Parting is all we know of heaven
And all we need of hell
—Emily Dickinson, My Life Closed Twice Before Its Close
I always thought we’d have you
I always knew you cared
I always felt your presence
Your love was everywhere
Suddenly I feel it
Everything is wrong
Nothing’s where it should be
And half the sky is gone
The flowers on the hillside
The birds passing by
Sing to me of your love
In a cosmic lullaby
By Richard W. Bray
So it is in life—from sun, to moon, to earth, to night, to day, to you getting up in the morning and going out to play a game of ball. All the rhythms of life are in some way related, one to another.
—Langston Hughes, The First Book of Rhythm
That basketball was like a basketball to me.
—Basketball Jones
I toss it in the air
And sometimes it goes in
I share it with my friends
And get it back again
Shooting hoops alone
I’m never in a hurry
It’s easy to be me
Pretending I’m Steph Curry
Playing all day long
Till every muscle hurts
Pounding on the asphalt
Till we’re covered up in dirt
by Richard W. Bray
if i were you were you were you
—Wanda Coleman
If I was you
I’d grow out my hair
And tuck my shirt
In my underwear
If I was you
I’d get me a tan
I’d drive a red truck
And drink like a man
If I was you
I’d get a good job
Stop dressing like a fool
And looking like a slob
Stop acting stupid
Making up your rhyme
Get outta bed early
Chew thirty-seven times
you say a lot more
than you ever really do
who ever said
that i wanna be you?
by Richard W. Bray
Parents used to tell their kids
Just go outside and play
Now they’re scared to let them out
We lock them up all day
Parents used to give their kids
Active, sporty toys
A set of blocks, a rubber ball
For healthy girls and boys
Get outside and move around
Every boy and girl
Engage your body and your mind
And feel this living world
By Richard W. Bray
I like to eat a sandwich
With pickles and sardines
I step on every crack
And my room is never clean
You got a picture in your head
The guy I’m sposed to be
I don’t care what anybody says
I’m just gonna be me
I wear my jammies all day long
I sleep in a tuxedo
Take me out to dinner
And I’ll wear my brand new Speedos
A body needs some freedom
Wouldn’t you agree?
I don’t care what anybody says
I’m just gonna be me
Nobody should believe
What everybody knows
All the grownups bow to kings
Who don’t have any clothes
You got a picture in your head
The guy I’m sposed to be
I don’t care what anybody says
I’m just gonna be me
By Richard W. Bray
Hello Hello
It’s nice to me you
I’m such a happy little girl
That’s my mommy
That’s my grandpa
It’s a happy sunshine world
I hope somebody loves you
Are you lucky
Just like me?
Everybody
Should be happy
I love everyone I see
by Richard W. Bray
everybody has a sparkle
light is what we are
every atom in your body
grew up inside a star
everybody has a sparkle
it isn’t hard to see
everybody’s got a dream
who they wanna be
folks who got a broken sparkle
damaged in the head
they want to kill your sparkle
cuz all their dreams are dead
do you know somebody
who’s angry sad and mean?
their figure barely sparkles
like a busted old machine?
gotta feed your sparkle
gotta nurture others too
gotta love your neighbor
to be the best you
by Richard W. Bray
A. Philip Randolph
The power of poco a poco
You fix your eyes and organize for years
The haters keep saying you’re loco
Then one day a brand new way appears
The power of poco a poco
The power of effort and time
The power of people together
The beauty of the hill is the climb
by Richard W. Bray
I’m a good little boy
And I always obey
They said “finish all the dishes”
So I threw them away
MommyDaddy told me
I’ve been a bad boy
I’m a walking tornado
I’m designed to destroy
I’m a good little boy
I never tell a lie
You’re feet smell like farts
And that’s an ugly necktie
MommyDaddy told me
I’ve been a bad boy
I should really be nice
But I gotta annoy
I’m a good little boy
Not a greedy little hog
That’s why I ate my dessert
And gave my dinner to the dog
MommyDaddy told me
I’ve been a bad boy
They feed me bread & water
They took away my toys
by Richard W. Bray
Hear it in the playground
Skip and jump and run
Absorb the glowing passion
Inside brilliant beams of sun
Hear it in the ocean
Smell it on the dew
Open up your pores
Every day is new
Hear it in the birdsong
Feel it in the rain
Don’t shut off the universe
To filter out the pain
By Richard W. Bray
