Worldwide Hippies Book Nook: Cindi Silva, our poet of the week

Worldwide Hippies – Book Nook will appear every Sunday here at WorldWide Hippies. We want to bring you some of the best writers and poets–whether they are new writers, weary older writers, experimental, funny, romantic, and innovative and energetic writers. You’ll find them here, each and every Sunday.

“A book is the only place in which you can examine a fragile thought without breaking it, or explore an explosive idea without fear it will go off in your face. It is one of the few havens remaining where a man’s mind can get both provocation and privacy.”
- Edward P. Morgan

WorldWide Hippies would like to introduce Cindi Silva, as our poet of the week.

Power to the People

Do you hear the Middle class?
They’ve waited until now
but they are finally protesting
They are here to help
The hungry
the homeless
the poor
the single parent families
the orphans
the veterans
the immigrants
the uninsured
the sick
the injured
the disabled
The middle class is here now
That’s what really counts!

Raising Awareness across the globe
Their voices are loud and clear
Their message is powerful
The time for change has come
Consequences of moral turpitude
Continue to spread like wildfire
And are no longer tolerated
The filthy corruption
The same-old, same-old
Lies and business as usual
that isn’t working anymore
And never has
The soulless money stealing
Power hungry game playing
Hand shaking back room deal making
Wealthy few criminals that have been
Running our country
Driving their fancy cars
Living in their mansions
Wearing their brands
Going to fundraisers for their
Favorite politicians
Life’s one photo op after another
That’s what really counts?

More middle class are coming
Already terrified
Losing sleep
Losing their jobs
Losing their health insurance
Better not have pre-existing conditions
Careful if you’re unemployed too long
There’s no more chance of work for you!
Foreclosures!
Downsizing their family homes
Scrambling to new neighborhoods
Uprooting their children
Wondering how they’re going to tell
Their kids their world has changed
Kids are adaptable, right?
New neighborhoods
New schools
Keep downsizing their lives
Tapping into their 401ks with high penalties
When they’re fortunate enough to have one to tap into
Selling what they can
Cutting expenses to the bare minimum
Dollar Stores
Thrift stores
Tums
McDonalds
Canned beans and rice
No more cable tv
No more landlines
Cell phones will do
Wishing they could still
Afford to see doctors
Defaulting on credit cards
Signing up with unemployment
We didn’t see this coming
The wealthy few need to turn this around
RIGHT NOW
That’s what really counts!

——————————————————————-

From my perspective there is always more right with you than wrong with you here’s why:
You are a genius . . . a genius of a miracle . . . think of all the things that your body is doing right now . . . I’ll get you started . . . your cells are regenerating, your teeth and bones are recalcifying . . . your skin is regenerating . . your blood is circulating and — keeping on top of a healthy platelet count– going through your arteries to your organs to oxygenate and keep you alive . . . .and that’s not even all of it . . . all of this is going on 24/7 automatically by the miracle and genius that you are! . . . so, when I say even if you’re sick, even if you have cancer, no matter what is going on with you right now, there is always more right with you than wrong with you — believe me! . . . and tuck this in your pocket and carry it with you always or better yet make it your mantra . . . as long as you’re breathing that’s all that really matters! . . . xoxo

——————————————————————————-
Valentine’s Day

In 1969
In a small conservative
town in California
a dark complected boy
With sparkly brown eyes
and a wide smile
Opens the box
removing all barriers
and places
outside the box
The way he already
views the world
and begins to line up
Conversation heart candy
White, Green, Pink, Lavender, Yellow
“Dear” “Cute One” “love you” “will you” “be mine”

On another kitchen table
Across the railroad tracks
On the other edge of town
A blonde haired girl
With sparkly blue eyes
Filled with happiness
And the innocence
Of childhood

Opens up her box
Of Conversation Heart Candy
She smiles broadly
And begins to line up
Her own
Conversation hearts
Pink, White, Lavender and Green
“hot stuff” “love you” “will you” “be mine”

Love looks deeply
Into your heart
Love sees your soul
Love doesn’t know
Society’s wrongly placed barriers
because of the color you were born
or society’s equally wrongly placed barriers
because of the sexual orientation you were born with
society’s wrongly placed barriers that sadly still exist today

They each draw
atop a brown
paper lunch bag
Scribbled hearts
in varying shades
of first love
Brick red, Crimson, Shocking Pink
Vivid Violet, Sun Yellow, Grass Green
Cornflower, Periwinkle, Sky
And other shades of blue

They each
Stuff their own
Handcrafted Valentines’ Day Cards
30 plus separate times
Cut-out red construction paper hearts
Glued to a white paper background
In careful handwriting
“Happy Valentine’s Day”

In each bag will appear
One special card
Deliberately written
for the other
In 14 different colored
Crayola crayons
For their first huge crush
to be remembered always
“Will you be my Valentine?”
A heart with an arrow
Drawn right through it
A heart Cupid has already struck
to stand out
above the rest
Just like she does to him
Just like he does to her

The next day
In class
Watching the clock
On the wall
Tick-tock, tick tock
As time seems to stand still
They try to wait patiently
for the time to come

and when it arrives
Valentine’s Day cards
are finally doled out
to each and every child
in the classroom

Love propels him
and smiling
He rushes over
to deliver hers first
and no longer able
to stand
the anticipation
She rushes over
to deliver his first

They meet somewhere
in the middle of the
fifth grade classroom
their young eyes lock
the innocence

Once again time
seems to stand still
Cupid smiles and knows
He raises the bow
draws back the arrow
as he finally releases
the arrow
striking two hearts
with one arrow
two hearts already struck
by young love

Smiling shyly a fifth-grade boy
Whispers to his crush
“I love you”
She blushes
and intuitively responds
Quickly she places
On his cheek
Love’s first kiss
———————————————————————————–
About the Poet

Cindi Silva is a poet, writer, artist, activist, cancer survivor and love muse.

“With each new moment comes a fresh start. Don’t get ahead of yourself or stay trapped in the past. Think thoughts that serve you well and just be. Trust your intuition. Remember to smile.”

Cindi Silva lives in San Francisco with her family.