Masnoh's Books

2013-05-20T19:42:00.001-04:00

Aye Liberian Peepo

by Masnoh Wilson

I say my Peepo

Leh kahn tork dey plawa yeh

Yor know we fini fwetting dah ollor war deh

So nah aye tahn to hep fix dey country

Leh us stop all dey fwetting eh-mon oursefs

And stop all dis for nahtin tork

Aye whey nah carry us nowhere oooh

Aye whey ownnay brin us down

So leh try to suppor each ollor efforts

To hep rebay our country!

We are good decent peepo dem

We know hah to werk hard

We know hah to come together somtahns

Leh doway all dey tahn

We deh oldest country in Africa

Leh us show dey peepo out deh, weh we can do

I SAY WE Abor “ABLE”

We gah goo hart, Leh put it to goo use

So I bayg your oooh,

Leh do sontin why we stay gah our breaff in us.

Dah all I gah to say oooh… yor tank you!!!!

Lessons From Mom

2012-08-15T14:59:00.002-04:00

I am re-posting a poem I wrote about my mother last year. I had the honor of reading her this poem at a Senior Breakfast at Gateway Community College in May this year. Everyone loved it and I hope you will too. Please comment on my work...it will help me become a better writer.:)

Lessons from Mom

By Masnoh Wilson

O my Ma…

She’s always telling, teaching, talking,

All the time, all the time

She makes me laugh so hard, you know

Because you see,

I’m a grown woman living miles away

Loving my life, doing my thing

But yet Mom is still calling and trying

To tell me what to do…

How to live, what to wear

And even how to fix my hair

So when I call

To say hello

And Mom starts her teaching thing

You should see me rolling my eyes

Switching my feet

Rocking my hips

Halfway holding the phone

Sighing to myself, while thinking of a reason

To end the call

But, her remedies for swollen feet

Gassy stomach and constipation

Aches in the joints and other places

Are all beginning to reverberate

Especially now that I’m entering

The second phase of my life on earth

Her advice on love

Marriage and child-rearing

That was always met with such resistance

Are all now becoming invaluable

Because as we all know

And have always known

Mothers are exceptional creatures…

Is there anything a mother doesn’t already know????

300 Million Strong

2012-08-10T15:49:00.001-04:00

This poem was inspired by the speech President Obama made at the Memorial for the victims in the Gabby Gifford shooting. I was so moved by the speech that I wrote the phrase 300 million strong in my notebook. Days later, I started to write the poem…please comment after reading. I would love to hear your thoughts… This was published in an online magazine recently (aduaana.org) and I’m now reposting.

300 Million Strong

By Masnoh Wilson

All around me, I see my family

300 million strong…

From all walks of life

And every nation on earth

From all seven continents combined

Representing a family sublime

Divided by language, culture, color and creed

Yet trying our hardest to be

One Nation under God…

From all walks of life, my eyes behold

All God’s children,

Living and dwelling together as brethren

For we are not black nor white or yellow or red

We are humans of all shades of brown

The human race created by God

To bring forth

His Beauty, Glory

And Grace

The people here before us with their culture intact

Have influenced the way we interact

For no man lives to himself

And no man dies to himself

Our lives are intertwined

From the day we first exhale

So we are not a perfect union

Yet we must all strive to be

That one person who tries

To make life better

For others in the Family

Of 300 Million Strong

We are learning to live together,

Respecting each other,

Learning to be our brother’s keeper

While loving and helping one another

In this our family

Sublime

300 million Strong

Descendants of people

Who left the Old World

Some willingly, others unwilling,

To settle in the New

And somehow make it their own

The gifts they brought benefit us all

Every country, culture and tribe

Represented in these Great United States

Brought something to America

That can never

Be taken away, ever!

Yes, we know we are not a perfect union

But still we must all strive to be

That one person who tries

To make life better for others

In this family of

300 Million Strong!!!!!

Beautiful Me

2012-07-25T23:54:00.006-04:00

This poem was inspired by some alarming tweets I read this morning filled with so many disparaging remarks about our physical features. As Black people, we need to celebrate and show off the beauty we possess. I decided to write through the eyes of a child so that our children can stop being ashamed of who they are!!!

Beautiful Me

By: Masnoh Wilson

Beautiful Me
I KNOW I AM

Who told me so

Doesn’t everyone know?

In me you see

Mankind indeed

For I begin with mahogany

And sometimes end with ecru

Doesn’t matter whether

My hair is tightly coiled,

Loosely curled

Or wavy straight

Doesn’t matter that my nose is broad

a little bit wide

Or Kinda narrow

Or almost straight

Doesn’t matter that my lips are big and brown

Or medium red

Or thin and pink

Or does it matter what you think?

This is no mystery you see

Cause my beauty honey
Begins with me
And ends with you!

Beautiful Me

I know I am

Who told me so?

Wow, doesn’t everyone know?

When Darkness Came

2012-07-06T19:27:00.001-04:00

This poem is a very personal one that took me a while to write. For a while I did not want to feel anything or write anything...But last week I sat down and wrote this. I hope it helps someone out there who might be going through some life-changing events. Some people might not like to hear this, but God is real; and is becoming even more real to me as I deal with the recent events I write about in this poem. If you would like to know more, inbox me on facebook or send me a tweet at Masnoh's Books. Presenting my latest work: (Drum roll please...lol)

When Darkness Came…

When darkness came

My heart stood still…

The pain so great

I thought it would break

Nothing prepares your heart for this pain

No matter how long on earth you’ve lived

This gut-wrenching, devouring, scathing ache

That just won’t go away, no matter how hard I try

I still grieve some, weep some

And then ponder…

About the nonsensical events of my life

Asking God how can it be...

A child’s life interrupted… Could not I foresee?

An illness so profound

I dare not utter its name

Has taken over a vibrant child

A lively, energetic, and spirited being

Oh God, tell me this is just a delusion

Tell me I’m dreaming and then wake me later

Cause I want to sleep until it’s all over

But over it will not be for a while

I must awake, and deal with it now

But where do I go, where do I turn
Everything seems to be shutting me down

My heart so heavy, with grief, it’ll burst

Until I find my Anchor, The Solid Rock!

Dahboh, My Grandma

2012-03-15T23:57:00.002-04:00

Was thinking about my Grandma the other day and what she meant to me… I always wished she had lived long enough to see us grow up. She buried her son and then we had to bury her too. I was still young when Dahboh passed, but she left quite an impression. So today, I present, my En-Neh…Grandma! Enjoy!

Dahboh, my Grandma

Masnoh Wilson

Dahboh…my Grandma

“Old woman” in Bassa

But “old woman” Dahboh was not…

Smart as a whip and ooooh what a Diva!

Spoke no English

And she didn’t care

Swung her head in the air, with her hand on her hips

‘Cause only Bassa, Dahboh wanted to hear

She told us stories

That rambled on for hours

Laughing, singing, smacking her hips- pow

Sometimes it felt like she had superpowers

Always joking, roaring with laughter

Imitating us whenever we gathered

Recited stories of her own childhood

Stories of joy and sorrows, stories that mattered

My Grandma had eyes in back of her head

Couldn’t fool her, no you couldn’t

Every now and then you got the look

So you would remember what was important

Dahboh didn’t take no mess

Dahboh always stood for what was right

When you look at me sometimes

My Grandma's smile’s dynamite!

A Snowy Day

2012-02-24T10:17:00.002-05:00

Here is a poem I wrote when we had our first winter storm two weeks ago. A girlfriend on face book posted something about snow falling down and another friend added to the poem. I wished I had copied their posts…however I went to work the following day and penned this. This is inspired by my kids when they were young and loved playing in the snow.

A Snowy Day

Snowy, snowy, snowy day

Snow is falling everywhere

Little flakes, dusty flakes

Powdery, feathery snowy flakes

Looking outside my windowpane

Lots of places I could play

Can’t wait to get outside and run

This snow’s gonna be so much fun

Got my boots, my mittens and hat

On goes my coat, all buttoned up

Mom’s hot chocolate will have to wait

Have to go now, can’t be late

Ran outside with a wham, wham bang

Slammed the door so hard it shook

Fell into a humongous pile

So much fun to thrash and hide

Friends came over from everywhere

To build snowmen, igloos, snow angels too

Took turns sledding in the backyard

Ending playtime was really hard

Scuttled inside, snow’s everywhere

Mom’s annoyed, I can see why

Got all cleaned up, raced to the kitchen

Hot chocolate and muffins waiting to be eaten!

Honoring Black Inventors and Scientists

2012-02-22T09:08:00.001-05:00

I am unable to share a power point presentation on African-American Inventors and Scientists, but here are comments I would like to share:

If you need laser surgery, thank Patricia Bath, if you need a pacemaker, thank Otis Boykin, when you eat potato chips, thank George Crum. Thank Betty Harris for identifying explosives, thank Kennneth Kunkley for the 3D glasses, thank Valerie Thomas for the technology that helps that helped with the invention for cordless microphones and the GPS, thank Lonnie Johnson for the super-soaker and nerf balls(the kids will really love him), thank Dr. Mark Dean who helped with the invention of the PC and thank Marie Van Britton Brown for technology that helped bring about security systems for tv and home security systems...and the list goes on, and on and on. Happy Black History month y'all!!!!

Also thank Frederick McKinley whenever you open your refrigerator! Janday wanted to know why she never learned any of during her years of Black History Month in school...we can all take the blame for that!!! KNOWLEDGE IS POWER people!!! Go out there and learn and pass the knowledge on. Thank God for the internet or I wouldn't even know about the contemporary inventors!!

How Grandpa Lived

2011-12-19T09:22:00.002-05:00

How Grandpa Lived

Masnoh Wilson

A hardworking man, a good-looking man

Who was born without a dime

But struggled all his life

To make sure he could feed his clan

Orphaned at a really young age

Had to live with many relatives

Taught himself to read and write

And with age becoming the family’s sage

Grandpa’s face was scorched by the sun

Grandpa’s hands were callously bound

Grandpa’s stride eventually slowed

But out his belly flowed oodles of laughter and fun

He worked on cars, he worked on trucks

But mostly trucks he drove all over town

Transporting people from upcountry to Monrovia

So that they could sell their market and not have to pout

To my Mom and her siblings, he was Old Pops

But to us grandkids, he was just Grandpa

Someone we thought would live forever

Until the day when he was not

Baby boy and Baby girl, he called us kids

Never seemed to know the names of his many grandkids

Every grandchild tells that same story of him…

One of many stories now being passed on to our own kids

A legacy of hard work he left us

One of making something out of nothing…

Greatly admired by his family and friends…

A life well-lived amidst all odds…

2011-11-02T19:34:00.005-04:00

Teenage Boys

Masnoh Wilson

Teenage boys are quite intriguing

I should know ‘cause I have some

Never was able to figure them out

A rocket scientist wouldn’t have much luck

They can be lazy, they can be clumsy

Oftentimes they are quite amusing

But sometimes they drive you mad

To the point of making you sad

Sad because they make no sense

And to them you make no sense

Yet they can be very smart

At giving excuses like flying darts

They sit around playing games

Instead of working like they should

They push, and punch and shove all day

Like it was the way to play!

Helping them see the value of work

Can sometimes be a monumental task

But hopefully they’ll emerge from this fog

Totally ready for their place in the world!

AMEN!!!!!!

2011-10-28T18:46:00.001-04:00

Substitute Teaching

Masnoh Wilson

I wish I had some other job

Substitute teaching sure does suck

The kids don’t listen most of the time

All they do is cause ruckus…

Each day has its many joys

All its pleasure and all its pain

It also has its share of woes

That makes you feel you can’t take more

Yet you do what you do each day

Getting up each day, going to work

Because you need to pay those bills

So that you wouldn’t have to pop some pills

But the children can also be quite amusing

They make you laugh for no reason

They tend to grow on you, you know

Despite the stress, much joy they bestow!!!

Turning 21 Again?

2011-10-11T20:53:00.001-04:00

Turning 21 Again?

Masnoh Wilson

Where does one begin,

To tell a life story?

Do you start at twenty and one again?

Does one's life begin at a moment of epiphany?

Or does one’s life begin at one’s birth?

Does a life story begin when you’ve found

That one for whom your soul craves?

Or does it begin at a graduation, an engagement,

Or a wedding?

Does it begin at the birth of a child?

At the start of a new job,

Or at the loss of a loved one?

Or yet still, does it begin

At starting over after a divorce

Or at a marriage with someone new,
Or even after the kids are grown?

Forever 21 we can always be

For as life goes on, so do we…

Forgetting those things which are behind

And always moving forward, upward

Embracing life, like the billowing tide

Of an ocean wave

That engulfs and covers everything in sight

That passion and fire that once burned within

For people and places and things we love

Is never quenched, nor dulled or smothered…

So then 21 could we always be,

Again, and again and again... maybe?

Hello September, Goodbye August

2011-09-02T02:20:00.001-04:00

Hello September, Good Bye August

By Masnoh Wilson

September, are you already here

Are you really, really here?

We have been waiting for oh so long

Waiting and hoping and feeling forlorn

We know you bring us cooler nights

Cooler days too, for our delight

But we will surely miss you August...

Your long tiring days of heated blast

Bright blue skies and glowing sun

Sticky, icky heat and not so much fun

Yet, so much relaxation, so much time

For us, never enough, and so we whine

But, once September decides to step in

We begin to feel happy all over again…

She Loves Him!!!!!

2011-08-16T13:02:00.009-04:00

She Loves Him

By Masnoh Wilson

Stories, stories, stories

All the time, all day long

Every minute, every second

Stories, more stores,
More stories of him

Never ending stories of mundane things

Funny stories also I must confess

Even I say sometimes," O how sweet

When she tells me his stories

Of silly things

This thing called love, O how blissful

To see someone without limerance

I say to myself, " have I felt this way before"

Or maybe...
I've yet to love this way...

We've Touched The World!

2011-08-08T11:29:00.003-04:00

We’ve Touched the World

by Masnoh Wilson

Out of Africa, we came

20 million strong, young, old, male, female

Fathers, Mothers, daughters, sons

Aunties, uncles, cousins, kin

Mostly from Africa South of the Sahara

From Senegal, Guinea, Liberia, Cote d’Ivoire,

Ghana, Togo, Burkina Faso, Nigeria

Cameroun, Mozambique, Congo, Angola

First taken to Spain, Portugal, Italy, France

England, Ireland and the Netherlands

Then brought to the U S, Jamaica, Haiti

Puerto Rico, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Trinidad, Tobago

On to Mexico, Belize, Honduras, Panama

To Colombia, Brazil, Venezuela, Argentina, Ecuador

India, Pakistan, and other parts of Asia

20 million strong, scattered all abroad

Impacting the world, wherever we went

And we’ve survived; 140 million strong

Making our presence felt, no matter where we are

Starting with creation, one can easily see

How that happened, the Garden of Eden’s in Africa

God used Africa to begin His creation

And then spread Africans around the world

To touch the world with our intelligence, culture

Knowledge, essence, attitude, spirit and soul

We’ve written books, mapped cities, performed surgeries

Commanded ships, invented machinery, done research

Built colleges, universities, secondary and primary schools

Built skyscrapers, designed buildings, and led armies

Written and performed plays

Published magazines and built industries

Established record labels, companies, and clothing lines

Designed fashion and run television networks

We are doctors, lawyers, engineers, and teachers

Nurses, entrepreneurs, singers, rappers

Dancers, models, bankers, preachers,

Plumbers, construction workers, and bus drivers

Is there anything we cannot do?

Actors, actresses, talk show hosts, athletes

Directors, producers, politicians, now President

Community activists, nurses, musicians, and artists

Our music and dance have engulfed the world

From jazz to pop, soul, gospel, rhythm and blues, now hip hop

To line dancing, merengue, jive, quick step, samba

From Scandinavia, to Australia, to Tibet and beyond

Africa’s drums can be heard everywhere!!!!

And so today we celebrate the door of No Return

For through those doors, our Ancestors straggled

With broken spirits, but unbowed heads

They entered New Worlds, never to return

But their presence can be felt everywhere you look

When you look at us, you look at them too

They are not here to tell their stories, you see

But through each of us, their voices are still heard

For they’ve passed on to us a kind of resilience

That has empowered us to persevere

For though they were not supposed to survive

Survived they did; now, HERE WE ARE!!!!

Their Beautiful Black, all over we shine

In Asia, Europe, North America

The Caribbean, Central and South America

Although we bear slavery’s sad legacy,

We forge ahead to create our own!!!!

Our Liberia

2011-08-05T12:01:00.011-04:00

Our Liberia

by Masnoh Wilson

Nestled in West Africa’s impregnable bulge

Sits our cherished Land of Liberty

A Land that has stood the test of time

From 1847 until now

A Land that has experienced so much strife

Anguish, distress, horror and pain

A Land that has endured 17 years

Of a senseless, insane, selfish war

So much blood unnecessarily shed

So many lives unnecessarily lost

Those precious lives we can never replace

And those lives we never, ever want to displace

For all the men, women and children forever gone

We remember each one of you today

We don’t want you to die in vain

We want to feel your families’ pain

Because of you who've died

May we now go on

To forever be united and strong

And do all we can to right this wrong

So now Liberians, let us all go forth from this day forward

To be LI-BE-RI-ANS

Not Country, not Conga, not Gio, or Vai

But one people, never divided by class or tribe

Each of us, let’s teach our children

That we are indeed one people

Who share a common space

Ordained by God, to be our own special place

Nestled in West Africa’s impregnable bulge!

A Woman's Heart

2011-07-30T23:54:00.001-04:00

A Woman’s Heart
By Masnoh Wilson

Men,

What amazing quality

So rare

That makes us yearn to be loved by thee!

As daughters

Your presence, we adore and extol

An element rooted

In our adulation of “Dad”

As wives we treasure

The security mere manhood emits

For to us

You are elevated and revered

Men

We adore, respect and cajole you

Don’t crush nor quench

This fire that burns deep within

For a woman loves with all her heart

With all her soul and mind and strength

She only ask of one request

Could you dare love her, the way she loves you?

For children, From Your Mothers!

2011-05-07T17:47:00.002-04:00

New video of my Mother's Day Poem!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbPNXoM0kew

Poetry Reading: My Father

2011-05-03T20:48:00.000-04:00

Please enjoy my reading of my published book/poem, My Father. I originally recorded this for Oprah.com. There will definitely be more poetry readings to come!

http://www.scholastic.com/readeveryday

2011-04-29T23:00:00.000-04:00

http://www.scholastic.com/readeveryday

New Book: My Father

2011-04-23T14:18:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone! I'm so excited to announce that my newest book, My Father, has just been published! Please check it out at xlibris.com . You can also take a look at my other published children's book, Ode to Black Men Everywhere, on xlibris.com.

If you would like to order directly from me, you can send me a check for $20, which includes shipping and handling. Please email me at masnohw@gmail.com for more information. Thanks for the support!