Poetry Posse 2015 – Page 2 – ~Keith Alan Hamilton~ (~KAH~)

the intelligently progressive process

I think back to the time
before the Revolutionary War
and Thomas Paine
how valuable
that thing called
the printing press was
in publishing the pamphlet
Common Sense
how it helped
the information
the words of perspective
contained within
that pamphlet’s covers
to be
more freely accessible
and affordable
for the every day people
to read
to be informed
and to become
better educated ~
~ what a timely
and convenient blessing
for the people
back then
’cause of such
they were afforded
the opportunity to ….
….. be able to weigh
the most pressing issues
formulate their own opinions
and then make
well grounded choices
yes important decisions
appropriate to
that particular time
and circumstance
from the basis of a more
diversified perspective

as my thoughts now transition
from the past to the present day
We the people
of planet earth
one race
THE HUMAN RACE
in a different time period
now face the most pressing issues
of our day
like earth change
regardless if these changes appear
in forms such as
more violent weather
through global plagues
super-volcanoes
killer asteroids
an increased amount and intensity
of earthquakes and tsunamis
human born nuclear war or terrorism
maybe even the arrival of
unfriendly extraterrestrials
etcetera
similar to the printing press of old
We the people
of today
have the Internet
where information
is becoming
more freely accessible
and affordable
for the every day people
to read
to be informed
and to become
better educated ~
so we are more willing and able
to formulate our own opinions
and then make
well grounded choices
yes important decisions
appropriate to
our particular time
and circumstance
from the basis of a more
diversified perspective
about humanity’s
everlasting future
and overall well-being
through the intelligently
progressive process
of increasing
our Nature ~ IQ
our understanding
about how Nature
and the earth
systemically work

peace out humanity

Words by ~Keith Alan Hamilton~

freely breathe

near the Dismal Swamp Canal
hand dug by slaves
a tiny graveyard
located in a small area
called Deep Creek
behind a trailer park
the Little Branch Trail Cemetery
better known as …..
the Barnes-Culpepper
Family Cemetery
Barnes was born in Pennsylvania
and married a Culpepper
named Susie
who both were friends
with my muse RLF’s
mother’s parents
they too are buried there
behind the Barnes
and next to the man
noted on his head stone
to had fired the first shot
in World War I from a ship
even though
the Culpepper family in the past
did own slaves ~
James Henry Culpepper
buried there
~ his father’s father
is listed in the census
as the owner of slaves
no one …. as far as my research
buried in this graveyard
had slaves
those buried there
were decent and hardworking people
~ however
this is a place
where history is revealed
can freely breathe out
its remembrance
from its head stones
the story beneath Culpepper Landing
life blossoming into
present day community
on Robert Frost Rd
without restriction
no bondage to chains and enslavement
concealed and imprisoned
buried under pavement for years
like the African Ancestral
Burial Ground
next to Lumpkin’s Jail for slaves
a holy and sacred ground
by the First African Baptist Church
the gathering point
for African-Americans
while enduring slavery
in Richmond
prior to the Civil War
where the memory of those
entombed there
that “24 year old blacksmith
named Gabriel
aroused with
the spiritual vision
that in the eyes
of the creator
all people
despite color of skin
are a part of
The Human Race
equal with
every kind of
man and woman”
such vision
is now coming to light
to freely breathe
nurture enlightenment
and acceptance
for past transgressions
by all concerned
then lead to healing
and cooperative progression
beneficial to all the people
of THE HUMAN RACE
after he was hung
so long ago at the gallows
along what is now known
as the Slave Trail ~

peace out

Image & Words by ~Keith Alan Hamilton~

Dedicated to the preservation of African-American artifacts in the areas of Shockoe Bottom, Deep Creek & the burial grounds of Portsmouth, VA. May this bring remembrance, acceptance, healing and the cooperative progression of THE HUMAN RACE.

This Image with Words will be a part of my Slavery in America Image with Words Collection – Virginia Edition now exhibited in The Urban Individualist Artist Collective, Gallery #219 at Art Works In Richmond, VA.

are we not all

as I stand at a point
on the Slave Trail
where another
historical maker
was located
I see
the Shockoe Bottom
area of Richmond
on the other side
of the James River
if your eye follows
the line of the I-95 bridge
right over the tip of
Mayo Island
~ you arrive at a place
in the city
that the slaves
were once taken
to be sold
whipped at the market ~
put in Lumpkin’s Jail ~
hung from the gallows
and buried
in the Upper Shockoe Valley
later to be called
the African Ancestral
Burial Ground

now on this marker
there is
a historic emblem
with the inscription
“AM I NOT A MAN
AND A BROTHER?”
powerful words
that did challenge
the very fabric
of slavery in America
~ quoting the English potter
Josiah Wedgwood …..

….. words that made
my mind swiftly flow
like the current
back down the river
towards the Chesapeake Bay
~ my memory
calmly running into
the Elizabeth River
then the Albemarle
and Chesapeake Canal
the spot
this artist
took a snapshot
of his muse and hero
RLF
~ while she was taking
a snapshot
of this place
with a canal lock
next to the Great Bridge
where a battle happened
in 1775
and the marker
eludes to the enslaved
that participated there
the Ethiopian regiment
(not really Ethiopian
but African Americans)
~ who were offered freedom
by the British
for their loyalty
if they fought against
the “colonial rebels”
who were fighting for
the land of the free
oh how
my thoughts overflow
with the irony
of the situation ….

the land of the free
indeed ….. is the right ideal
to bring to fruition
regardless
of the color of our skin
sisters and brothers
women and men
co-existing together
spiritually and physically
interconnected by the symbolic
waters of life
whether by sea or river
~ are we not all
a part of
THE HUMAN RACE ~
I ask …..
while standing
in remembrance of the past
at this historical marker
along the Slave Trail

peace out

Image & Words by ~Keith Alan Hamilton~

This Image with Words will be a part of my Slavery in America Image with Words Collection now exhibited in The Urban Individualist Artist Collective, Gallery #219 at Art Works In Richmond, VA.

the season of summer ~ MTS

This poem is dedicated to the author of Leaving the Hall Light On, Madeline Sharples. She is one of my closest and dearest friends on planet earth. My hero ! I love her so……

summer brings to mind
fun in the sun
and vacation
~ sittin’
on the deck
with martini in hand
~ cookin’
on the grill
~ hangin’
with friends
and neighbors
~ nuttin’
wrong with that I say
but for me
this year
I’ll be having fun
on June 27th
~ kickin’
off
the summer season
~ walkin’
16 plus miles
the event
Out of the Darkness
Overnight walk in Boston
with one of my heroes
in life
author
Madeline Sharples
who wrote a memoir with poems
Leaving the Hall Light On
to preserve the memory
of her son Paul
who had bipolar disorder
and committed suicide
how she and her family
managed to live on
afterwards

as I said
~ doin’
something like that
is fun
for me
in mind and body
and spiritually refreshing
to the soul
truly a break from it all
a vacation
of the highest order
selfless service
the act of
~ givin’
way more than just
~ takin’
from the experience
of life
~ durin’
the season of summer

peace out

Words by ~Keith Alan Hamilton~

This poem will be a part of the June edition that’s a collaboration by the 2015 Poetry Posse – The Year of the Poet II published by Inner Child Press. Buy your monthly copy Here: http://www.innerchildpress.com/the-year-of-the-poet.php

summer breeze ~ CAM

This poem is dedicated to my first love as a teenager, CAM. The many love poems I wrote to her, helped me as an adult to appreciate and comprehend the power of the many female muses that have influenced my creativity as an artist. Peace and love CAM.

I dream of a world
full of peace
peace can be real
right ~
’cause like the air
~ flowing through
my lungs
I’ve felt
and still remember peace
its presence
as a teenager
in the afternoon
while laying
on my bed
daydreaming

~ sometimes
about my first love
CAM
who had moved away
from Freeland
to Zilwaukee
she inspired me to write
many love poems
later to help me
appreciate and comprehend
the power
of the many
female muses
that have
influenced my creativity
as an artist ~

I’d hear
the chimes clanging
out in the yard
from the summer breeze …..
…. blowing
through the window
screen …..
yes
peace
momentarily
comforted me
made me feel at ease
similar
to the feeling you get
on a summer vacation
after the martini
sets in for the night
thank you
Schmidt & Regine
Seals & Crofts
for Summer Breeze
and to the essence
of breeze
through a window ~
~ the hope for peace
it gives
and too
the sweet memories
of love

peace out

Words by ~Keith Alan Hamilton~

blacksmith named Gabriel

Dedicated to my sister and art mentor Helene Ruiz .. Peace out humanity !

I’m this artist
who likes to tell a story
of words with an image
captured in time
~ today with
Smartphone in hand
I begin my
photographic journey
along the Slave Trail
in Richmond
Virginia
a somber place
representative of
cruel and hard endings
for some …..
of us human beings
hung from
the once was
hillside gallows
for instance
a 24 year old blacksmith
named Gabriel
aroused with
the spiritual vision
that in the eyes
of the creator
all people
despite color of skin
are a part of
The Human Race
equal with
every kind of
man and woman
~ however
such a righteous revelation
to evolve The Human Race
beyond the defining of race
by skin color
was put to death
due to ignorance
and ill perceived
sanctimoniousness
‘cause some
of a certain skin color
blinded by the trade
of slavery
were not yet
so enlightened
about the benevolent ways
of God Almighty
for all ~

but to the unmindful
passerby
~ driving down
Broad Street
over a bridge
this place appears to be
a green grass
park like lawn
next to some
railroad tracks
not long ago
a paved over parking lot
~ sleepily awaiting
a full resurrection
of remembrance …. for
all those buried there
now a parcel of land
with a shrine
known as
the Negro Burial Ground
but more ethnically
named
the African Ancestral
Burial Ground ~

like the blacksmith
named Gabriel
this experience
emerges forth
a spiritual vision
within me
this everyday
human being
no better than anyone else
where the color of …..
a person’s skin
shines on the beauty
and rich character
of their ethnicity
and yet
in the light of ~
equality for all
skin color does not
determine race
‘cause the human
belongs to only one race
The Human Race
if not ….
then resurrect
the Richmond gallows
and hang me on the hillside
it would be an honor
to be buried
next to my fellow
human beings
especially
that blacksmith
named Gabriel

peace out

Image & Words by ~Keith Alan Hamilton~

This story poem will be a part of the May edition that’s a collaboration by the 2015 Poetry Posse – The Year of the Poet II published by Inner Child Press. Buy your monthly copy Here: http://www.innerchildpress.com/the-year-of-the-poet.php

unspeakable acts

Dedicated to my brother “Just Bill“….. Peace out humanity !

oh seemingly quaint ~ charming
and refined
Richmond
the once was
capital
of the
Confederacy
I this day
leisurely
stroll along
the streets
of the historic
Shockoe Bottom …….
then suddenly
as I approach
the 17th Street
Farmers’ Market
and see
that big clock just ahead
on the Main Street Station
my empathic sensitivity
heightens
its perceptivity
like a sonar ….. picking up
an underwater frequency
I have these strong
and persistent ~ pulsating
vibes
come over me
some sort of
collective conscious
archetype …..
…… a ghost in the machine
I shiver and tremble
as if possessed by a demon
information ~ memories
flow through my body
the good with the bad
well some
in my humble opinion
purely evil
stored and preserved
forever
within the spirit
of energy/matter ~ according
to my thought process
within reflective consciousness
anyhow…..
…… there is here to me
this very strong sense
of emotional turmoil
a felt sense
about a restless
and shameful revelry
not so long ago ….. at least
not in the creator of all things
kind of time
I perceive today
this sanctimonious mob
stirred up by
value judgments
tainted with the poison
of bias
associated with
self- elevation
folk of a certain skin color
thinkin’
from the perspective
of a prehistoric mindset
they are favored
on high
over those of a different
skin color
others of THE HUMAN RACE
they whipped them in public
as if not human
at this place
where the 17th Street
Farmers’ Market
now is….
traded for ownership
fellow human beings
into slavery
there was even
a professional ‘Whipper’
or known as a slave breaker
to beat them
right here
I still smell the smoke
of their skin
from the lash
that’s so ~ so fucked up ……..
as a human
I wanted to puke
my guts out
from remorse
for being born of white skin
then as I walked on by….
…… my senses
came back to me
I ain’t got no issue
never have had
with a sister or brother
of the humankind
those of another skin color
however
like the story
of the Holocaust
or that of the First Nations
this story needs to be told
again and again
so members of
THE HUMAN RACE
won’t continue
to repeat
on others
such unspeakable acts
not acceptable
within
the intelligently progressive
ideals
of the human-kind

peace out

Image & Words by ~Keith Alan Hamilton~

The Foreword for the April Edition of The Year of the Poet II

What an absolute delight it is to be a part of the 2015 Poetry Posse and its collaborative effort to create the monthly editions of The Year of The Poet II published by Inner Child Press. To be an artist is one thing, but it is a special life experience to participate in the emergence of the poetic word with other fellow artists.

Did I just call a poet an artist? I did ! The word imagery constructed by the artist the poet to bring forth poetry is the ultimate art form in my opinion. As I make reference to my use of poetry in the Preface of my second book in the series Nature ~ IQ: Let’s Survive, Not Die ! (book now in the process of being written).

“The late David Bohm on page 63 of his book Wholeness and the Implicate Order referred to poetry ‘as an art form’ having a primary function ‘to give rise to a new perception, and to action that is implicit in this perception, rather than to communicate reflective knowledge of how everything is’. “ As I say further in the Preface, ‘I hope my poetic style of words have that same type of effect, to inspire the creation of novel and timely ideas through a process of intelligent perception in others’.”

How fitting to illustrate and celebrate such a powerfully influential art form as poetry, then the April edition of The Year of The Poet II. This month’s theme is specifically about the art form known as poetry and how the word imagery used to construct it finds revelation through the symbolic metaphor embedded within the social notion of rebirth/new birth long associated with the spring season. The art form poetry creatively used by the artist the poet, can initiate a positive effect on others, “to inspire in them the creation of novel and timely ideas through a process of intelligent perception.” This eureka type moment emergent from the word imagery of the artist the poet can create the season of change associated with spring within the thought process of others. It can give rise to the rebirth of an old way of looking at things by initiating a new birth or a fresh outlook as to the way something is perceived in society.

How much more powerful is the art form of poetry to initiate change then when it is brought forth as one united although deliciously diversified voice, a collective of fellow artists called the 2015 Poetry Posse? The objective behind putting together this posse as stated by its founders “is to bring the Poetry Community together with the various Cross Demographic representations found in Gender, Religion, Geography, Culture and Ethnicity.” I joined the posse in 2015 because I am a true believer in the power of this objective and truly believe this collective force of fellow artists through the art form of poetry can exemplify and initiate positive change that will be beneficial overall for all THE HUMAN RACE.

I have intelligently progressed as a human being and artist to believe the following without wavier, “The true act of creating art, is for it to be used for the everlasting benefit of all humanity” by using art to create change. Where does that start? Right here on these pages filled with words of imagery by artists who are willing to share with and support other artists. As artists, side by side, they see the wisdom in working as one to get each other’s unique vision and voice channeled through the creative process out to the world.

It is my honor to present to you the poetic words of my fellow artists the 2015 Poetry Posse within the April edition of The Year of The Poet II published by Inner Child Press.

Words of Potential

words having potential
seemingly,
manifest this spirit
one that tries to stimulate
some new perception
doing so to invoke an action
being of the creative kind
not to just convey
the way things appear

however,
also to spark
within those
who may listen
fresh notions
born from self-origin

peace out

~Keith Alan Hamilton~

This Foreword will be a part of the April edition that’s a collaboration by the 2015 Poetry Posse – The Year of the Poet II published by Inner Child Press. Buy your monthly copy Here: http://www.innerchildpress.com/the-year-of-the-poet.php

living self portrait

This epic poem is dedicated to my departed comrade and most influential poetry mentor on my style of words, Dino (Constantine Pantazonis). Dino was the first to ask why I used the tilde ~ and then thereafter encouraged me to do so even the use of it with my writing name ( ~Keith Alan Hamilton~ ). Dino your living self portrait through poetic word and imagery will always be vivid in my mind. Peace out !

I’m this living self portrait
not painted to be hung on
some wall
imprisoned as a piece
of exhibited art
on display
as a corpse …… rotting alive
in a tomb of days gone by
I’m the Mona Lisa reborn
again and again
as she was
through the ingenious eye
of da Vinci
never am I finished
while the spirit of life
flows the breath of oxygen
~ intelligently
about a receptive mind
perceptively guiding the hand
embodied with the gift of empathy
boldly stroking
every facet of color
as this unique blend of creativity
intermingled with
word and imagery …… etching out
the total human experience
with its pay your dues
character lines
the mark of a spiritual existence
not only on the face
but tattooed
on every inch of the body
like the use of the tilde ~
and the dotted line …..
in a newly written
epic poem ~ giving honor
to a poetry mentor
named Dino
despite the norm
all to enhance the expression
of a mystically
artistic soul
as this living self portrait

peace out

Words by ~Keith Alan Hamilton~

This epic poem will be a part of the April edition that’s a collaboration by the 2015 Poetry Posse – The Year of the Poet II published by Inner Child Press. Buy your monthly copy Here: http://www.innerchildpress.com/the-year-of-the-poet.php

the artful expression ~

This poem and the 6 that follow are dedicated to my poetry mentor Judih Weinstein Haggai. She taught me through example (action poetry) how to communicate words well in my own special way.

the moon has been
up in the sky
every night
since whenever
the sun rises
bright and early
no matter what ~
the day
counts on it
summer comes and goes
year after year
like the tide
along the rocky shore
the leaves of the tree
fall in Fall
the cold wind
blows in Winter
such patterns of change
give the cognizant kind
the notion of predictability
and the comfort
felt from
the recurrent
assurance
of stability in reality
especially
the announcement
Daylight Saving Time
the dawn of Spring
and yet
the reoccurrence
of some things
behavioral patterns
bathed in
the stagnate waters
of
bias and inhibition
are hard as a diamond
to change
unless altered by
a kind of laser
an art form of words
creatively written
as the late David Bohm
on page 63 of his book
Wholeness
and the Implicate Order
gave as an example
~ poetry having
a primary function
“……to give rise
to a new perception,
and to action
that is implicit
in this perception,
rather than to communicate
reflective knowledge
of ‘how everything is’…….”
indeed ~
the artful expression ~
an opinion ~
an idea or concept
that creatively paints
the way to the eureka moment
the intelligent perception
like the art of Leonardo
di ser Piero da Vinci
that eventually fosters
human growth
and change
a fresh perspective
similar to
the symbolism of Spring

peace out

6 action poems with verse inspired by JWH

1.
peace out
out of stimulants
freak out

hey man
man what’s up
heavy man

foxy lady
lady’s got game
first lady

2.
big yawn
thoughts of sleep
wide awake

heavy eyelids
racetrack type mind
speeding everywhere

pitter patter
rain on roof
sound machine

3.
human beings
THE HUMAN RACE
one people

people united
WE THE PEOPLE
humanity strong

people power
HUMANENESS IS EMPOWERMENT
humanitarian beings

4.
Love me
love me not
I exist

I exist
regardless of you
love exists

love exists
love conquers all
love cures

5.
dark sky
sleepless in Boston
think session

coyote howl
barred owl hoot
woodland noise

ears ringing
fingers tapping keyboard
midnight journaling

6.
know me
maybe a little
your choice

life is
kind of short
live now

peace humankind
let’s get along
makes sense

peace out

Words by ~Keith Alan Hamilton~