Tayeba Tahira

Troy, Ohio, USA

My name is Tayeba Redfearn and I live in Troy, Ohio. I am married with two sons: Bashir and Umar. As a licensed therapeutic care provider, I am employed by St. Joseph Treatment Center for Children where I work with physically and sexually abused children. I have written various pieces on emotional disorders associated with abused children for the following publications: AGAPE for Youth, Inc., Right Turn USA Foster Care Network, and West Central Ohio Treatment Care Journal. My goals in life are to uplift the human spirit through the pen and assist the less fortunate members of our society.

Children In The Shadows

Across this great nation, so full of pride,
the multitudes of children cast aside,
by uncaring adults and teens to young to know,
the crying children wait to grow.
In a strangers home, they dare to tread,
upon foreign thresholds they come with dread.

The foster system daily progresses,
frightened children among the masses.
Abused, neglected, angry and sad,
not understanding what happened to Mom and Dad.

Drugs raging rampant, poverty stricken neighborhoods under attack,
Dad is a pusher, Mom is on crack.
A kind smiling face awaits at the door,
new hopes and dreams, yes there is room for one more.

Love and compassion, perhaps blessings may unfold,
healing the pain of stories untold.
A new tomorrow, bright sunny days,
we stand shocked and amazed.

The nations pride has been scorned,
why can't the defenseless ones rejoice, rather than be mourned.
Rejected, stigmatized, labeled a foster child,
running wild, no parents, no home to call his own.

Come young one enter this abode of love,
we'll stick together like the hands in a glove.
No need to fret and moan,
let love enter your heart, you have a home.

Laugh, run and play, sing the song of light,
rise from the darkness, lift your voice in childish delight.

Violence Has No Face, No Name

Amidst the bloodshed across this land, the victims cry and plea,
who shall avenge the lifeless bodies strewn upon land and sea?
The automatic weapons and the weapons of war,
blare with anguish upon the rich and the poor.

Violence has no face, no shame, no name.

The youth lay dying, minds and bodies beyond repair, the fatherless
homes empty shallow mazes, the lonely, the angry, breed despair.
Drugs prevail among corporate offices and dirty city streets,
the affluent and the welfare recipient, the strong and the weak.

Violence has no face, no shame, no name.

The preacher shouts and church goers moan,
the prayers at the grave sites, no gun control.
No justice in the courts, they walk to kill, rape and maim again,
and they stand proud and call themselves men.
Laying wasted in the countryside, beaten, robbed and forlorn,
neighbors remain silent, as the helpless unite for the power to burn
senseless laws and city codes,
that neither shelter nor protect peaceful abodes.

Let the cultures unite, strength in unity prevails, who will advocate for the victims rights?
Who will lift up the just and denounce the unjust, who prey as stalking wild beast killing day and night?

Where is the justice that eludes the perpetrator?
No value system, no brotherhood of mankind, breeding anger, hate and sociopathic behavior.

Violence has no face, no shame, no name.

Children killing children, no reasoning, no sorrow,
no academic achievements, no thought of tomorrow.
Ventilating fear, anger and desperation, no childhood dreams, nor goals that inspire,
only deadly guns, on target, destroying with blazing fire.

We humbly seek God's grace,
violence has no name, no shame, no face.

The Beloved

With outstretched arms I called to you, you
embraced me with a warmth that pervaded my
being, I smiled, laughed and danced with joy!
I witnessed your beauty in the splendor of the
glistening mountain in Montana, and tears fell
silently as your majesty stood before me in the
stately fan palm in Ghana.
Ah, such majesty, glory to behold!
In all things do I perceive your love and beauty, the
brilliant cardinal perched upon the fence,
the proud strutting crow in the back yard,
the praying mantis in the morning sun.
The rose, not separate from its fragrance,
speaks of your graciousness you bestow
upon mankind.
Many seek your treasure, the esoteric mysteries,
you have manifested your infinite being in diversity.
The winds carry your message, the sun, the life giver,
the waters whisper your name and give birth
with the tide, the full moon glowing softly amidst
starlit skies.
Each beginning, every ending unfolds
new visions of the Divine!
Man must lift the veil of greed and hunger
for power, he sees not nor hears the urging of the spirit.
You are all; and blessed is the vision of man,
who can achieve the delight and joy of being,
that sees with the heart of the Divine, and is
one with thee.
He becomes as a child, full of wonder and amazement
in simplicity that abounds in vast
dimensions of life.
Embrace the Beloved in all seasons,
in joy and sorrow, and let the spirit of oneness
prevail in the midst of turmoil or darkness.
Drink deep and be satisfied O' spirit of the Divine,
for the waters of wisdom and
understanding flow in a never-ending sea of light.

The Awakening

The clock chimed, producing a startling effect upon the sea of the mind.
Time for relaxing, to empty the stresses of the toil of the day.
A glimpse at the material world and immediate transporting of the spirit.
The voice shook, the tear fell, silently, as the spirit transcended time
and space.
Joy, lightness of being, thanksgiving, memories past, but not forgotten.
With renewed vigor and peace, the angel came to grant the fruit of the spirit.