24 Poems ~ 24 Hours
Deborah "D Squared” Dalton is a poet/spoken word artist, domestic and sexual abuse advocate and survivor, currently seeking to poetically share the divine revelations gained while engaged in worship, study, and prayer. She was born in St. Albans, Queens, New York. Being brought up in a military family, she had the opportunity to be raised all over the world. While enrolled in a pre-engineering program at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. While enrolled, she was an active member of the John McLinn Ross Players and performed in the following plays: The River Niger (Wilhelmina Brown) , Tobacco Road (Ada Lester) , Othello (Desdemona) , A Raisin in the Sun (Beneatha Younger) , Aladdin's Lamp (Mother) , Fences (Rose Maxson) , and The Shadow Box (Beverly) . She received an Irene Ryan Acting Award Nomination and an Acting Achievement Award in the Southwest Collegian Regional Competition. She has written several books of poetry, and currently wrapping up a project titled “Life After the Resurrection: A journey of Spiritual Discovery”. She received her degree in Mechanical Engineering from Prairie View A&M University. After working for 15+ years in the construction industry in various project management and design functions, she decided to commit full-time to her calling to engage in ministry.
I’m no longer
patient with Your
white fragility
I’m no longer
understating
of your need to be treated right
I’m no longer okay with
making you comfortable
I’m no longer satisfied being
complacent and nice
because the privilege of your
fragility
needs
comfort
my complacency
my niceness
is cause us our lives
just so you can feel good
The night
slipped away
like a manipulative lover
satisfied with its score
no longer needing my
conscious presence
anymore
What remains
when you delete the imperfections
A mass with holes no longer glued
Leaving a hollow right
Head sinking in the pillow
light jazz in the background
room temperature about 68 degrees
mattress with foam layers
clean sateen high thread count sheets
a body to warm my feet
hours before I need to wake
vibrant, pleasant, and energetic dreams
a tall glass of sweet tea
what I crave right now is the ability to fall deeply asleep
Waving to oxygen
a seductive dance
attached to a wick, disintegrating
drips breaking to pooling wax
downward slide of
vaporized molecules of
embedded
perfume
waft up in comfort
warm
Late at night
I scramble to
collect particles
of long-promised projects
crafting them into a final form
to present as a masterpiece
paused by
disguised procrastination or
rather unmanaged
overwhelm
After the food is in the fridge
And the football games played
We lay early to bed to engage in the shopping games
With list in our hands
We drive to the store
Waiting in the lines for the opening of the doors
The magic hour arrived, we rush through the crowd
All of us headed to where our target was found
Then, at the designated time, daddy would lay in wait
Cart in hand, in the checkout line he stands
Receiving the goodies in our hands
Once done with the adventure
We happily drive home
Ready for breakfast after a job well done
rotating rasping static
coasting through
melodic grooves
taped coins for head balance
moving steady past subtle scratches
black vinyl formed to share
Saturday morning clean up tunes
Emptiness and exhaustion
Lost and overwhelmed
Cold and stale
Robotic and rote
Flavorless and bland
Aching and numb
Drained and drowned
tender spots open
yet safe
Deciphering motives
unnecessary
your authenticity
seen & appreciated
loved
not tolerated
mistakes, corrected
with grace
your flaws, affectionately respected
an invitation into your world
wholeheartedly accepted