FRANCES                           

You brought love to Los Angeles.

Limping – leg broken – but unbowed,

81, and barely balancing on your cane,

You are handicapped but not disabled,

Dignified and delicate,

Always scurrying, self deprecating Queen.

Will like Rock shaped into exquisite art,

Battle scarred but Beautiful and unbowed,

Unbroken. You’re undefeated;

You’ve reached the highest human state of ihsan

(constantly giving Love).

Scootin’ up and down stairs to do it.

With hurt heavy boot painin’ you say,

“Satan, don’t hold me down!

Don’t stop me from goin’ to church, Lord.

I may be 81; I may have just got this cast put on, Lord.

My foot may be sprung,

But I’m gonna hop this hurt heavy boot, Lord,

To see my great grandbaby, Ishmael, graduate.

I’m gonna push back the pain, Satan.

‘Cause God got me on a mission to bring LOVE

Back to my family, again.”                                                                By Bakeer (2015)