Invitation: The Hueman Lyrics of Greg Powell

By Greg Powell

The poetry of Greg Powell's new book, Invitation, has been curated from a lifelong journey in faith and urban adventure. He can't remember a time when he wasn't writing. His passion for history emerged early in his life, and kept him reading voraciously throughout childhood, far surpassing his school curriculum. Over the years, as it piled up, Powell kept his collection of writing loosely stored in notebooks, binders, folders of all kinds, then eventually filing cabinets, and shelves of poems, songs, plays, short stories, sermons, and other prose. He's never without a notebook and pen; he writes as a way of breathing.

Powell's work has appeared in Essence, The Black Nation, Black American Literature Forum, Haymarket, the Evergreen Review and other periodicals. His roots hail from Chicago's West Pullman community, where he grew up with his younger sister in a tightly knit working class family. Powell's life journey has seemingly avoided most conventional routes as if on purpose – in fact, precisely on purpose. Invitation, by virtue of his journey, is a collection written during adventures at universities in Chicago and New York City (including and MFA in Poetry from Columbia University), various church ministries across the Chicago area, family social services, youth groups and pastoral care. He has worked as much with young children as he has at the bedside of the elderly in pastoral care. Greg's innate vulnerability is the product of lifelong ministry. His poetry reflects the emotional breadth of these experiences. His poems unfold the common highs and lows we experience in childbirth and loss, the passions and trials of love, and the perennial mysteries of parenting.

It also reflects his love of music and music history, observations of our world, his faith journey, and the life conundrums we experience in common. Yet, his writing maintains a light touch, humorous, and accessible to any reader. Because Greg is a drummer, the syncopation of his verses is ever present. At times abrupt and abbreviated, Greg makes his poetic impact with the economy and artistry of language he exhibits in his preaching, and teaching. As the reader feels the flow, the lyrical rhythms are contagious. Invitation is a pleasure to read, its themes enlightening, and its rhythms, irresistible.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Jun 23, 2024
• ISBN: 9798350957297

Greg Powell

Greg Powell's work has appeared in Essence, Jet, The Black Nation, the Black American Literature Forum, The Community College Review, Race Today, Haymarket, and other periodicals. Greg Powell is poet, drummer, teacher, and community-based minister of encouragement. His roots hail from Chicago's Pullman community. After Columbia, he taught language arts at CIS-229 in the Bronx and writing at the College of New Rochelle. After returning to Chicago, Greg served as a specialized adolescent case worker for Catholic Charities of Chicago. Greg currently serves as Minister of Pastoral Care at New Faith Baptist Church International. He also supports the Youth Ministry at the Matteson, Illinois church. On occasion, Powell teaches poetry at the Michelle Obama School in Park Forest IL. Greg is happily married to Deborah Ann Powell, and together they have two sons.

Book preview

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INVITATION

The Hueman Lyrics of Greg Powell

© 2024, Greg Powell

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Print ISBN: 979-8-35095-728-0

eBook ISBN: 979-8-35095-729-7

Invitation

silver and black

haired woman, face sweaty

from prayer and praise

and repose in the spirit

she is happy

face a blessed grimace

between white flowered

crown above. Obama

funeral home fan

flutters beneath. she

stands and fans swiftly

like single winged butterfly

landing on true vine

and begins to speak

in hushed tones

of the saved….

…Giving thanks to my Lord and Savior who is head of my life….

Movement One: The Invitation

Graces in Small Places

The Call

Gethsemane Preacher on a Saturday Night

Blues Toned Preachment

Communion on Broken Rocks

Psalm of Uplift

Fists, Bullets and Blood

One Love Freestyle Solo 1

Poetic sermonette…

Old Man’s Gathering of Preacher Sons

Praise in the Last Days

Memorial Baptist Church Dancer

The Funeral

One Love Freestyle Solo 2

Broken Bread of Old Preacher Men

The Poet’s Wail

Blues for Mr. Simon

One Love Freestyle Solo 3

Movement Two: One Love

One Love Freestyle Solo 4

Daddy’s Voice

Spiritual for Mama

Song of a Free Soul

Mother’s Day in Summer Snow

Momma’s Redemption Song

Grandpa’s Gift

Visitation

Daddy Sings of Mother

Lyric for My Sons

Beautiful Bird

Love Now and After

Pride in His Stride

Roots Calling

Beholding You

Journey to the End of Our World

Life is Love

Give Love to Life

One Love Freestyle Solo 5

Movement Three: The Uprising

One Love Freestyle Solo 6

Natural Head Revolution

Broken Legacy

Killology 

One Love Freestyle Solo 7

Soul Folk Sermonette…

For Billy Branch and Sons of the Blues

Ballad of the Dreadhead Cowboy

The Irony of Gil Scott Heron

One Love Freestyle Interlude

Amiri

One Love Freestyle Solo 8

Word Beat and Love

One Love Freestyle Solo 9

To Children of a People on The Rise

Survivors

Not A Christian

Nation Falls Under Own Weight

One Love Freestyle Solo 11

One Love Freestyle Solo 12

Proclamation Emancipation

ministry

Invitation

Movement One

The Invitation

Graces in Small Places

A Song of Praise

Jah Love is intimate

More than we appreciate

Beyond what we orchestrate

Graces to liberate

Higher inward elevations

Fruit bearing meditations

Jah soul ministrations

Day by day salvations

Jah give graces in small places

Shared love across all faces

Wisdom dropped from ageless ages:

Ancient of Days.

The breath that forms into words

The understanding and standing

The striving surviving and thriving

Flying so fly over wicked conniving

Wisdom sharp and truth incising

Toxic tendencies minimizing

The progress path be appraising

Like Christ out tomb/ we raising

I give much love/ I’m testifying

Blessings be abundant no denying

Jah touches much when I be crying;

I rise to wonder of rising sun

Shine on Jah, your Kingdom come

I bear love burden ‘til life is done

Jah love keep my dome sane

Strength to sustain pain, I regain

Praise, sun rays, fresh rain

Jah give graces in small places

Shared love across all faces

Wisdom dropped from ageless ages:

Ancient of Days.

Jah draw back rainbow and loose arrow

Pierce skin sinew set fire to marrow

Like Einstein said everything a miracle

The universe is music so lyrical

Little things illumined in Jah inspirations

Positive meditations, my preparations

Make me instrument for Jah-life psalms

Peace in storm-center stepping calm

Power up tongue for Hueman preaching

Guide I soul for Kingdom seeking

Rod and staff to guide my races

Every stride be graces in small places

Food to eat, shoes on feet, roof over bed

Heartbeat, dreams proceed, Jah love in head

Alive not dead, soul fed, my daily bread

Grinding it out venue to venue,

Dropping seed you need to

Be freed from the bleed,

So life never suck dry/ keep third eye

To diamonds in sky so blessings multiply,

Choose blessed perspective peaceful correct

Don’t fret over another’s eye speck

No religious rigor mortis that aborts

Jah Praise as you enter Her courts

Budding fruit of hopes from true vine,

Stay on path/ eyes on the signs

Jah give graces in small places

Shared love across all faces

Wisdom dropped from ageless ages:

Ancient of Days.

I see Love in everything Jah bring,

Little things grow cosmic beyond logic,

Keeps me copacetic and directed

Jah protected light reflected heart inspected

Never condemned/ convicted and directed

Arrogance dissected Jah Love projected

In Wisdom injected/ demons rejected;

Graces in small places fuel my races

Through worldly spaces, faith tests I ace;

I maintain the basics, press through stasis

In reps of little steps with inspired pep,

Jah give me joy of forward motion

Roots dug deep, I suffer no erosion

Jah is my portion and my potion,

Anoints my life in love devotion

Jah give graces in small places

Shared love across all faces

Wisdom dropped from ageless ages:

Ancient of Days.

The Call

I answered the call to ministry at age 15. Yet I always traced my intensely personal call from a childhood incident.

on the block, i

was big greg. not

that I was big

but little greg

was little.

there was poochie

ken and oscar

who were sad

when we moved from

apartment driven

away by roaches

after the fire. there was

archie who had

a cool walk the world

called a limp. earl

who we called

peanut head. our

world, the block

in south shore that

white fear turned Black.

the block where we

had toy soldier and rock

fight wars. I remember

slow rotating twirl

of one busted my head,