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Copyright
Copyright © 2019 by Darcel L. Ricketts
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without written permission of the copyright owner except for the use of quotations in a book review.
For more information, Email address: [email protected]
Written by: Darcel L. Ricketts
Cover Illustrations by: Katy Taylor
ISBN TBA 001(paperback)
Website: www.darcelbeingbooks.com
Sunflowers
In
Space
By: Darcel Craft
Dedications:
To my “Dear Ol’ Dad”, your love gave me faith, and your faith taught me love. Absent from the body and present with our Lord. Your legacy lives on with every breath we take.
To my mother Dorothy, you teach me what service and love mean daily. Thank you for always believing in my dreams and supporting me in every endeavor. You are a shining example of strength.
To my sisters Carnesha and Carmelya, your love and friendship are like air and water to my soul. Thank you for supporting me from Day 1. Literally.
To my husband and children, thank you for loving and encouraging me every step of the way. You are my reasons why.
*To my fellow space cadets, wanderers, and warriors, thank you for journeying with me. This is exactly what home should feel like. Thank you for traveling to alternate universes with me. Thank you for helping me to smile in the dark.
Sunflowers
In
Space
By: Darcel Craft
Table of Contents
First Note: My Confession……………………………….….7
Sunflower Seeds and Space Dust……………………….......8
Final Note: My Thanks…………………………………… 141
A Peek at “Dear Mamas: A Memoir for You………........142
My Confession to YOU:
Sunflowers have always been impressive to me. They are totally outside the box, in terms of standard beauty! They don’t strike me as, dainty like daisies or graceful like gardenias, but they still attract admiration, just by being themselves.
Much like the sunflower, I have never fit in with the traditionally beautiful roses of my time. In a garden full of lilacs and lilies, I have struggled to see my own value and beauty. But, one day I decided to spend twenty-four hours being kind to myself, thinking kind thoughts, and speaking kind words over myself. And wouldn’t you know it, love began to bloom.
I am still on the journey of self-love, but I have found that I am not alone. The further along this path I get, the more I realize there are many others who walk beside me and need encouragement too.
Please read these poems mindfully and intentionally.
May you hear my heart, may you see yourself, and may you feel the love of the Creator, who delicately and deliberately fashioned you. You are so divinely loved and held.
To every wanderer,
Every warrior fighting within themselves,
Every sunflower struggling to believe in their beauty…
This is our space.
Welcome Home.
Sincerely Yours,
DarcelBeing (A Poetic Space Cadet)
Uncovered Girl
Mascara removed. Concealer undone.
It’s just you and I again.
Face to face.
Skin to skin.
I stare.
You meet my gaze and hold it.
I cower inside afraid of what you see.
Bare faced.
I have nothing to hide behind.
Nothing to enhance or diminish.
Every blemish on display.
Every flaw resurrected in its glory.
I stare at you.
You hold my gaze, unfazed at these
perceived deficiencies.
Unshaken by my inability to see past the outer man.
But you see.
You see past the fear in my eyes,
As dark circles are revealed once more, under my eyes.
You see past the tension that overtakes me,
As I sigh repeatedly during this ritual.
I guess my past struggle with insecurity, isn’t in the past like I believe it to be.
When everything is wiped away,
You see me.
And maybe that’s all I need to see as well.
Oh Phoenix
She takes a thousand selfies
Still unhappy, but it’s acceptable.
Mask back in place,
Her insecurity is undetectable.
But she ran into a friend,
Who helped her love the skin she’s in
Now her beauty isn’t outward
But it’s flowing from within
Bodies of Water
Water.
They say that water holds memory,
Brooks babble softly.
And streams sing tenderly.
I sent messages up stream,
Hoping one day you’d remember me.
Kneeling by the banks,
No sound, praying silently...
Kneeling by the bed,
No words, laughing violently.
Intoxicated by the rain,
And all of love’s tragic irony.
Ripples on the pond,
Reflect eternity inside of me.
While Deja vu says that you,
Reflect true love, and that’s in spite of me.
Water.
They say that water holds memory,
So I whisper to the raindrops,
Hoping one day you’ll remember me.
Wanted
Do you know what I need?
I’m beginning to think the answer is nothing.
But oh, these wants of mine...
I want glamorous sunsets and glorious sunflowers.
I want celestial connections and microscopic inspections of my words.