Snippets of Soul, Too
Healing from Love
ISBN-10: 1547170522
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Rudy Bankston, author of Snippets of Soul in Seventeen Syllables, continues to distill life into three lines as he reflects on love, loss and healing. This slim volume is packed with feeling, pathos, understanding and forgiveness.
A lot can be said in seventeen syllables. Here's a taste:
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i’m healing from love
one inward look at a time
taking ownership
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Buried Alive: Poetry Born of a Life Sentence
ISBN-10 :1724262661
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what does a 22 year-old manchild
on his 3rd calendar in bondage
braving a life bid
buried alive
do with his time & his traumas?
he writes his damn heart out
in hopes that it will bounce back whole
or
at the very least
strengthen into healing the broken pieces
that he’s able to salvage from the breakage...
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Journey with Rudy as he writes his way through two decades of captivity, starting inside the suffocation of his early years, to his coming into consciousness as a Black man and grappling with what led him to a plight that he refused to accept as his destiny. In the crucible of what he’s termed “the bottom of existence,” he fought to maintain his sanity, sustain hope and regain his freedom.
You'll also get a preview of a second volume of poetry, which explores existence since his release as he picks up the pieces of his life.
Snippets of Soul in Seventeen Syllables
ISBN-10: 1547170522
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This slim volume contains haiku written in prison and in freedom.
Its contents cover topics of history, love, culture, and life distilled into the ancient poetry form of haiku.
A lot can be said in seventeen syllables. Here's a taste:
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young people act out
when they do not feel sacred
who is blessing them?
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i envision you
vibrant view of tomorrow
inside this dim space
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Shed So Many Tears
ISBN-978-0-7414-6725-6
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Shed So Many Tears is a story of shared struggle, soul-searching, and discovery. Liz is a mother on an mission, dedicated to single parenting her only child, Malik, into manhood while helping him avoid his imprisoned father’s plight...or something worse. Liz is also juggling work, night school, and a mélange of personal issues. Meanwhile, Malik and his comrade Drizzle are trying hard to negotiate their way around the pitfalls of the Milwaukee streets. This becomes practically impossible once drama hits too close to home, and Malik calls up his ruthless twin cousins for backup.