I journeyed through pain and tears
Heartaches and broken promises,
I held on to my dream.
I journeyed through self-doubt and fears
that mirrored a broken me.
Like a blindfolded child in a misty maze
I stumbled in hazy confusion for a prized icon.
Through sleepless nights and foggy dreams,
I journeyed with only memories of you for company
not knowing where my journey might lead me.
I searched for peace and comfort
for the anguished-self within.
That old familiar self once so assured and confident
Now shattered into a million tiny fragments by betrayal and lies
in its place lay void and uncertainty.
An alien me.
If I Could Live Again
If I could have a second chance
and live my life again
I would never take life for granted
neither would I trust anyone after dark
nor judge other people by my own standards.
I would never wait for the sun to rise
or do any of the things I have done.
I would rely on my first instinct
and never listen to my heart.
I would take each day as it comes
and never waste my God-given gifts.
I would stand up for the poor and needy
And never turn a blind eye on evil
I would learn from my mistakes and
strive to be a better person.
And if I could look on my past with little
or no regret,
examine my mind and harbor no malice
Weed out my lot and find no spite
then I would safely say, I have lived my life
and done my best.
Coup D’etat (5/ 25/’97.)
The day was Sunday.
A day to remember
Bright and sunny
like any other day.
Children reading the paternoster,
families going to the house of worship.
Market women hawking their wares
beach bums hard at work,
displaced ones roaming the city streets.
Scavengers surveying their usual haunts
and marking their territories.
‘Bang, Bang, Bang
Kpakuon, Kpaku Kpaku
Gbudun, Gbudun Gbudun."
Hand guns, AK 47s and grenade propellers
competed for supremacy,
the Coup D’etat had just been born.
Like a bad dream lasting into daylight
the vipers crawled out to play
Biting, strangling and maiming innocent victims
The hen scuttled for shelter leaving her young
in the nest unprotected.
What started out as a bad dream quickly
transformed into a full-blown nightmare as
the bourgeoisie and the envoys disappeared.
With the economy wrecked, and the social and political
fabric shaken, she laid in her vomit, and licked her
wounds in anticipation of a magic cure.
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About the Book
Poems of a Shattered Heart is an honest riveting presentation of a collection of an array of emotions and thoughts, juxtaposing introspection with social commentary. Blending image and language patterns, the collection unfolds as a dramatization of six "symbolic seasons" Shadow, Blood, Peace, Light, Retreat and Passage in a tidal ebb and flow rhythm. It explores the impact of internal and external forces unleashed on the individual, as viewed in the context of twenty-first century experience. The collection portrays the human condition in view of certain Christian principles, interpersonal connections and human emotions in the face of tragedy; generates somber considerations reflecting ideological conflicts, visualizes hope for second chances and renewals, and incorporates a blend of ideas on feminism, friendship, and mortality with a belief in an unfathomable divine plan. The collection is designed to mark significant phases on life’s journey as well as enlighten and inspire the reader who may be asking similar questions.
About the Author
Josephine M. Ansumana is a Fulbright Fellow; she holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) and a Master’s degree in Human Resource Management (MA), from Josie works as a management analyst. She is also co-founder and president of Voice of African Women in Crisis-- a DC based non-profit organization, with a mission to bring the plight and social issues of disadvantaged African women out into the public eye. She has designed and delivered series of gender-based violence workshops to faith-based organizations in the Virginia/Maryland corridor, as a means of mainstreaming gender sensitivity. Josie is interested in using dialogue, diplomacy, advocacy, collaboration and economic restitution for (gender crimes), as instruments for brokering political rapprochement and sustainable development. Her poems have appeared in two anthologies—in the National Library of Poetry’s “Of Moonlight and Wishes” and in the Poetry Guild’s “Dreams of the Soul.” Her first novel titled: “Reflections of an African Woman” will be in bookstores in summer 2008. Josie is a Sierra Leonean national, resident in the