In the Eyes of an Old Black Man

Ron Whitlock

Description

These poems challege the reader to do better because of all the open opportunties that are availble.

I have felt the pain, sweat, blood, and tears.

I have seen victory a thousand times, beyond my reach.

I have had the pat on the back, the smile

Of a frown in my face.

I am a symbol of your wrong.

I am reminded of the past, but not the future.

I am Black—proud to be Black.

While growing up, Ron Whitlock experienced not only racism and prejudice, but also love and acceptance from many who did not look like him.

In a debut collection, Whitlock shares poems that lyrically address a wide range of topics and themes that include love, race, faith, and much more. As his poetry reveals a glimpse into his personal journey and perspectives, he explores what it means to be Black in America, faith and hope, life itself, and love as he learned to navigate through and achieve victory over the pitfalls and obstacles in his way, accept and love others with an open heart, and find strength in God’s unconditional love.

In the Eyes of an Old Black Man is a volume of free verse that candidly reflects on the personal journey of a man of faith as he embraced the colorful experiences of life.

Sujets

• Black & White
• God
• Black-and-white
• Poetry
• Black and White

Informations

• Publié par: Archway Publishing
• Date de parution: 10 mars 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781665739672
• Langue: English

Extrait

In the Eyes of an Old Black Man
 

 
 
 
RON WHITLOCK
 
 

 
Copyright © 2023 Ron Whitlock.
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.
 
Archway Publishing
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.archwaypublishing.com
844-669-3957
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
ISBN: 978-1-6657-3966-5 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6657-3967-2 (e)
 
Library of Congress Control Number: 2023904110
 
Archway Publishing rev. date: 03/10/2023
Contents
In the Eyes of an Old Black Man
Chapter 1: BLACK IN AMERICA
All Colors Are Beautiful
Black
Choice
Colored Man
Free Me
I Am Black
In the Eyes of an Old Black Man
Pride
Slave
Slave’s Dream
To Be Black
Together
Tomming
Chapter 2: FAITH AND HOPE
Dare to Dream
Evil
Feelings
I Once Had Feelings
I See
I
In His Eyes
Keep On
Lord, You Blessed Me Through
Once You Have Seen the Glory of Heaven
Reach Out
Striving Man
Try
Chapter 3: LIFE
A Thought
Earth
Life Line
Only to Die
Ruler “Me”
Star
The Beauty of Darkness
The True Side of Me
We’ve
When I Die
Who Am I?
Chapter 4: LOVE
Autumn Leaves
Breakdown
Did I Ever Tell You, Mama?
Go East, Go West
Golden Eyes
I Can’t Live a Day Without You
I Love You
I Saw You Today (For the First Time)
Love Is a Funny Thing
Love Is
Love Me
Love
Open Arms
Spring
Summer
There Is Something I Missed
To Be Loved
What Time Has Done
Your Smile, Your Love
In the Eyes of an Old Black Man
Here is a collection of poems I began to write when I was 16- 17 years old. I put this personal work off for so many years, and as I continued to write I decided to complete this work and publish it. In these poems I see my past and how I felt at those times I wrote. It caused me to look back at a teenager, and I begin to see how my view point was shaped. I remember my friends and classmates and how I wanted to express myself in a school that had only one Black American teacher. Black students were less than 10% of the school population. So, my mind was being shaped by what I experienced and what I saw in high school. I was president of the first Black Student Union at my school and served on the student council, yet I had both Black and White friends and my best friend was white. I say this because I can see in these poems my vision at that time in my life. It is so interesting to me how my mind set was at that age. Yes, I did experience racism and prejudice but I worked through it. I also experienced love and acceptance from many who did not look like me.
After high school and between going to college, while working a summer job, I began to experience things from my white friend’s older generation.