This is my 29 yr old daughter, Tesh...actually Yatisha LaNae', and this is some of her lovely works of art ~ her poetry, which, in part, are expressions of her varied experiences in life. Enjoy!

"To My Kids"

I had a dream last night, And dreamed I was holding you, oh, so tight,
Then I woke up to find that it was a nightmare, To wake up and find that you were not there.
I hope you can feel my touch, Cause I'm missing you, oh, so much.

I remember when I first held you in my arms, I never meant to cause you any harm.
You are the center of my joy and my shining star, And every night I wonder how you really are.
I should have been there, like I knew I should, Now I toss and turn, knowing I'm not so very good.

I know I've hurt you, and let you down, Now look...I'm not even around.
Please don't hate me, like I probably would, I promise to be there like a real MOTHER should.
I will hug, kiss, and tuck you in everynight, when you have a bad dream, I will hold you tight.

I promise I won't let you go, ever again, I feel so bad and don't know where to begin.
I'll begin with "I'm sorry" for hurting you so, "How much," you ask, I will never know.
I'm sorry, I'm sorry, that is all I can say, And, when I get home, I will definitely make a way.
A way to show you how sorry I am, Sorry because I put you in such a jam.

I'm sorry I left you, NaNa, Scoogie, and Jay, I know all you wanted was for me to stay.
And, here I am, gone away.

Can you ever forgive me for the pain I've caused? I'm sorry, for my lifestyle, where you were involved.
I won't hurt you or leave you, ever again, For, now I know, how to begin.
I love you so much, if only you knew, I hope you have sweet dreams, of me, too.

Being a parent is something to adore, being a MOMMY is something much more.
It's a shame it took me, so long to see, For you, my CHILDREN, mean the WORLD to me!"

"Mom"

"It's make-up time when I get home,
for all the things I did so wrong.
Time to sit down and tell you why,
I did those things that made you cry.
Sometimes I still can't figure out
why didn't I do what you talked about.
Being a good daughter and a mom,
now, the things you talked about are not so dumb.
I was too hardheaded to figure out,
you knew very well what you talked about.
I was too grown and didn't want to listen,
Now, look at the things I am missing.
Now I'm locked up and I, now, see
I wouldn't wish this on my worse enemy.
Being away from my family and my kids,
I now know, what wrong I did.
When I get home, I promise I'll listen,
For the rest of our life, I won't be missing."

"Boot Camp Poem"

"In 120 days, you have accomplished a lot of goals, But, that was only the beginning. You have gave your life a whole new meaning.

You have accepted God to be the head of your life,
But, still, there's a lot you have to sacrifice.
All them old habits, and all your old ways,
Are not going to get you anywhere, these days.

It's time for a change, but only for the good,
In God's eyes, he thinks you really should.
God gave you a second chance at life and we should be glad,
Please don't go out there and make God mad.

I guess that's all I have to say,
Just remember, God gave you life, and He can take it away."

"Open Your Eyes"

Baby girl Baby girl please hear my cry.
Baby girl Baby girl Why don't you ever try?
Baby girl Baby girl Do you hear your kids cry?

Mommy Mommy please come back home
Mommy Mommy did we do something wrong?
Mommy Mommy please come back to me
Mommy Mommy please hear my plea
Mommy Mommy did we run you away?
Mommy Mommy please come home and stay"

"A Change"

"As I look into the mirror, I see how God has let me grow, in memtality and age. Man, how could I have lived in such a rampage? I was, slowly, committing suicide and, slowly, messing up my kids mind. And, I ask my Lord, my Saviour, this question, "Lord, how could I have been so blind? How could I have missed these opportunities?" The Lord my God was opening doors for me. All I had to do was listen and I would hear the Lord my God whispering, "I'm knocking at the door, let me in, for I have died for your sins." My God has, now, opened my eyes to see what my lifestyle did to me. Now,

As I lay me down to sleep,
I know I am in God's keep.
He guides me, now, day and night.
He opened my eyes to see the light.