POETIC DELIGHTS BY ZAN V. JOHNS-US

 

1-How to Treat a Woman

Everything you need to know

is written

in the fabric of our lives

Read the label

see what we’re made of

silk… satin

cotton—soft… organic… luxurious

wool—merino …alpaca… cashmere

no polyester

one hundred percent absorbable

one hundred percent breathable

Notice the divine craftsmanship

delicate… reinforced… darned

double stitched

slip stitched

cross stitched

running stitch—zigzag

topstitched

knotted… buttoned up

preshrunk

time tested

tightly woven

Carefully follow the instructions

no dry cleaning

no whipstitching

hand wash only

lay flat to dry

no steam

cool iron only when needed

In other words—

handle with care!

2-Fog

I stared into the fog

Eerie inscriptions glared back

Profound messages from my ancestors

Things they wanted me to know

Insight planted deep in the fog

Caution left for my protection

Wisdom left to save humanity

I leaned into the fog to see what they had to say

My grasp wasn’t immediate but—

the longer I looked

the clearer the message

the louder their tones

I listened with my heart

They told me to keep serving

They told me to keep marching

They steered me toward the light

They rekindled my flame

Now I know where I’m going

Now I know what to do

The fog is lifted

3-Red River (Inspired by Langston Hughes)

I know a river

filled with nightmares—

ghosts of my people

ghosts of my people

Africa’s rich brown skins

white-washed by American waters

lakes, ponds and rivers too

specially the Mississippi

muddy, meandering Mississippi

where the sun did shine

but gold turned to red—

blood of my ancestors

blood of my ancestors

Greeted with tragedy

on America’s

treacherous soil

again and again…

and…

four hundred years later—

yet again!

AUTHOR:

ZAN V.JOHNS-US

Zan V. Johns is an award-winning author of three poetry collections and the What Matters

Journal. She is a contributor to the Women Speakers Association’s (WSA) Voices of the 21st

Century book series (2021- 2025). Johns is a Pushcart Nominee and WSA Poet Laureate. Her

writing offers hope as she stirs the reader’s consciousness about life and living.

 

Johns is an editor for Fine Lines Journal and coeditor of four poetry anthologies. Her poems

appear in numerous anthologies and international publications. Titanium Magazine named Johns

one of the “Top 50 Global Inspirational Women to Look Out