Sights and Sounds of My Yesterworld
by
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EASTER MORN Ruffled silk lace socks Hair washed The sun is never so bright Out into the brightness
Black patent leather shoes
Wide petticoats
Stiffened with cornstarch
Pastel chiffon dresses
Made by a mother
Staying up half the night
Stitching on an old treadle
Sewing machine
Using a pattern cut from
Day old newspaper print
The Saturday night before
Vinegar rinsed
To a squeaky clean
Raw egg sitting atop my head
This is to condition
Your hair she said
Hair fashioned
In two ponytails and a bang
Ribbons and bows
And other such thangs
As on Easter morn
Its yellow golden rays
Warm four cement crocks
A pair on each side
Of the slate rock walk
Each holding a basket
Of unique treasures
Goodies on Easter morn
Rush four eager forms
Each delighted
With separate treasures
Baskets filled to the brim
On a sunny Easter morn
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Book Details
About the Book
This collection is my attempt to share my world with my children, and hopefully to pass on some insights into the world of my past, a world that continues to live with me. Despite all of the issues and biases that we, as African Americans had to face, there were certain things, relationships, rituals and mores, customs that helped us to survive and to flourish. Some poems in this collection focus on family, custom and celebration, while others offer reflection on relationships, their impact on all facets of our lives, and the spiritual support that is needed as we strive for self-affirmation. Poetry is the ideal medium to retain the memories, the experiences, and the relationships that have shaped my life. It is a way of allowing me to remember, to attach emotion to those memories, and to share those memories with others. Poetry creates a relationship where the listener can become a part of the reality of the writer, and can share that history. The writer allows himself to become vulnerable, so that the listener can enter the world of the writer to share and to become a part of the experiences.
About the Author
Dr. Bonnie F. Hatchett is an Associate Professor and Director of The Social Work Program at The University of Texas/El Paso. A trained social worker and gerontologist, Dr. Hatchett also has a passion for poetry as a way of documenting African American experiences. Her poems have been included in a number of collections including "The Poet Within". She is the author of a previous collection of poetry, "A Heart that Found Itself: Reclaiming a Sense of Value" published by Goose River Press, (2001). She has been a featured performer in local as well as national conferences and programs across the country. She has also participated in local and national writing workshops including, The Writers Workshop sponsored by University of Iowa.