Yesterday When I Was Young

The collection of poems was written when the author now a senior citizen was a young woman. The poems are about the civil rights era sex love self-introspection youthful struggles and Black America. At once eloquent noble and majestic as well as hip sassy and earthy the poems embody and reveal the author’s versatility in speaking and writing in many voices.The book of poems is for everyone—every race class age—and for every mood. The poems reveal the author’s ability to speak in a voice as majestic as great poets as seen in “In the Garden” and “God Bless the Child” and as earthy as blues singers as seen in “Go on Man and Git.” The provocative poem “You Will Rise One Morning” gives a unique and poetic insight into the creation of Black and White youth. The eloquently sensual poem “First Love” is rich in language and imagery.The author writes succinctly passionately and profoundly in the brief messages in “The Earth Stood Still” “Twin Vices” “The Looking Glass” and “One Moment in Time.” In the section called “Just Shuckin’ and Jivin’” she shows her ability to get down to earth and speak in a hip and sassy voice. The author takes a satirical look at Black America through the fictional characters in the section “Portraits in Black.” The characterizations are stinging noble witty and humorous. The characters in this section represent two the affluent who live on Sugar Hill and the poor who live in Mud Town.