“The opera was stylish and the movie a thriller,But, I had to buy a new dress and the popcorn was stale,After the show, all I had left was my empty pocket.For me, I have decided simple pleasures will do,A walk in the park, a cup of coffee and a good book too, My friends, you may find these to be a sound investment too.”

“Have you forgotten me?by Nancy B. BrewerThe bricks I laid or the stitches I sewed.I was the one that made the quilt; a drop of blood still shows from my needle prick.Your wedding day in lace and satin, in a dress once worn by me.I loaned your newborn baby my christening gown, a hint of lavender still preserved. Do you know our cause, the battles we won and the battles we lost?When our soldiers marched home did you shout hooray! Or shed a tear for the fallen sons. What of the fields we plowed, the cotton, the tobacco and the okra, too.There was always room at my table for one more, Fried chicken, apple pie, biscuits and sweet ice tea.A time or two you may have heard our stories politely told.Some of us are famous, recorded on the pages of history.Still, most of us left this world without glory or acknowledgment. We were the first to walk the streets you now call home,Perhaps you have visited my grave and flowers left,but did you hear me cry out to you? Listen, my child, to the voices of your ancestors. Take pride in our accomplishments; find your strength in our suffering. For WE are not just voices in the wind, WE are a living part of YOU!”

“The heavy smell of incense gave me an uneasy feeling as if I had walked into a tomb”

“If I be just a page torn out of a book,May I sail forever over the oceans blue, Float over the treetops and the mountains too,Drift across the valleys and the flowers look,Until at last, I rest and kiss the morning dew.”

“I am strong as steel and my roots are planted deep in this southern soil. Time may have weathered me, but I will always bend with the wind”

“It was a warm and natural feeling to be there. We were not black or white people. We were just people bound together by love and understanding. As I walked out of that church, I felt like I had rediscovered my inner peace.”

“Perhaps you have visited my grave and flowers left, but did you hear me cry out to you!”