The Mahogany Poet

12/15/2023

Today is the first day of the rest of my life. What will I do with it? I will wake up every morning with thanksgiving in my heart and praise on my lips, for He is worthy, and He has sustained me my whole life through. I have been taking baby steps toward who I am supposed to be, and today I choose to take another step.

Writing is my passion and my calling. It has rejuvenated me, and it gives me an outlet to do what I do best: teach and share. People think they don't like poetry or poetry may not be their cup of tea. I would ask that you try it and invite others to try it. Do not assume. You may miss out on something because you won't try it. The great thing is that most poems are short and to the point.

While social media is a great platform, it is not my preferred method of communication. But I think I can maneuver with a website and be true to my audience on this platform. I will share new content, current content, and some things that may never be "officially" published...just random musings. It is a place to house my work as an independent author. More importantly, it is a place I will go to reflect, rejuvenate, and rejoice. For no matter what is going on in the world around me: JOY. AWAITS. ME. (JAM) I invite all of you to check out my website:

There are so many of us out there. We date back to the “Biblical” days. Ah, the Bible. The “Good Book”. The “Good News”. The foundation of my personal poetic journey. As I have passed through this life, I have had many revelations that date back to my genesis. I am realizing that nothing...

09/05/2023

My Beloved Readers,

The past month has reminded me that life is full of twist and turns. It has reminded me that life is full of highs and lows. Most importantly, I am being reminded that I am equipped to deal with roads that are slippery when wet. I don't like them. They are scary. They can be intimidating. They appear to be unfair and unfavorable to my fate. If I don't steady the wheel or allow more capable hands to do the steering, I may even careen from the road (and who knows what will happen). How grateful I am in these times that I do not have to carry my burdens alone! I do not have to lash out against people because I feel the need to defend myself and protect my territory. As our Sunday School lesson reminded me on Sunday: I must be strong and courageous. I must obey commandments and follow directions. If I can do that, then though I walk through the valley, I shall not fear. And I shall not want for anything.

Lord, I Thank You!

Protecting what’s mine
All of the time
Lord, I thank you.

Faith constantly swerving.
I know I’m not deserving.
Lord, I thank you.

You could take all that I own.
Remove me from my self-righteous throne.
Lord, I thank you.

Your patience I constantly test.
Going in and out of my mess
Lord, I thank you.

But I understand it now.
I made a solemn vow.
Lord, I thank you.

Finally got the courage to do what’s right.
Tired of losing this fight.
I want my light to shine bright.
Lord, I thank you.

You’ve given me one more chance.
My thousandth time at this dance
I'm trusting you through every circumstance.
Lord Almighty, I thank you!

I'm swallowing my pride.
Reflecting hard on what’s inside.
Lord, I thank you.

Your love is what I covet.
Never get enough of it
Lord, I thank you!

The Mahogany Poet (MGH)

I don't know about you, but the Lord always prepares me for things. I must be in position to hear and understand. BJ, my son, was in a fender-bender yesterday in Birmingham. He is fine physically, but I know his emotions and his thoughts are consumed by "what ifs" and "could I have done something to avoid this" and as he stated, "I'm sorry. I know y'all just got my truck fixed". Of course, I could care less about the hunk of tin that my child was in or the amount of money it would take to repair any damage. He knows it too. But these words came easier to him than simply stating, "I was scared". To be able to listen to people beyond their words takes time and effort. I hope you are listening to your children, to your spouse, to your friends and family. What are they trying to tell you. Of course, I have a cheat code. As a mother, I know my child. I was scared too. My brain took me straight to the awareness that in a different set of circumstances, my child could've been gone. I understand the need to acknowledge the Almighty's protection, His covering, and His favor. There are lessons to be learned in the 'accident'. I get to watch my son and how he will either retreat or recover from a traumatic experience. But mostly, I know the importance of praying over my territory - what's mine. If it is mine, then it belongs to my Father by extension and He protects what is His. Now, the challenge for me lies in helping my son to understand whose custody He is in. I know this has been a long post, and I will probably follow it up with a video on my YouTube Channel later today. But the gist of it is: be strong and courageous no matter what life throws at you. I guarantee you; storms will come! But I have cover!

Joshua 1:1-6, 9 (It's worth the read)

08/20/2023

Thankful for life's lessons...and the class continues...

The poem “Lessons” is from the book “God Lifted Me”. It is important to consider the life one has lived, is living, and will live. Have we learned anything? ...

08/17/2023

Sometimes you just gotta know and keep it moving. I wrote this today, and I thought I would put the rough draft out there. Enjoy the rest of your week!

Anyway

Why don’t you get mad
When they act bad?
When they groan and fuss
Why don’t you cuss?
'Cause no matter what they do or say
He’s blessing me anyway.

Why not throw a fit?
I won’t submit.
I already know the plan.

Scheme behind my back,
I ain’t worried ‘bout that
I know the “anyway” MAN.

Can you subvert this?
Naw, that’s just a myth.
But you are working as you should.

He’s blessing everything I touch
And because He loves me so much
He’s using your plots to plot my good.

Please keep doing you.
I’m gonna do as I should do.
Gonna treat you right
If it takes all my might.
I don’t play by the rules you play.
You have zero power anyway.

The Mahogany Poet (MGH)

08/13/2023

It's been an emotional week. Still, I press on because I must. To hear, "Just Like Me" and "Just Mary", you may view the link below. It is back to school time. That means so much to so many from the youngest students to the oldest. I hope that each gets what they need. I know that all will need support from so many individuals. I hope no one lives a life unsupported, unloved, and unseen because those of us who could have made a difference chose to treat them as unworthy, as outcasts, as unseen. I hope we choose to see that most people are just like us: trying and failing, and trying and succeeding, and repeating the steps over again until we get it right. Let's try to be sensitive to the needs of others. Stay safe, seek knowledge, be open to correction, and let's have a great school year!

Segment 3 in the installment, introduces you to the Mahogany Poet and the reason for sharing the poems. The poems “Just Like You” and “Just Mary” are used to...

08/07/2023

https://youtu.be/Q_bgKV0LSUo

Just posted a new video on YouTube, "Handle With Care." Go check it out!

"Handle with Care" and "Building Your House" are poems from "God Lifted Me". The poems are used in this segment to discuss the nature, hope, and promise of t...

07/31/2023

Just posted my first video on my YouTube channel. Check it out here and subscribe:

Welcome to Excerpts from the Life of the Mahogany Poet with Mary Hanks, Segment 1. The Mahogany Poet introduces herself and the platform, and reads the poem,...

07/30/2023

My Beloved Readers,

It has been a while since I have been on Facebook. The summer has been busy. Children are home from college, and work goes on as I try to determine my next steps. As I write this brief introduction to "Not Forsaken", I am overcome with gratitude and thanksgiving. I am blessed. It doesn't matter how hectic life gets or what wall I run into or what obstacles lay before me, I am blessed. I have lived a life that has been marked by people who love me and make me laugh. I have made too many mistakes to count, and will undoubtedly make many more, and I will still be loved and blessed. Poetry is such wonderful therapy for me. It comes as easy as breathing most days. Now that my book is published and I am a bona fide author, I feel different, yet the same. I have this nervous energy. Not because I am concerned about how people will receive or interpret the poems, but because I want people to receive and interpret the poems. I hope one or more brings them joy, peace of mind, and blessed assurance. Assurance that, no matter where you are in life, no matter what you do, if you seek the one true Creator, and acknowledge His ways and His commandments, you will feel His love and know that all is well, even in turmoil. He won't love everything you do, but He loves you. The poems in "God Lifted Me" are a journey walk through different phases of my life, and my thought process. I am forever processing information and changing. Just like you, I am a work in progress. But because I love God the father, God the son, and God the spirit, and more importantly, because He loves me, I never feel forsaken on my journey. Not anymore. I used to: a lot. Our faith is a process and the only way to know how to live and walk in the fullness of our faith is to have a relationship with our Father. And when you do...you process the world differently. You will love different. You will see different. You will feel different. You will forgive different. And the freedom of it all, will transform your mind and renew your spirit, and leave you grateful.

Not Forsaken

I have been young and now I am old
I understand the prophecy which David foretold

No food on the table, no gas in the tank
Yet never without, only God to thank

Miracles never ceasing to find me in times of need
For those who are seeking, listen and take heed

Too youthful to know how to praise in my spirit
Not listening to elders, no room in my heart to hear it

Knowing from when I was a little girl
I wasn’t as others who walk in this world

Protecting and guiding me through the ditches
Helping me bat home runs at life’s fast ball pitches

Clueless about the source of my victory
Vain in believing it was me, but that’s history

Not until I was living life in constant reaction
Did I realize it was time to make a retraction

In the presence of my enemies, victory was won
Cup spilling over – what’s going on?

I’m not doing any special living
But God has been blessing me, giving

All the earthquakes that should have had me shaken
Never once in my life was I left alone, forsaken

Foolish taking the accolades, believing the hype, and the praise
Dear God, it’s all You, to the hills mine eyes I raise

Love,
M

07/16/2023

Meant To

I meant to love you better
Swear I didn’t know how
Gone off and left me lonely
What am I supposed to do now

I meant to listen to you
Hear the words you said
Too busy forming counterarguments
Here inside my head

I meant to pick up the phone
Reach out and give you a call
Got caught up in my life
The hustle and bustle of it all

I meant to be a better person
Think of others, not just myself
Got caught up in the game of life
Trying to be like everyone else

I meant to say a prayer
Cast all my burdens at His feet
Instead, I find myself depending on me
No one to love, can’t sleep, can’t eat

I meant to take the time
To remember why I mattered
But here I stand in this moment
Feeling completely and utterly shattered

I’m supposing it’s too late for me
To start now and finally do
All those things I forgot at the time
But I meant to

Love,
M

07/03/2023

My Beloved Readers,

I hope that everyone is finding some peace and quiet, and a cool space to enjoy some self-reflection, family, and friendships during this hot summer. Due to the holiday, there has been a slight delay with the release of the paperback edition of God Lifted Me. However, it will be available for purchase in paperback soon. The e-book version is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. If you are a traditionalist like me, you like to flip pages and hold a book in your hands. If you like, you may preorder by contacting me directly. The cost of the paperback is $25. Otherwise, it should appear on Amazon/Barnes and Noble soon.

In the meantime, I'd rather do what I do best and share my thoughts and poetry with you. God Lifted Me is arranged in alphabetical order. It does not follow any chronological pattern. I wanted the reader to be able to find the poems easily and go to their favorites, or least favorites, with ease. Alphabetical order was the easiest way to achieve this without creating a table of contents. I thought I would let you experience different parts of my journey, from youth, to teenager, to young adulthood, to now. Because you do not know me, it may be difficult to know where a poem is occurring on my timeline. What I think is most important is that some of you are experiencing or has experienced or will experience the same on your timeline. We are never alone in our triumphs, our disappointments, our grief, our loves. We may feel as though we are living in distress that others cannot understand, but someone knows and has been there before. Chaos leads us to believe that we are fighting our battles alone. One of my main purposes for sharing my poetry is that I felt others needed to know that we are all in this together. Even if we find ourselves at odds with each other, on opposite sides of a fence from time to time, we are still experiencing the same emotions.

Chaos seems to always want to be at the center of all we do. It tries to stand in the way of our triumphs. It wants to interrupt the opportunity for us to understand one another and grow relationships. Chaos wants to interpret all we hear, see, and accomplish. Chaos wants to upset everything we are and everything that we touch. And while we may not see it in the moment, we all want the same thing: to know that we can love and be loved in peace and live this life without threat of harm.

From God Lifted Me:

Chaos

I see you, but you already know I do
Actually, I see straight through you
I know your minions
All their opinions

Not happy unless balance is destroyed
My thoughts distracted, me perpetually annoyed

The love, the joy, and happiness, you hide
Beneath greed, and lust, and envy, and pride
Wrapped in gossip and smiles, warm hugs and kisses
Consuming your targets, your aim rarely misses

Chaos, you are everywhere I turn
My dear, when will you learn?
You no longer have control over me
I have the antidote to your disruption of my peace

I live with you because I must
But in the One who controls you, I trust
There are limits to you, and that makes you weak
And so, to me, you are obsolete

I must be about the business in my mind
And you, Chaos, are only good for wasting time
So, when I command you to get behind
You have no choice but to fall in line

Keep doing what it is you do -- your duty
I know your secret, the way you hide true beauty
My task simply to pull from without
Those souls for which you are busy casting doubt

Chaos, I see your immense ocean
Tempted to drink from your sweet potion
But refuse to satisfy your alluring call
That will lead to my destruction and ensuing downfall

I Corinthians 14:33