SouthernPRIDE was written, owned, and published by me. It was a digital magazine that was published every 3 months online from April 1997- January 1999. At the time, my name was Gail A Lang. That's changed, but I still own all legal rights to everything that was published in SouthernPRIDE. Part of the rules of submission was that the parents approve the submission for all minors, and that SouthernPRIDE/Gail would own all rights to all written works whether they won the contest (monitary awards were given)or not.
As SouthernPRIDE is no longer online, these words from the children from my past exist only in my computers at home. I was reviewing my magazine and realized what a shame it was that I was the only one who could enjoy these lovely poems. And so, with that in mind, I use my rights as ownership of these words, written by others - to share them here with you.
Please note after the title of each poem, the name, age and location of it's author. They are all adults now, and hopefully some day will find their poems here on Wikinut! The first 3 poems were written by my own daughter, Reyna Lang. Also, the names, ages, and locations are listed as requested for SouthernPRIDE. - not everyone wanted their full names or location published. I respect those requests here as I did when published in SouthernPRIDE.
We were a bud
a rosy bud
As we bloom
we see no gloom.
Because we have a mother rose
that makes for us a perfect pose
And we have a father rose
maybe without a perfect pose
He still has the biggest heart
to have patience with us from the start.
He has hurt me, but how?
I, who hide behind a mask of happiness,
I, who am not vulnerable to the pain of the heart, am hurt.
How, how has he, a man, hurt me?
I, who am filled with anger and hatred am hurt.
They, who call themselves my friends, say it is love.
I know not love, so how can it hurt me?
But his love did hurt me.
Now I know I am vulnerable because I love.
The mask I hide behind is the real me.
It is the me covered by anger and hatred of years.
Maybe one day love will set me free,
free to be happy, and not just to be happy
so these who know me do not see the real me,
the hurt and sad and depressed,
but most of all the vulnerable me.
I hide behind a mask of joy and strength,
But I am weak and sad.
My anger controls me not me controlling it.
Maybe love is my salvation not my vulnerability.
With his love he has pierced my heart
but, love is not a welcomed art
Love causes hurt, pain, sadness and sorrow
love is a battle not ending today or tomorrow
Because to fight two battles, one of love and one of hate
my fears are love would be won too late
To one who has faught hate all her life, love is unknown
it is an open wound needing to be sewn
The unknown is feared,
and a life of anger cannot always be geared
But I will learn love, for my heart has
been pierced with an arrow of his love.
My heart is empty now that you're gone.
The memories of you heal me, I know I must go on.
My tears fell like rain, it helped ease my pain.
As I gazed in the sky, you became a new star.
You blinked me a signal, that made me giggle.
I'll always remember your hugs and of course your tickles.
Even though it's not good-bye, I will try not to cry.
For I know one day I will meet your shining star in the sky.
Friends are forever,
Friends are so dear,
A good long friendship last's for years.
Friends will fight,
Friends will care,
Friends will always be there.
They can be boys,
They can be girls,
No matter how short,
No matter how tall,
Three years older,
Three years younger,
Friends are so dear,
Friends are forever,
Forever Friends!
The wind is brisk
It moves the leaves
onto the shallow meadow
The soil is damp
And is dry no more
The child sits across the tree
Looking at, and hearing nature
He is memorized by it's beauty,
its simpleness, its mysteriousness
A soft, hooting cry of an owl
wakes up the quiet forest
The child leaves.
Up,down and everything in between
The intertidal zone is what I mean.
Tides are cool, four per day
Ever, ever, ever, ever
Tides just won't be denied.
Updays, down days,everything in between
The human zone is what I mean.
Life is cool, for you and me
Ever, ever, ever, ever
Humans just won't be denied.
Marbles are like rainbows,
So colorful and bright.
Some have many stars,
And some could come from Mars.
Some are purple,
Some are blue,
Some are white with stripes.
If you will look close enough,
You'll find that they are nice!
The crisp warm sun
heating your skin,
The salty sea air
blowing across your face.....
To stick your feet
into the warm dry sand,
To hear the waves
Crashing against the shore.
To see beautiful white seagulls
flying over head,
While seashells wash up
along the shore.
To put your hand in
The lukewarm water,
And to see a
dolphin swimming by.
To have that unstressful
and perfectly calm life,
To have a loved one there
to share it with.
I wish I could fly away somewhere.
Somewhere where there is no pain,
no sorrow.
Just happiness and serenity.
Everything would be perfect.
No troubles of any kind.
No conflicts.
Tranquility beyond belief of any mortal mind.
Everyone would get along fine.
No one would ever be left out of anything
unless they themselves wanted to be.
No one would ever have to condescend.
Everyone would be oblivious to all the troubles elsewhere,
and just be themselves.
No one would have to hide a mask of joy
because people would just take time to listen and understand.
This place of heavenly serenity can only be found at night.
Only at night with the realization
that one's mind must be at ease to dream.
The dream world is a world beyond my understanding.
But it is so peaceful and calm.
Nothing can go wrong~
unless, for some ironic reason,
one wakes up from their wonderful dream.
Get up and turn off the alarm clock.
Go back to sleep.
Back to that serene land of beautiful animals and exotic plants.
Tranquil seas, green meadows and thick forests.
Go back...
Found on his old, leather couch
Sits an old, grey man
Waiting to leave this place.
This place of sorrow, pain and unhappiness.
This place of loss and meaningless life.
What is life?
What is the point of birth?
After living for ages,
We still end up at a point of non-exisance.
There is no reason to live,
Just to have your heart torn into tiny pieces
And stitched back together,
To have it torn once again.
Still sitting on the old leather couch
The tired man lies
His heart has stopped.
He has died.
Love is like a lump of gold,
hard to get, hard to hold.
Of all the guys i've ever met,
your the one i cant forget.
I do beleive that god above,
created you for me to love.
He picked me from all the rest,
cause he knew that i would love you best.
I had a heart that once was true,
and now its gone from me to you
So take good care of it as i have done,
for now you have two and i have none.
Once i get to heaven and your not there,
I'll wait for you by the golden stair.
And if your not there by judgement day,
I'll know you've gone the other way.
So i will trade my golden wings,
and all my other precious things,
And just to prove my love is true,
I'll go to hell to be with you.
We all make mistakes
We all need a break
From life's challenges
Life is a mystery
So you need a strategy
To try to solve the mystery of life
Life is good, but it's bad
Life is happy, but it's sad
It confuses me
Life is good, but it's bad
Life is happy, but it's sad
It's very confusing
Maybe we're losing
If we are choosing to go on this journey
It's very confusing
Maybe we're loosing
If we are choosing
Just do, just go, pursue
To hope that we know just what we should do
To dream about what we could be and pursue
To live, to die
To hope, to try
To go and fulfill your dreams
To live, to die
To hope, to try
To keep up your guard in the game of life
The mystery of life
Who's going to solve
The mystery of life
Seems like everything evolves
Around the mystery of life
Pieces of a forgotten day
When all my troubles went away
But, then again, they've just begun
I'll fight them all, one by one
I try to remember, but only forget
I try to recall, but there's nothing yet
I see total blackness that won't go away
It's beginning to change, but my mind goes astray
I am oblivious to my past
But I knew it was too good to last
I try hard to redeem my mind
Insanity strikes and everyone's kind
Illuminate a path for me
Illuminate it so I can see
Tranquilly lying in the sun
I've forgotten my past as the future begun
Life is long.
Life is love.
Life will last forever.
Life is friends.
Life is family.
Life is hope.
Life is a star.
Just follow your heart and you will go so far.
Friends are forever.
Family so dear.
Please don't waste the years!
A force is drawn between us,
a love so sweet, perfect and pure.
Throw it any kind of steam,
and it can endure.
A force called true love,
and compassion.
Loving emotionally and physically,
learning the true meaning.
Of seeing each other as beautiful people,
love unconditional endures all.
With this in relationships,
neither partners need withdraw.
Love unconditional endures all.
It can touch us,
and make us want to share.
Love unconditional endures all.
Be it from a pope or some child small,
love unconditional endures all.
It is what keeps us from the darkest fall,
love unconditional endures all.
A child in the street calls,
"Ma mere! Ma mere!",
Only to discover that his mother is not there.
Can you imagine the magnitude of the child's scar?
Seperation
Denominations
These things divide us.
In all of this, isnt' god's love there?
If it is with the child you hold a grudge,
because of the childs color, personality or religion
it is time to learn of unconditional love.
Time to get a heart of stone to bridge
Only god can righteously judge
We all need unconditional love
Birds
Flowers
Bees
Trees
Is life made of these?
Relationships
Love
Hate
Strife
What is life?
For what do we suffer this pain and strife?
The old, wise child answered:
Life
Is it not true that you are what you eat?
If so, what makes up my feet?
Life
And the young child answered.
It is what makes up your human seat,
I'm eating life,
Would you like to try some shreaded wheat?
You see me, but do you really see me??
If you could look through every line and space,
what would you see?
Open my heart, you'd see the emptiness overcoming, over me
Open my soul, you'd see the deepest hole you'd ever see
A vacancy that just did not belong, slowly overcoming me
It hurts me deeper than I've ever shown
The skin of my emotions lays beneath my own
A breeze blew as I walked
As if in a dream
With the beautiful colors of the sunset
Moving to the stars
To you
When I closed my eyes
I knew you would catch me
When I looked again
I was flying over the blue waters
With you holding my hands
As you sang to me
I turned and
You touched my heart
And we sailed through the sky
Not caring what was between us
Only knowing what was right
Said the boy to the elder man,
"How old are you?"
and the man answered,
"I am as old as the wind
that has blown through the trees
in the apple orchard."
The boy was satisfied.
Later on in his years, the boy asked his teacher,
"Where did you get your knowledge?"
The man replied,
"I get it from the many missed ball games,
spent in my room, under pressure and rule
of my future."
The boy was satisfied.
When he became a father, his own son asked him,
"Where did you come from?"
The boy's father answered,
"I was molded in an apple orchard
by your great grandfather many years ago
where the sweet smell of blossoms
fills the air with an almost everlasting springtime."
"Oh" said the boy, and he was satisfied.
Many years later, an elderly man looked up
and heard the answers to his questions.
He sighed and settled into his favorite chair
and dreamed of apple blossoms,
and springtime,
and youth.
Soft baby breath
a heaving chest
so much joy; almost lost.
To comfort his cry; to comfort an angel
Angel Child
We sob for him; over his crib.
To breath again; to breath normally.
To run free,
to chase his rainbow.
And just when his star was falling
it was caught in the sandmans' net
rehung
not death but easy slumber.....
I am so far among these dark ships
And now my arms start to tire
I want for a breath of sweet air
Instead of the salty sea
But I will not be defeated
Only taught the lessons of the sea....
I look out at the water, the dark and tossing seas and call the dark androlling ships but they sail away from me.
A sailor hoists the rigging, the cool breeze sills the sails, I weep and turn away from those dark and misty veils.
Now I am all alone on these dark and misty piers and I weep and turn away, and cry a sea of tears.
But now I board a new ship, and a sailor hoists the sails, and I wave a sad farewell, over the wooden rails
Oh! What a wonderful time the night time is! The dark, mysterious, singing, sweet, thoughtful, dreaming hours. A time when one's thoughts and hopes and dreams flow together. When one can think without being interrupted by petty daytime annoyances. No time of day is more peaceful than night. Not the morn, nor the noon time, nor the evening holds a greater opportunity to think.
A father may sit on his porch and read. A mother can easily sit by the fire, and rock and hum, rock and hum, all the while sorting out the days' occurences peacefully in her mind.
When night falls, blanketing the earth with its dark cloth, the birds can whisper to their chicks, "night has come", and they will fall into a deep and worriless sleep. The deer nuzzles her fawn gently and the fawn closes his eyes without worry. Even teh fish bubble softly the words, "night is here, night has come".
Every animal, man, woman and child wavers peacefully on the edge of heaven and earth. Absorbing warmth and comfort, and repelling trouble and worry.
As final note, in case anyone wonders - I do have full legal rights to all of the poetry above. It was all originally printed in my ezine - SouthernPRIDE. I hope you have all enjoyed these works of art.
If I could wish a wish - I'd wish that the children who wrote the beautiful words above would someday find them on here - and know that I never forgot them, and I never forgot the lovely things they submitted to me through SouthernPRIDE. I hope some day each of them will happen by, and know that I still love them all dearly. And I still have the photo album from when many of the children from the "Chillun's Corner" and "Teens' Tables" sent me actual photographs, from around the world, so I could know what each of them looked like. I even have the one gentleman who we all thought to be a child - until the photo arrived! That photo album is among my most cherished possessions. I will always remember each of you fondly, and will never forget you. SouthernPRIDE will always live on in our memories (and on my computers).
Your loving mentor and friend, Gail Ann (previously Gail A. Lang)
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