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Arike Idowu

Soul Reflections

Dedication

I dedicate this book to my grandparents.


Thank you for instilling me with the wisdom
and guidance of my ancestors. To my
grandmother, Abiolia Atinuke Idowu, thank
you for blessing me with my name; I shall
cherish my name for all eternity.
Arike Idowu
Soul Reflections

Acknowledgements

Much thanks to my father, Abimbola Idowu,


for being a wonderful father and providing
me with a positive image of an African male.
Words fail to adequately express the
positive ways my mother, O’Thella Idowu,
has blessed me. She has taught me how to
be an intelligent sophisticated woman who
can balance business and femininity. Mom,
I thank you for your unconditional love,
support, and timeless wisdom.

I am grateful to my brother, Tayo Idowu,


and to Christopher Cervasio, for their
thoughtful suggestions, ideas, and
criticisms.

To the rest of my family and friends, I thank


you from the bottom of my heart, for your
intercessory prayers, steadfast support, and
calming presence in my life.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you all!


Arike Idowu
Soul Reflections

Foreword

I love poetry. For me, poetry is my dairy;


my poetry is the window to my soul, the
interaction between my subconscious
and conscious mind, and the door to my
innermost thoughts. My poetry is my
diary. My poetry is my voice. My poetry
is positively me.

This is my first book of poetry that I am


sharing with the world. As stated above,
poetry is my diary; therefore, I decided
to share my words with you as they were
written instead of grouping them by
topic or theme. I hope you enjoy your
glimpse into my heart and that my
words are able to touch you, inspire you,
help you, encourage you, and motivate
you.

- Arike Idowu
Arike Idowu
Soul Reflections

Table of Contents

Dying Child ................................................. 1


Pit Bull‟s Song ............................................ 2
Breed Specific Legislation .......................... 4
Writer‟s Block ........................................... 14
Ideal Love ................................................. 16
Indifference ............................................... 17
Pain‟s Question ......................................... 18
Life‟s Wondrous Play ............................... 19
Mate to My Soul ....................................... 21
Turned to Stone ......................................... 23
Infidelity‟s Truth ....................................... 24
My Heaven Your Hell ............................... 26
Open Heaven‟s Door................................. 28
If I Should Die Before I Wake .................. 30
Battle ......................................................... 31
24 Hours to Live ....................................... 33
Immersed in Thought ................................ 36
Are My Dreams Real ................................ 37
Vulnerable ................................................. 39
My Greatest Flaw ...................................... 40
Self Realization ......................................... 42
Night‟s Call ............................................... 44
Can‟t Stop Crying ..................................... 45
Healing ...................................................... 46
Lost Love .................................................. 47
Uneventful................................................. 48
Tears .......................................................... 49
A So Called Friend.................................... 50
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Soul Reflections

Gone .......................................................... 51
Guilty Pleasures ........................................ 52
Passionate Woman .................................... 53
Perfect Lover ............................................. 55
Soul Lover ................................................. 57
Long Distance Love .................................. 60
Unknown Depression ................................ 61
My Cherished ............................................ 62
Offer .......................................................... 63
Third World .............................................. 64
Trust .......................................................... 66
Self Harm .................................................. 67
Reflection .................................................. 68
Sweet Oblivion.......................................... 70
You............................................................ 72
My Faith in You ........................................ 73
Not Afraid to Love .................................... 74
Alcoholism ................................................ 76
Argument with a friend ............................. 77
Azazel‟s Song ........................................... 78
Departed Lover ......................................... 83
Disillusioned Girlfriend ............................ 85
Heritage ..................................................... 87
High........................................................... 88
Illiterate Nation ......................................... 89
Insanity...................................................... 91
Insignificant .............................................. 92
Wisdom ..................................................... 94
Personality................................................. 95
Pregnant .................................................... 96
Reading Your Bible .................................. 98
Running from Myself ................................ 99
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Soul Reflections

Secret Crush ............................................ 100


Sunset ...................................................... 101
Temptations Dream ................................. 102
Trapped in a Personal Hell ...................... 104
Youthful Naiveté ..................................... 106
Absent Father .......................................... 107
In My Heart ............................................. 108
Saved ....................................................... 109
Thank You .............................................. 110
As I am .................................................... 111
Crying for America ................................. 112
About the Author .................................... 120
Arike Idowu
Soul Reflections

Dying Child

There is a playful breeze


That caresses the trees
Singing a melancholy song
And the leaves dance
With a peaceful abandon
Trusting in the invisible as they fall
From their branches

These leaves dance to a harmonious song of


Joy and sorrow
A melody of unknowing
And a discord of anger and separation
Yet with an unmatched grace
They keep a rhythm
Unsettling in its simplicity
Of acceptance

These colorful beauties


Cling to the happiness of now
Instead of the uncertainty of thereafter
Unique is their individual rendition
Of life‟s dance
And they continue to perform with great
fervor
Until they hit the ground

What a humbling experience


To witness the life and the death of a
terminally Ill child
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Soul Reflections

Pit Bull’s Song

My heart breaks
When I think of you dear friend
For you are not aware
Of our cruelty
Our ignorance
Our Bias
Our shameful acts at the behest of fear

You know not


Our harsh prejudgment
You know not
The stripping of your rights
You know not
That we have coined you a monster
Or how easily we take your life

We have bound you in stereotype‟s


Deception
We have shackled you with faulty evidence
We have burdened you
With unreliable testimony
And we have confused your truth
With media‟s fiction
Silencing the true facts of your nature
With brainwashed opinion

Some of us have
Warped your personality and character
With malicious intent

But for those of us


Who truly know you
We recognize you
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Soul Reflections

As man‟s best friend

For you display


An unconditional love
An energetic spirit
A heart as pure as gold

You embody the innocence of a child


And you are a loyal companion
We do not deserve

My heart breaks
When I think of you dear friend
For outside your destiny is cold

I wish I could shatter their prism of lies


And bring out
The truth of your breed
I wish I could get them to understand
Blame the OWNER
Not the BREED!

„Till then I shall remain


Right here
By your side
My American
Pit Bull Terrier

For Nikita, I love you!


Arike Idowu
Soul Reflections

Breed Specific
Legislation
Texas State Representative Martinez Fischer (D-San
Antonio) filed H.B. No.1982 on February 2, 2009
(Texas Legislature Online, 2009). H.B. No. 1982 is a
bill “relating to the regulation of dangerous and
vicious dogs; providing penalties” (Texas Legislature
Online, 2009). The bill was introduced in response to
two dog bite fatalities occurring in Texas during
March.

In describing the two incidents, I use the term pit bull


as reported. Unbeknownst to many individuals,
however, “pit bull” is not a breed and does not refer
to a specific breed of dog. The term “pit bull”
describes three different breeds: the American pit
bull terrier, the American Staffordshire terrier, and
the Staffordshire bull terrier (Hunter & Brisbin,
2007). In addition to these three breeds, the term “pit
bull” is often used to refer to a mix, cross-breeds, or
dogs with similar characteristics (Hunter & Brisbin,
2007).

Izaiah Gregory Cox, a 7-month-old boy was attacked


and killed by two pit bulls owned by Irma Garcia,
Cox‟s grandmother (Saleh, 2009). According to news
media, the Irma Garcia left the baby Cox alone one
her bed while she went into the kitchen to warm
Cox‟s bottle. In her absence, the dogs attacked baby
Cox and did not relinquish Cox until after Irma
Garcia fought them off with a knife. The dogs were
later shot at the scene of the incident by police
officers. In a separate story, 18-month-old Tyson
Miller was fatally attacked and killed in his backyard
by a friend of the family‟s chained pregnant pit bull
in Luling, Texas (Saleh, 2009).
Arike Idowu
Soul Reflections

Texas state law currently prohibits the


implementation of breed specific legislation (Texas
Health and Safety Code Sec. 822.041). Moreover,
Texas state law provides provisions to declare a dog
dangerous and imposes regulations on an owner of a
dog that has been declared dangerous (Texas Health
and Safety Code Sec. 822.041). The bill Fischer has
proposed would change Texas state public policy
pertaining to “dangerous” dogs. In Fischer‟s bill dogs
can be declared “vicious” as well as “dangerous”
(Texas Legislature Online, 2009).

The loose determination of what constitutes a


“vicious” dog raises many concerns for opponents to
this H.B. No. 1982. The provisions used to determine
what constitutes a “vicious” dog are found in Section
5, Subdivision (6) (Texas Legislature Online, n.d).
According to these provisions, a dog can be deemed
vicious if it “commits unprovoked acts…or acts in a
highly aggressive manner while in the enclosure in
which the dog is kept” (Texas Legislature Online,
2009). Under this provision, I wonder if my mailman
could deem my Labrador retriever a “vicious” dog.
Moreover, Fischer‟s Bill raises the injured person age
from eight to 15, raises the offense from a third
degree felony to a second degree felony, raises the
ownership age of a “vicious” or “dangerous” to 21,
and prohibits dogs that are 40 pounds or more from
being off-leash in cities with a population of over a
million people.

A hearing was held on H.B. No. 1982 on April 6,


2009 and the bill is currently in committee (“Texas
Legislature Online”, n.d.). Opponents to breed
specific legislation across the nation are helping
Texans fight H.B. No. 1982. Opponents are signing
petitions, contacting elected officials, presenting
affidavits, writing articles and blogs, and offering
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witness testimony (Pit Bull Rescue Central, n.d.).


Moreover, opponents are providing the public with
access to educational resources, information on breed
specific legislation, and conclusions rendered in
scientific studies and scholarly journals (Pit Bull
Rescue Central, n.d.).

Over the last two decades, various local and state


governments in the United States as well as
provincial governments in North America and
Europe have developed and implemented breed
specific legislation (Hunter & Brisbin, 2007). Breed
specific legislation can be defined as “a statute or
regulation that is directed toward one or more
specific breeds of dogs” (Weiss, 2001, ¶4).
Proponents of breed specific legislation believe breed
specific legislation is necessary to protect the public
from “dangerous”, “potentially dangerous”, or
“vicious” breeds of dogs. Proponents have
specifically targeted pit bulls in breed specific
legislation. Proponents have advocated that pit bulls
are wired to be aggressive. The American
Temperament Test Society, Inc. (ATTS) found the
American pit bull terrier, the American Staffordshire
terrier, and the Staffordshire bull terrier all pass
temperament testing at a plus 80% margin (ATTS,
2008). This margin is higher than dogs not currently
targeted by breed specific legislation. Moreover,
breed specific legislation does not account for the
influence or impact an owner has on dog behavior
(Burstein, 2004).

Proponents of breed specific legislation seek to


develop and implement laws that include, but are not
limited to breed bans, automatic labeling, and
mandatory spray/neuter (Dogsbite.org, n.d.). A breed
ban prohibits the ownership of a specific breed of dog
and can be implemented at the state or local level
(Dogsbite.org, n.d.). Automatic labeling is a type of
Arike Idowu
Soul Reflections

breed specific legislation that imposes regulation on


dog owners (Dogsbite.org, n.d.). Regulation can
include registration fees, mandatory leash or muzzle
requirements, confinement requirements, mandatory
insurance, mandatory warning signs, and mandatory
sterilization (Dogsbite.org, n.d). Mandatory
spray/neuter is an example of breed specific
sterilization legislation (Dogsbite.org, n.d).

Opponents of breed specific legislation believe breed


specific legislation to be overly broad,
discriminatory, and ineffective (Pit Bull Rescue
Central, n.d.). Sacks, Sinclair, Gilchrist, Colab, &
Lockward (2000) of the Center for Disease control
(CDC) concluded:

Although fatal attacks on humans appear to


be a breed-specific problem (pit bull-type
dogs and Rottweilers), other breeds may bite
and cause fatalities at higher rates. Because
of difficulties inherent in determining a
dog‟s breed with certainty, enforcement of
breed-specific ordinances raises
constitutional and practical issues. Fatal
attacks represent a small proportion of dog
bite injuries to humans and, therefore,
should not be the primary factor driving
public policy concerning dangerous dogs.
(p. 1).

Despite the CDC's findings, proponents of breed


specific legislation have erroneously and
misleadingly used this same report in support of their
position. Numerous instances of breed specific
legislation that has passed in the United States is
based on conjecture regarding an inconclusive breed
type or breed appearance (Burstein, 2004).
Arike Idowu
Soul Reflections

Determining a dog‟s breed is actually a difficult


process (Sacks et al., 2009). Opponents of breed
specific legislation understand the seriousness of dog
related injury to humans and other dogs. Opponents
of breed specific legislation champion more
regulation of individual dog owners rather than
regulation targeting a specific dog breed (Burstein,
2004). Pit Bull Rescue Central provides a list of
alternatives to breed specific legislation including:
“stronger enforcement of existing dangerous dog
laws”, education training and seminars, and
reasonable ordinances pertaining to dog related
nuisances (Pit Bull Rescue Central, n.d).

Karen Delise, a researcher and author, has published


numerous books and articles pertaining to fatal dog
attacks, dog attack statistics, media myths, the
politics of dog legislation, and dog aggression
(Delise, 2009). Delise stated on the National Canine
Research Council web site, that after 20 years of in-
depth analysis regarding canines, she has concluded
“breed attributions yield no useful understanding of
fatal attacks that have occurred, and do not offer a
way to reduce such incidents in the future” (Delise,
2009, ¶ 12).

Additionally, Attorney Kenneth Phillips of


Dogbitelaw.com offers a thorough overview of breed
specific legislation (Phillips, 2009). On
Dogbitelaw.com, Phillips gives alternative
perspectives and solutions to proponents and
opponents of breed specific legislation (Phillips,
2009). Moreover, the Department of Health and
Human Services Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) hosts a bibliography of articles
pertaining to dog bits and findings (CDC, n.d.).

Our history holds countless instances of


discrimination concerning sex, race, national origin,
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Soul Reflections

etc. Minority groups have struggled for decades to


gain protection from various forms of discrimination.
Proponents of breed specific legislation in the United
States argue breed specific legislation is
constitutional because state and federal courts have
upheld its constitutionality in various court decisions
(Dogsbite.org, n.d.); I challenge this premise based
on past court reversals and changes in court
precedent. As a nation, it has taken a long time to rule
discrimination to be constitutionally unlawful, wrong,
and unjust. Despite a myriad of court rulings,
congressional legislation, and executive orders
discrimination still exists today. When confronted
with discrimination many individuals are rightfully
outraged.

Why should breed specific legislation be any


different? Is it because we are regulating a dog with
no voice; an animal that cannot attest to his or her
own plight of injustice; an animal that incites
stereotypical fear and panic in the public? If a study
were conducted today that declared a specific race,
nationality, or ethnic group constituted more injuries
resulting in fatality than any other group, would we
allow states or local jurisdictions to ban individuals
of that particular group from various states and/or
communities? Constitutionally speaking, I hope the
answer to this question is no. Now, reconsider the
previous question in terms of breed specific
legislation. Is your answer different?

In conclusion, United States citizens have a blessing


not shared by a myriad of third world and developing
countries; an opportunity to enact real social and
political change through activism and social
engagement (Shafritz, Russell & Borick, 2009).
Without an active public, citizens must rely upon the
voices of elected officials and the various individuals,
special interest groups, and organizations that lobby
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Soul Reflections

local, state, and federal government (Shafritz et al.,


2009). Therefore, to influence and shape public
policy, public administration, and public opinion,
citizens must be steadfast in their activism and
engagement to ensure their voices are heard and their
opinions weighed.
Arike Idowu
Soul Reflections

References

American Temperament Test Society, Inc.


(2009, December). ATTS breed statistics.
Retrieved April 23, 2009, from
http://www.atts.org/stats1.html

Burstein, D. (2004). Breed specific


legislation: Unfair prejudice & ineffective
policy. Retrieved April 23, 2009, from
http://www.animallaw.info/journals/jo_pdf/v
ol10_p313.pdf

Department of Health and Human Services


Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
(n.d). NCIPC bibliography of articles on
dog bites. Retrieved April 23, 2009,
http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/duip/dogbites.htm

Delise, Karen. (2009). NCRC research.


Retrieved April 23, 2009, from
http://nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com/nc
rc-research/

DogsBite.org. (n.d.). Legislating dogs.


Retrieved April 23, 2009, from
http://www.dogsbite.org/legislating-dogs-
bsl-faq.htm

Hunter, S. & Brisbin, R.A. Jr. (2007). Panic


policy making: canine breed bans in Canada
and the United
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States. Paper presented at the annual


meeting of the Western Political Science
Association. Retrieved April 23, 2009, from
http://www.polsci.wvu.edu/faculty/BRISBI
N/Papers/2007.%20Panic%20Policy%20Ma
king.pdf

Phillips, K.M. (2009). Dog bite law.


Retrieved April 23, 2009, from
http://www.dogbitelaw.com/PAGES/danger.
htm

Pit Bull Rescue Central. (n.d.). Breed


specific legislation (BSL). Retrieved April
23, 2009,from
http://www.pbrc.net/breedspecific.html

Sacks, J.J., Sinclair, L., Gilchrist, J., Colab,


G.C., & Lockward, R. (2000, September
15). Breeds of dogs involved in fatal human
attacks in the United States between 1979
and 1998. Retrieved April 23, 2009, from
http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/duip/dogbreeds.p
df

Shafritz, J. M., Russell, E. W., & Borick,


C.P. (2009).The political and cultural
environment of public policy and its
administration. In Introducing public
administration (6th ed., pp. 34-80). New
York: Pearson Education, Inc.
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Soul Reflections

Saleh, D. R. (2009, April 8). Lawmakers


going after „vicious‟ dogs. Houston
Chronicle. Retrieved April 23, 2009, from
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/hotsto
ries/6363585.html

Texas Legislature Online. (n.d.). Retrieved


April 23, 2009, from
http://www.legis.state.tx.us/BillLookup/Hist
ory.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=HB1982

Weiss, L.S. (2001). Breed-specific


legislation in the United States. Retrieved
April 23, 2009, from
http://www.animallaw.info/articles/aruslwei
ss2001.htm

Stop BSL!
Arike Idowu
Soul Reflections

Writer’s Block

I see you words


At periphery‟s edge
You inch slowly into focus
Only to flutter away
Again

Like a playful butterfly


Only pretending to be caught
You twirl inside
My mind‟s eye
And I‟m lost in your gravity
Burdened by your command
To write…

Write what?
You laugh
“You already know”
I hear between your giggles

You‟re such a liar


How could I know
When I‟ve been here for hours
Reliving the same rendition

I pace
I sit
I stand
I listen
I read

Write…
Write What?
My lips are numb
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Soul Reflections

My body shivering
There is no warmth here
No solace in this blanket of white

Still I cannot leave


For I long to grab you
With this left hand
I want to
Take you
Mold you
Shape you
Form you
Structure you into beautiful expressions
Of trapped thought and hidden emotion

I need to caress you


My familiar lover
My willful obsession
My lifelong addiction
Until you return
I accept being
Haunted by a blank screen
And a blinking cursor
Arike Idowu
Soul Reflections

Ideal Love

I do not know my lover‟s face,


But when I see him
I‟ll know
I do not know my lover‟s voice,
But when I hear him
I‟ll know
I do not know my lover‟s smell,
But when I smell him
I‟ll know
I do not know my lover‟s taste,
But when I taste him
I‟ll know

The only attributes I store inside


Are the echoes of an ideal love,
And the gentle whispers of that lover‟s
Characteristics

Oh, how malleable it seems is this essence


Of my ideal love
Arike Idowu
Soul Reflections

Indifference

What is this flawed state of existence


In which I allow my spirit to dwell?
My body which functions involuntarily
Is the essence of a dead woman walking

I wake
I breathe
I survive without caring
My feelings
Are burned away
By indifference‟s cool flame

My walls are high


Yet not quite sturdy
And my fortress appears impenetrable
To my enemies
For it is here that my emotions hide

And yet my castle is weak


Ready to crumble
It wavers in the wind
These walls will shatter like pellucid glass
With just one determined blow to my center
My heart
My soul
This fragile fortress will implode

Until then
I let my being fade away into the safety of
Nothing‟s abyss
Arike Idowu
Soul Reflections

Pain’s Question

I watch her from a distance


As she stands staring at her reflection
In a mirror
In a dark room

She strikes this other person


The only one looking back at her
Hoping to break her
And hoping to destroy her

Her hands have become a bloody mess of


shredded flesh
And a few broken bones

I knock at the door to her soul


But alas there is no an answer
The windows are drawn closed
And there is no longer anyone home

If you listen
You can hear the mirror shatter
In the distance
A loud lonely sound
Muted by carpet

I wonder if cuts of the flesh soothe cuts of


The heart
And if that beautiful
Lost girl
Staring at her distorted image
In the busted mirror
Really feels this is the answer to
Arike Idowu
Soul Reflections

Pain‟s question

Life’s Wondrous Play

The curtain has been raised


The performers are all on stage
And the show shall now begin….
A comedy
A tragedy
A parody
A show that encompasses many things

All independent parts are now blurred


And separate things
Are now inseparable

Everything becomes connected


And dependent
Upon each other

Every line is said with care


Every action is taken with thought and
Purpose
The acting is superb
For this is a magnificent production

The audience empathizes with the story


And sympathizes with the performers
Everyone experiencing together
Emotion‟s wide ranging spectrum

There is anger
There is sadness
There is happiness
And despair
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Soul Reflections

There is mayhem
There is order
The semblance of peace and harmony
Contrasted with a shadow of darkness
And the various shades of gray dancing
with
Her partners - Black and White

This is life‟s wondrous play


And the many enactments
Acted along the way
To take off the mask
To stop the performance
To reveal the true self

What a scary feeling


For there is no safety in the performance‟s
end
Only the true expression of raw emotion

But alas all things


At some point
Must finally pass away
And all earthly performances cease

After the body is lowered into the grave


The curtain is lowered
The stage light fades
And the members of the audience go their
Separate way
Arike Idowu
Soul Reflections

Mate to My Soul

Mate to my soul
Do you know the different flavors of love?
Love that leaves you weak and aching,
Love that burns with supernatural fire,
Love that takes you beyond oblivion,
And love that cools the soul -
A safe harbor during a fearsome storm.

Mate to my soul
With you I have the ability to taste
So many unique flavors of love.

Each flavor a welcome to lover‟s palate,


Each flavor a cherished favorite,
Each flavor as refreshing as,
The first sip of an ice cold beverage
On a hot summer day.

With you I do not seek


The quenching of my thirst,
The exhaustion of newfound flavors,
Or an end to my exploring.

With you
I seek a constant state of yearning
Reinforced by our
Soul to Soul joining
Connected by love‟s adhesive bond.

May my desire for your love


Never soften
May my senses
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Soul Reflections

Never deaden

For I shall enjoy taking my fill of you

Through Sight
Through Touch
Through Smell
Through Hearing

And especially my love,


Through Tasting!
Arike Idowu
Soul Reflections

Turned to Stone

Are you ever really over old hurts


Old crushes
Old heartbreak
Old pain?

Are you ever really over


Those gaping wounds that never seem
To completely heal?

Or does the hurt


Buried deep inside
A person‟s essence

The hurt
That is locked away
And consumed
By bitterness and darkness

Turn into long strips of scar tissue


That infects the heart
Until a person becomes numb
-The living dead -
Indifferent to everyday emotions

A person once sweet


Once Caring
Once loving
Turned to stone
Arike Idowu
Soul Reflections

Infidelity’s Truth

I‟m not guilty


But if you look closely
You will find my fingerprints
On the blade
That cut him

I‟m not guilty


Though it will be hard to forget
The mess his blood has made
On our once clean white walls

I'm not guilty


But I am haunted by the look in his eyes
Disturbed by the unfamiliarity of this
Contorted face in front of me
Unnerved by this unbearable loudness
A silent expression
Of a wordless pain

I‟m not guilty


Pardon me, but
Do you know how easy a tongue
Cuts into fragile flesh
-The knife I used was dull -
I pushed it in gently
Thinking the damage would be small

I'm not guilty


But I did watch as
His body writhed on the floor
He glared up at me condemningly
And curled up into a human sized ball
I'm convinced he passed out
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Soul Reflections

Suffocating
On un-cried tears

Maybe I am guilty
Standing over his helpless body
Staring down at the gaping pulsing hole
In his chest
Exposed for all to see

I know I'm guilty


Of a situation
Totally
Of my own making
And whatever emotion
I feel inside of me
I forfeit to whatever he is feeling
After all he's the victim

Yes, I'm guilty


And though his spirit yells at me
To just leave
For my sanity's sake I
Put his favorite blanket over his dying
corpse
Call 911
Turn off the lights
And lock the door

In my heart
I wish
I would have lied…
Arike Idowu
Soul Reflections

My Heaven Your Hell

My Heaven is a place
You are not welcome
For the light
Will cause you
To cringe
In pain
And cover your eyes
For all hypocrites
Will be revealed
And thrown down
Unable to stand in the presence
Of my Lord

How does it feel


Knowing that in this beautiful
Place
Sin truly equates to death?
A complete and total separation
From the one and Living God

In this place you are hungry


And find no food
You are thirsty
And find no drink
You are in tears
And find no shoulder
On which to cry
You are lonely
And find no companion
My Heaven
Will always be
Your Hell
A place not fooled by your lies
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Soul Reflections

And your blatant contradictions


Judged by the heart
Condemned by the tongue
Exterminated by the mind
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Soul Reflections

Open Heaven’s Door

I hesitate
Afraid to take the steps
Toward salvation
Afraid to walk the path
Of redemption

I know in my heart
My own hypocrisy
My own contradiction
A fragile body
Consumed by earthly sin

And yet
In the distance
I hear Him tenderly calling
He says He is willing
To take me
Just as I am

Believing
Repenting
Confessing

I am baptized in the water


For the remission of my sins
A new vessel for the Holy Spirit

I am grounded by my Faith
Guided by the Word
And I use my many blessings
To bring glory
To my Lord
Arike Idowu
Soul Reflections

I am an imperfect saint
Walking in the footsteps
Of a perfect Christ

A shining example
To a lost world

At last I am ready
To open Heaven‟s door

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