Poem: FREE by Jenice Armstead

Imagine how happy and free I could be if I took me a little less seriously

If I looked at my failures with shrug and smile

And remember all of my successes with pleasure and pride

If I realized that I was great instead of analyzing all of my mistakes

Then sat with my collected thoughts to give a reasonable intake

Imagine how happy and free I could be, if I did everything in my power to just enjoy be me

Being is me is what I know and have come to understand

It is with great measure that I make that immediate demand

Imagine how happy and free I could be if I did everything in my power to be the best me

Success comes and success goes

What you are left with, nobody knows

It is vital that we understand that we are who we are for a reason

Reasons come with many seasons

But, how happy and free we all would be if we were just happy being free

Then, I imagine how happy and free I would be if I did everything in my soul to be the me I

was meant to be

I dedicate my poem, to the memory of Nelson Mandela

Published in April 2012, in “A Natural Hair Journey” Stories and Memories of a Curly Girl” by Jenice Armstead