Breathe! The Releasing Of...

By LaChrissa Lucky

Breathe! The Releasing of... is a collection of poems written by me, the author. So many times we inhale what life has thrown at us. We don't know what to keep and what to let go of, or exhale. And if we are not living out our purpose, it's even harder for us to breathe. I was at a point where I had so much stuff bottled in that I was unknowingly suffocating myself. I didn't know how to simply release everything. When people have an asthma attack or can't get enough oxygen, they have an asthma pump or have a mask placed over their mouth to help them breathe. That's what poetry was for me. It helped me to breathe, to deal with the issues I knew about and uncover the ones I didn't know about. I was empty inside. I had great friends, but neither one could fill that void that was in me. I was not only running from my past but my calling. I was becoming depressed and almost suicidal, but poetry gave me a reason to live. The more I wrote, the more I released. The more I released, the more I became honest with myself. I found strength to deal with my issues. While dealing with the issues, suicidal thoughts and depression left. I realized I needed Jesus in my life. I accepted God and started living my purpose. I was finally breathing. I hope you will find what helps you breathe! Be real with yourself. You won't find it in drugs and alcohol. That breath you need is Jesus Christ to help you confront the issues that you are dealing with. He is the only one that will lift the weight of the world off your shoulders.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jan 23, 2017
• ISBN: 9781635254341

Book preview

Acknowledgments

Mrs. Greer, who now goes by Mrs. Marshall, for giving my first poetry assignment that ignited the gift that God placed inside of me

My amazing parents, Ureal and Debora Lucky, and brothers, Ureal Lucky Jr. and Lance Corporal Uearl Lucky, for always supporting me no matter what.

My Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church Family, for the spiritual guidance and support

Earlisher, for buying me my first poetry book.

Shawanda, for listening to me read my poems so much she actual knew them word for word.

Kenyata, for being the reason for some of these poems.

To the young lady who told me she was a fan of my poetry while I was at St. James in Wynne, Arkansas.

To every church that has allowed me to share with them the gift that God has given me.

Last but not least, ______________________________ (insert name) for everything you’ve done.

I want to personally thank all of you for the roles you have planned in my life.

Introduction

For me, poetry has been like a breath of fresh air. Growing up, I went through so much stuff. I dealt with it in the unhealthiest way possible, by keeping it bottled in. I had years of issues bottled up inside me. I felt like I was suffocating myself. It wasn’t until my tenth-grade year that I found poetry through a writing assignment. I was so heartbroken at that moment. My friends were graduating and leaving me behind. So I dedicated that poem to them. As I was writing I begin to express myself in a way that I couldn’t when I was talking. It felt good. I felt like I was getting it off my chest. So I begin writing more poems. The more I wrote, the more I fell in love with it. I started writing about how I felt about people, how I felt inside, and things I was experiencing. I felt lighter and free. Poetry started answering some of the questions that I didn’t have an answer to. Poetry became my escape and my method for expressing myself. When I wrote, I released, and when I released, I made room for me to grow. Life taught me how to inhale but poetry taught me how to exhale. Because of these two I now know how to breathe!

(The Poem That Started It All)

May 16 came faster than it ought

But this week is going better than I thought

’Cause I prayed to God all weekend

Cause Friday night it hit me that y’all were leaving

Took trips down memory lane

Mind too weak to walk, I needed a cane

So many of them lies in my head

As I sit and lie, wondering in my bed

Many times you asked, Are you gone miss me?

And my reply was, No!

You hated my smart comments especially

When I said my favorite word so!

The places where our memories hold

Are the places I refuse to go

Sometimes when I look at the spots I get glad

Other times when I look I get sad

So much has happened over the years

A lot of laughter that brought tears

No matter what happened we was there for each other

And since I was the youngest, sometimes it was like y’all was my mother

But in the future, I can look back and say my tenth-grade year was a real slam

I’m glad to call y’all my friends, my sisters, and especially my fam

Forever and always we will be the gang

I love y’all and that will never ever change

Mable Lawson

A GRANDMOTHER SO DEAR

A GRANDMOTHER SO SWEET

A GRANDMOTHER SO NEAR

A GRANDMOTHER SO UNIQUE

AS I GREW UP, I WATCHED YOU LOVE UNCONDITIONALLY

YOUR CHILDREN, OTHER ADULTS, BABIES, AND KIDS

I USED TO SAY GRANDMOTHER’S GOING TO RUN OUT OF LOVE EVENTUALLY

YOU’RE STILL LOVING UNTIL THIS DAY SO I GUESS YOU NEVER DID

HOW MUCH LOVE CAN A GRANDMOTHER’S HEART HOLD

I MAY NOT EVER KNOW CAUSE EVERY DAY MORE AND MORE OF YOUR PRECIOUS LOVE UNFOLDS

I USED TO HEAR YOU SAY, I’M THROUGH WITH THEM. THEY HAVE MESSED ME FOR THE LAST TIME.

BUT WHEN THEY CAME BACK, IT WAS LIKE YOU HAD FORGOT ’CAUSE TOWARD THEM MORE OF YOUR LOVE WOULD UNWIND.

TIME AND TIME AGAIN, YOU WOULD TELL ME, I’MA TELL BIG UEARL ON YOU!

AND FROM THAT POINT TIL MOMMA CAME, I WOULD BE CAUTIOUS OF WHAT I DO

YOU WOULD PULL ME OVER TO THE SIDE AND SAY, I’MA LET YOU SLIDE. I’M NOT GOING TO TELL DEB WHAT YOU DID.

AND THOSE WERE THE WORDS I WOULD PRAY FOR, BUT I WOULD ASK MYSELF, HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO ACT? I’M JUST A KID.

I STILL SAY SOME OF THE THINGS YOU TAUGHT ME TO SAY

BEFORE I EAT, I SAY, GOD BLESS MY FOOD, AMEN, THE WORDS YOU TAUGHT ME TO PRAY

RUNNING TO YOU TO SING THE I LOVE YOU SONG AT THE END OF BARNEY IS WHAT I MISS

AFTER WE SANG THE SONG, THERE WOULD BE A COOL SPOT ON MY FOREHEAD FROM WHERE YOU LEFT YOUR KISS

COLORING TIME WOULD BE A FUN AND HARD, YOU SEE

I CAN STILL HEAR YOUR VOICE SAYING, TRY NOT TO GO OUTSIDE THE LINE, AND THAT WOULD BE A CHALLENGE FOR ME

YOU WOULD GET MAD WHEN NONE OF THE KIDS WERE SLEEPY

YOU WOULD SAY, Y’ALL NEED TO GO TO SLEEP MY STORIES FINNA COME ON, ON TV.

I