A Great Love

A Great Love

Behold, a great love
Exists between this mother
And her dear children
There is no power on earth
Able to separate them

Her presence alone
Subdues this uncertain life
With a constant love
Her daughter dances with her
Her son seeks her warm embrace

She'll love them beyond
The ends of eternity
This is their mother
Who once held them in her womb
Who holds them now in her arms

They’ll never outgrow
The size of her beating heart
They’ll never outgrow
The home she has made upon
The pillars of family

JMC
5/10/15
(c) 2015

Livicated to my wife, my Empress, and mother of my beautiful children. Her love is a Great Love! Written in honor of her motherhood and the motherhood of my mother, mother-in-law, and all of the mothers I know. Their love is a Great Love! 

La Dolce Vita

La Dolce Vita

I knew that very night as I first gazed at you
Across the dinner table in flickering candlelight 
Because the vision of you made my heart imbue
With a love true, beating anew upon first sight

That was four years ago, not long, although
If I unravel time to 2,103,840 minutes
And count every second within it, you will know
That every moment we’ve spent together is infinite 

Like when we stood as one before JAH and men
To become wife and husband, or when, patiently
We waited to meet our radiant daughter, and again
We now soon welcome a new member of our family 

We know this has come because we chose each other
We sing a Song of Songs akin to Solomon and Sheba
For we’re lovers, husband, wife, father, and mother
And with you and me it will always be, La Dolce Vita

JMC 
11/19/14
(c) 2014

Forever Loved

Forever Loved

This night she lies here, drawing in gentle breaths
And quietly dreams of another wondrous day gone by
This night, safely tucked against her mother's breast
She abides in the natural abundance of love's supply
Our little daughter, warmly wrapped in your lullaby
Shielded from any shadow that would have her suffer
She knows that you will be there to attend her cry
Between you is a sacred bond, found betwixt no other
You are forever loved, for you are forever her mother

JMC
5/11/14
(c) 2014

King & Queen

King & Queen

A royal love, a divine love
The very love spoken of
Since the earliest of ages
In ancient Holy Book pages
Now witness and come see
How he and she seem to be
Singing the Song of Solomon
In tune with the deep rhythm
Of their two beating hearts
This is what JAH joins together
And no one shall break it apart
For here before you stand
This woman and this man
Who with abundant blessings
Will reign for generations
This truly is the incarnation
Of a rare, legendary love
Conceived of in Mount Zion
And when you’re asked about
What today you have seen
Tell them it was the marriage
Of a king to his queen

JMC
9/18/11
(c) 2011

Celebrating the friends and families who attended our marriage on October 8, 2011. Giving thanks for all of the blessings and the most beautiful day that anyone could ever imagine.

Forged For Forever

Forged For Forever

Here it starts with our two
Hearts forged for forever
With Jehovah’s flame we
Sign and seal this love letter
Moon and sun become one
Our souls eclipse together
And we’ll never stop from
Shining all the days of our life
We shall share this journey
Eternally, united
As husband and wife…

JMC
7/24/11
(c) 2011

Our Wedding Day
October 8, 2011

Intercontinental Ballistic Miss-You

Intercontinental Ballistic Miss-You

I'll launch up to the highest height
Up among those satellites
And travel near the speed of light
To land beside you in the night
I'd do anything to hold and kiss you
So I'm sending you
An intercontinental ballistic miss-you

I need you back at our place
So I'm starting up my arms race
They're longing for your embrace
Shooting from the home base
The love you inspire isn't standard issue
So I'm firing off
An intercontinental ballistic miss-you

It soars across Atlantic skies
Straight into the sunrise
Toward the target, my heart flies
When you wake-up, you'll realize
That my aim for you is always true
So I'm launching
An intercontinental ballistic miss-you

JMC
3/13/11
(c) 2011

Build You A Castle

Build You A Castle

For you, I will build a castle
With my cornerstone of love
And on that solid foundation
Together we shall rise above

No enemy can break us asunder
No one can penetrate our walls
Because we are always protected
The Most High guards our halls

Inside, there’ll be many rooms
Each one empty to one’s view
Only filled up with great treasure
When you are passing through

You will take the throne beside me
And here together we will reign
No matter what the circumstances
Our love will remain the same

From the windows of your room
And the vista from your balcony
All that you see could be yours
Because we conquer impossibility

For you, I will build a castle
High enough to kiss the stars
And from the tallest tower
I’ll declare the world is ours

JMC
2/28/11
(c) 2011

Frame Of Mind

Frame Of Mind

I can fit her into any picture frame
Snapshots taken by my mind's eye
Where I can look through and recall
Memories not yet created but fated
To occur within our brightly lit future

I can see photos of captured moments
She is standing hand-in-hand with me
Could be in Accra, Ghana or Rome, Italy
But what matters is she somehow has
Found her way into my life each day

I can see us when the camera lens focus
Together, experiencing what will come
An ordinary day or a great celebration
I can visualize her in my life all the time
She is the picture in my frame of mind

JMC
12/8/10
(c) 2010

My Makeda

My Makeda

I, King Solomon, have found my Makeda
A virtuous woman with nuff good behavior
Tell Mama, Papa, and all ah my neighbor
Come watch me jump for joy just like David

Plenty princesses came to my palace from outta road
With intentions to have me worship silver and gold
But the Rastaman could never be bought nor sold
JAH tell me seh, never go where all dem pagans go
They came by the dozens just to confuse my mind
To take away my I-sight and leave me for blind
My world would fall apart in just a matter of time
So I had to move forward and leave them all behind

I, King Solomon, have found my Makeda
A virtuous woman with nuff good behavior
Tell Mama, Papa, and all ah my neighbor
Come watch me jump for joy just like David

Delilah she told I-man fe go chop off all ah mi locs
Or else she’d make me sleep outside pon the hard rocks
She never loved I-man for my heart or my thoughts
So she stifled my strengths and pointed out all my faults
Jezebel, I knew well, still I could never please her at all
Only kicked me down when I tried so hard to stand tall
She was scheming to see me and my whole kingdom fall
The woman was too dangerous, I couldn’t take it at all

I, King Solomon, have found my Makeda
A virtuous woman with nuff good behavior
Tell Mama, Papa, and all ah my neighbor
Come watch me jump for joy just like David

My Makeda came along and she passed each of the tests
She’s full of qualities like wisdom, patience, and kindness
There’s no stress like the rest, I confess that I’m blessed
Yes, she’s my Queen Majesty, she’s my royal empress
In a faraway land, the sun gave her a black complexion
A long journey brought her straight toward my direction
She must have been fashioned for me with this intention
She's worthy to rule beside me, this destiny was chosen

I, King Solomon, have found my Makeda
A virtuous woman with nuff good behavior
Tell Mama, Papa, and all ah my neighbor
Come watch me jump for joy just like David

JMC
11/30/10
(c) 2010

Like The Seasons

Like The Seasons

When the snows thaw, so does she
After months away, she returns to me
Casually as if it was to be expected

She opens as a thirsty blossom does
Ever softly telling me how she was
Longing for me to come till the earth

From morning light until night, I labor
Lovingly tending to her every last acre
Toiling in the sunny heat of her passion

But her mind changes with harvest time
All affection withers away on the vine
My crops are lost during her first frost

She comes and goes like the seasons
Leaving me to examine the reasons
For enduring another winter of her love
When I should seek warmer climates
Where my seeds will grow year 'round
In ground where true love may be found

JMC
11/15/10
(c) 2010

Tangled Up In You

Tangled Up In You

No matter what I choose to do
I still get tangled up in you
Pulled in by my heartstrings
Once you want to start things
It makes my love spring up inside
That's when you go push me aside
Not released, yet I'm kept at bay
Until you want to come my way
No, we can’t do that this time
Or I'm afraid I'll lose my mind

Darling, there must be a change
From these cat and mouse games
I give you love, but yours I borrow
It’s here today, but not tomorrow
What a tangled web you weave
I want to go, but just can't leave
Though loving you may be unwise
We're tightly wound by our soul ties
Yes, I really shouldn’t play the fool
But babe, I still get tangled up in you

JMC
10/09/10
(c) 2010

Ole Firestick

Ole Firestick

Ole firestick is so easy to catch
And I carry a bundle
So don’t you light up the match
If you do, I will tumble
One by one, the flames will dance
Fyah lik me as I crumble
Can’t afford another romance
I’m just trying to live humble

Dem seh, if you play with fire you must get bun
My head know this, but my heart still a learn
When one go and leave, the next one return
To stir it up, grab the handle and start to churn
Ole firestick catch easy and I think you’d agree
I just want a woman to love and squeeze me
But all I get from she is a bag of her insecurity
Everyting irie, until I get bun by the third degree

Ole firestick is so easy to catch
And I carry a bundle
So don’t you light up the match
If you do, I will tumble
One by one, the flames will dance
Fyah lik me as I crumble
Can’t afford another romance
I’m just trying to live humble

Dem seh, out of frying pan and inna di fyah
I know it is trouble, a trouble I don’t require
Woman is like dynamite and I am the wire
It start to light spark and explode my desire
And if I don’t listen, well I must feel the heat
This same situation, I am doomed to repeat
Rekindled charcoal bun the soles of my feet
Afraid I’ll go up in flames before I can retreat

Ole firestick is so easy to catch
And I carry a bundle
So don’t you light up the match
If you do, I will tumble
One by one, the flames will dance
Fyah lik me as I crumble
Can’t afford another romance
I’m just trying to live humble

Firestick a blaze and its getting hotter
Someone please fetch me some water
Plenty buckets to douse out the dawta
Oh Lord, I’m like a lamb to the slaughter

Ole firestick, me seh you’re too dangerous
Too dangerous for me to touch
Ole firestick, me seh you’re too dangerous
Too dangerous for me to touch

JMC
7/20/10
(c) 2010

Heart Murmurs

Heart Murmurs

In quiet introspection
I can almost hear her think
Detection on the brink of
The rhythm of my breath and
Synchronized to the beat
Of my heart
And if I slow it down
Maybe I can catch
Some sound
Some proof
That she’s intervening
Pulling on a cord
Triggering my mind
From behind boundaries
Beyond my reach
Beyond my speech
And so, I try the same
Balling up a thought
And hurling it toward her
Through time and space
Maybe finding a place
As a voice in her head
Speaking to her heart
This is how we talk now
In indecipherable whispers
From far corners
Separate, but equal in our
Longing to intrude
And hurdle the
Invisible barriers
That we’ve built
Between us

JMC
2/27/10
(c) 2010

JAH Is Love

JAH Is Love

She nah call up mi phone or even send me a text
Though she used to say dat mi loving was di best
Someting a gwan fe mek she go and join di rest
And dat type of gyal coulda never pass mi test

Is only when she want, dat I get her love and affection
Meh seh, who else but JAH gimme undivided attention
Cause now, no longer on her lips am I mentioned
Fe me depending on her love is just out a di question

JAH is love, and His love is what I need
Him gimme di strength I need to proceed
Cause time can get tough
And life can get lonely
Dat’s why El Shaddai is mi one and only

A woman's love can be short-lived and fickle
JAH love pour out, while she only have a trickle
Loving The Most High is so plain and so simple
But ooman play games and a go tease mi wid riddle

Why would I buy love when it’s already given freely
Dere is no greater love than dat of The Almighty
Yes it a permanent ting, and not temporary
When all else fails, I know dat JAH JAH love me

JAH is love, and His love is di light
Him gimme di strength to feel alright
Cause time can get tough
And life can get lonely
Dat’s why Faddah God is mi one and only

JAH love is everlasting and gimme di breath of life
Got too much to give, cyan badda deal wid di strife
Di first cut is di deepest so mi doan play wid knife
I wait for dat virtuous ooman to find and mek mi wife

It’s JAH who gimme di blessings and guides me each day
So to Him I give thanks as I kneel down and pray
Why should a dawta go and lead mi poor heart astray
Everyting she claim seh keep change from day to day

JAH is love, and His love is divine
Him gimme di strength for di front-line
Cause time can get tough
And life can get lonely
Dat’s why Yahweh is mi one and only

When di darkness come and di nights grow long
When everyting in life just seems fe go wrong
Dat’s when I haffi humble and go chant a psalm
Cause di Most High JAH has been wid me all along

No matter what happens I know dat He will guide
When ooman gimme cold shoulder, in JAH I confide
He pulls me back in when I’ve been pushed aside
Yes, In di Almighty’s hands is where I reside

JAH is love, and His love is so pure
Him gimme di strength I need to endure
Cause time can get tough
And life can get lonely
Dat’s why Rastafari is mi one and only

JMC
2/14/10
(c) 2010

Lucid

Lucid

A soft glow broke the darkness
And then her name appeared...
For seconds, I could only look
As I mistook the cadence of the call
With the palpitations of my heart
It started pulling apart my sleep
And so I reached out for the source
This lucid torch in the blackness
Groping for, hoping for the chance
To hear her voice, to catch her trance
Yet my hand combed the expanse
Of dark décor in my bedroom corner
Until light could be seen no longer
And the stillness of night returned
A quiet slumber fell upon me
Murky haze had filled my eyes
My conscious already capsized
Tumbling me into a sea of dreams
Where it seemed like I was there
Enveloped between her warmth
Or the thoughts of such...
While I lay curled up alone
Disturbed by my phone

JMC
11/28/09
(c) 2009

Forbidden Love

Forbidden Love

I dived into her
With no life vest
No vessel
Just passion
Swimming through her
To the depths of her heart
Tenderly embraced and
Lapped by her waves
Until tempest blew
And changing winds
Flailed me against her
As I grew weary
Drifting further away
Greeted only with
Cold stony shores
The surf receding
I was still breathing
Yet a cast away
Muddy sand
Caked on my skin
Salty brine
Against my cheeks
A fool in a tidal pool

JMC
8/4/09
(c) 2009

Troubadour

Troubadour

As if emerging from Eden
She was just passing by
Greeting me with a smile
Reflecting a celestial beckoning
Then as her lips parted
I was suddenly questioning
What was this voice I heard
That had my soul so stirred
Her melodies made me pause...
And consider Jerusalem’s hills
Listening to songs of divine glory
Telling me another righteous story
Oh, it was a real true thing
The music that this woman would sing
Her chords coated with affection
She was vying for my attention
And I... I couldn’t bring myself
To go her way
No I couldn’t that day
For I was Rooted
And Grounded
Lord, she was travelling along life’s way
And every note on the guitar she’d play
Just made me feel so sublime
She seemed to be from beyond all time
And yet I couldn’t follow
I had to hold on to my tomorrow
It appeared strange to her
And maybe it was strange to me
But sometimes you have to let life be
Instead of wondering
What might have been
Or what might be
She invited me to dance to the drum
In a gateway city where she was from
To come and move along
And join in her song
But I stood still
While she, kept on
Back on the road she set upon
And me, only my mind chased her
Soon her angelic voice faded
Like swollen echoes dissipated
Off of a canyon floor
So too left this troubadour

JMC
3/26/08
(c) 2008

JAH Smile

JAH Smile

Sistren, let me sit with you awhile
So I can see JAH smile
When I listen to you speak
My spirit reaches its peak
Because I see JAH smile
Nuff respect to the sistren
You put me in a good position
To see JAH and know
I need no intermission
I want to find you every day
Don't want no delay
So I can see JAH smile

I see JAH smile in every face
I see JAH smile throughout the human race
I see JAH smile in each and every place
But you really are a special case
Yes I see JAH so clear, my dear

Sistren, you have a simple kinda style
That's the way I see JAH smile
It's good to share the vibe
It keeps my spirit alive
Because I see JAH smile
There's nothing I'd rather do
Than stop and get to know you
Could be a an hour
Or just a minute or two
But give me some time
Mek we cool, mek we lime
So I can see JAH smile

I see JAH smile in every face
I see JAH smile throughout the human race
I see JAH smile in each and every place
But you really are a special case
Yes I see JAH so clear, my dear

JMC
9/15/07
(c) 2007

Disappointment (Unleashed)

Disappointment (Unleashed)

Sometimes I'd like to unleash the beast
Tethered to the deepest part of my soul
...out of reach
An angry lion out of control
And yet I know I must satta
Life goes on, can't galang like no shotta
Click-click-blam

Shoot...
You disappointment me sister
Disappointed that you failed to grasp the whole picture
But I know I'm gonna face disappointment again
Disappointment from another lover, family or a friend
When will it end?
Never, because that's the nature of things
As long as I love, someone will play my heartstrings

All this foolishness is just a waste of my time
You're a vampire preying on the marrow of my mind
And no matter what I do to appease your appetite
You still prowl the night looking for one last bite
Right now I need freedom
From a she-then like you
Sweeping out the old, so I can bring in the new

I can't believe a person with such intelligence
Would go around behaving with negligence
It's as if you never learned about the golden rule
And how to distinguish a good man from a foot-stool
I'm no fool
My captivation is cruel
This lion doesn't belong behind bars in your zoo

You took advantage of my kindness and let me down
Made me think you needed me, and made me the clown
Such a disappointment, I was a fly in the ointment
Trapped by the fact you scheduled me in like an appointment
Like a doctor examining my head
Leaving me lost and frustrated

I'm tired of hearing excuses for all of your mistakes
Because a little discipline is really all it ever takes
You move like a snake hiding where the grass grows tall
Lying in wait, ready to strike my lion paw

I shake my mane...
It's a shame that you made me think it was fair game
But you sold out your flesh for mere chump change
I can see through you with my savanna scopes
Yes I'm better off chasing other deer and antelopes
Real folks
King of the jungle don't deal with jokes

Don't bother calling me or knocking on my door
You're like Miss Morton, throwing salt in my sore
I roar... cause I can't stand no more
Can't take the stress,
It keeps the lion vexed
Irregardless, good luck and JAH Bless

JMC
6/9/07
(c) 2007

Wishing Well

Wishing Well

I throw a gold coin down the wishing well
Asking if this woman could stay for a spell
And if she doesn't love me, then I wish her well
Money in my pocket, but she still won't sell

Oh Well, I know a man can't buy love
That's why I just throw it all away
Tossing all this money in my pocket
Hoping that this woman would stay

I pray, as I hear the metal hit stone
Then plunge in the water down below
Mr. Well, I really don't want to be alone
But what will be will be, ah so it go

Looking down I see my reflection
Disturbed by another gentle ripple
I know I have lost all her affection
Wish she felt like I do, but triple

This is an acquittal of a broken heart
Yes, things seem to be over it appears
Now its time to make a brand new start
And leave this well water mixed with tears

I throw a gold coin down the wishing well
Asking if this woman could stay for a spell
And if she doesn't love me, then I wish her well
Money in my pocket, but she still won't sell

JMC
1/19/07
(c) 2007