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Tag Archives: freedom

Wow! Democracy does work!

Posted on 14 Dec 2020 by Melba Christie at Poemattic

We witnessed democracy work on our televisions. What a relief. I hope we are ready to heal now.

I wrote this poem in commemoration of today’s historical process.

Lady Liberty smiled again today.

She knows we will survive the craze.

The Empire State Building stood even taller somehow.

Many of us in awe of our democracy sighed in relief

The country can now begin to restore its traditional belief

that after an election, we stand strong and together with whomever wins.

America matters, we all want it to thrive.

We must work together for our constitution to survive.

Today’s rain may represent the tears of joy

we so needed to shed.

Enough is enough of the fear and the dread.

It is time to be grateful for Science and the Grace of God instead.

We witnessed many receive the first vaccines to abolish COVID 19

Today hope was revived

Our country’s soul has been redeemed.

Sadly, the count of the dead has reached a milestone.

So it is up to us that their deaths will not be in vain.

Let us ring the bells of freedom and brotherly love.

And May God bless America now and forever

from the heavens above.

Poetry

my happiness if up to me

Posted on 30 Oct 2020 by Melba Christie at Poemattic

My happiness is

up to me

and I made up

my mind to be just that.

All I had to see was the beauty around me;

The view warmed my broken heart.

All the fears I had

simply fell apart.

As I reflected on what it was that made me

so unhappy,

the list of things quickly diminished.

I then knew my melancholy would be finished.

I realized that I just had to set me free

from all the negativity.

Truth be told,

Happiness will always be

up to me.

“If you really want to be happy, nobody can stop you.” – Sister Mary Tricky

96 days – Some Truths

Posted on 30 Jul 2020 by Melba Christie at Poemattic

The truth is that truth must prevail.

Call out the lies when they first appear,

We cannot continue to live in fear:

Learn to discern the real from the fake.

Do some people really think that we are dumb for goodness sake?

Make good trouble as John Lewis famouly decreed.

Do not allow us to loose our deeds

to the republic and the freedoms so many have fought to conserve.

I will no longer be afraid. Knowing I have the power of the vote has cranked up my nerve;

Is not peace and tranquility what we deserve?

We owe it to our children, and to their children too.

Ninety-six days left to make up our minds and collect was is due.

Have you thought about what you will do, in the meantime?

I could think of a few things,

off the top of my head.

First, we have to abide by the rules to get rid of the deadly virus we call COVID.

We all need to be healthy and

keep our eyes on the prize.

A healed nation, united as one,

is the only way to get the job done.

God bless America!

Poetry

Haiku 237 by Melba Christie

Posted on 17 Feb 2020 by Melba Christie at Poemattic

Why do they flee?

They long to see what

freedom looks like up close

Tears retreat!

The House We Live In – My apologies to Frank Sinatra

Posted on 4 Jul 2019 by Melba Christie at Poemattic

I have been wrestling with how to celebrate July 4th (243rd Birthday of America) with a poem. I recently heard Amanda Gorman, the National Youth Poet Laureate recite her Independence Day poem: Believer’s Hymn of the Republic on CBS. She will perform it again tonight accompanied by the Boston’s Pops Symphony playing the “Battle Hymn of the Republic”. She became my inspiration.

I also remembered a song by Frank Sinatra my father loved and would play all the time called “The House I Live In”. I became a little sad and thought about what my dad would say about what is happening in our country these days.The country he loved so much. Both songs helped me compose my poem.

The House We Live In by Melba Christie

Sometimes I wonder

If I have lost my way

Sometimes I do not know

what is the right thing to say

about the house we live in.

Is it just a plot of earth?

A main street without a name,

I so want to be so proud;

But sometimes I feel a little shame,

because children now fear

the playgrounds, some the faces that they see

the violence and the fights

Are not we all a part of the we.

What happened to the proud eagle’s flight?

Respect for each other’s views?

The howdy and the handshake are so rare and few

and the right to speak my heart out

what happened to all that too?

The house we used to live in

was roomy and very warm

we knew how to huddle together

with the menace of a storm.

The house we lived in was always great to me.

Not just a slogan or even a flag,

It was a very meaningful word – Democracy!

We live in a house

that needs a little repair.

A real truth, a love of liberty for all

the promise that we knew

“A House divided cannot stand”

I know that

so do you

it is about knowing

out of many we are one.

Let us continue to build

on the foundation that they

built 243 years ago.

A beautiful plot of earth

From sea to shining sea

all races, all religions

all genders

We all want to be free.

So let us join all our

great voices

let us get ready to sing

America the beautiful

Let freedom ring!

The answer to the question,

What is America to me?

The people, We The People!

We The People!

All races, all religions,

All the faces that I see

This

America to me!

Happy 4th of July!

And God Bless Us All!

And God Bless America!

Poetry

Quote- On Butterflies

Posted on 15 Jul 2017 by Melba Christie at Poemattic

Memories of the Fourth

Posted on 4 Jul 2017 by Melba Christie at Poemattic

The morning skies seemed brighter, bluer

as if they were getting ready

for the evening gala of fireworks.

Mrs. Johnson draped her front porch

with four crescent shaped old glories

one for each pillar of our democracy

signifying peace, honor, truth and justice.

It was day as sacred as any holy day

people believed in our purpose as a nation

and we celebrated surrounded by family and friends

and shared home made apple pie;

corn on the cob, hot dogs and hamburgers

and somehow we knew

there would be more to come.

The radio played the National Anthem all day

Many would pledge allegiance

to become the new Americans

who came to fulfill lifelong dreams.

it did not matter what party you voted for.

The fourth of July

meant looking back on the one thing

every human being cherishes the most

our right to freedom and the pursuit of happiness.

God Bless America!

Poems
Poetry

Emily on War

Posted on 29 May 2017 by Melba Christie at Poemattic

Poem by Emily Dickinson #444

Poetry

Once Again

Posted on 8 May 2017 by Melba Christie at Poemattic

Once again

a sweet memory visits me

I could feel her hug me tight

and I feel free

to let go of my fears.

Soft Commotion and Jubilation

Posted on 1 Feb 2017 by Melba Christie at Poemattic

jubilation

Soft commotion

and jubilation

comes at a cost;

we must free ourselves

of negative thoughts;

even the ones we produce on our own,

certainly those grim ideas pronounced

on loud speakers by others.

It seems these days,

the loud speakers are louder than ever.

We know their truth and legitimacy.

there is no doubt.

FEAR suppresses the soul;

But I need a thousand colorful

and unbustable bubbles

to help me smile, sing,

and dance,

I need soft commotion and jubilation.

Don’t you?

Join me at least for today.

Numbers With Meaning

Posted on 11 Sep 2015 by Melba Christie at Poemattic

My tribute goes deep. One of my family members was first responder and we are grateful she is still in our lives. A couple of my former students at the time lost family members. A colleague lost his cousin. As everyone else, I remember vividly the events of the day. I can remember things I said, what I had for breakfast and the pounding of heart. It all started during the first period of the school day. I had to be strong for my students and the teachers under my supervision. I was not supposed to panic. I had to be strong for all of them. I remained as calm as I humanly could and tried to comfort the children who had been entrusted to me.

I did not breakdown until I returned home that evening and looked to the New York City skyline from my car to see the devastation. Although all I could see was smoke, I kept thinking of the people who lived in that area and all the lives lost. I thought about my old neighborhood and how terrified people must have been in those horrific moments. I thanked God that my family was safe. I recently visited the 9/11 memorial. It is amazing. It was very emotional and sad but at the same time I felt hopeful. I know we will never ever forget. I just pray that it gets better for all the family members who lost their loved ones. I did not realize or maybe I’d blocked out some of the facts of that day. Only six people survived. Most especially I was stunned to know that 11 unborn children had also perished. Now that I am a grandmother this fact is harder to accept. However, I believe with all my heart they are our angels of hope.

I did not write a poem this year but I focused on the numbers that appear in every newspaper, blog, flyer, book, and all accounts of that beautiful September day that became the most tragic day in the history of our country. May their souls rest in peace.

God bless America.

Numbers with meaning

9/11

2001

8:45

767

20,000

110

9:04

767

175

9:45

757

125

200

10:30

500

5:20

1,800,000

2997

343

Day Three – Three quotes Challenge

Posted on 21 Jun 2015 by Melba Christie at Poemattic

Above is a drew on my iPad when I was looking ofr some kind of inspiration. I found the Chines proverb and drew the tree which I call:Tree of Inspiration.

Here are the quotes to fulfill the three quote challenge.

“Joy is an internal process grounded in knowledge of spiritual truth, the ability to trust

the wisdom of the Divine, and faith in the perfect and perfecting process of life.”

– Lyanla Vanzant

“It is better in prayer to have a heart without words and words without a heart.”

-Mahatma Ghandi

“Allow your heart to sing and dance and kick off its shoes when you are lonely or fearful. A Divine feeling of freedom will keep you company instead.”

– Melba Christie