Fringe Fiction Unlimited discussion

This is a decent collection of poetry. Onthagrindcuzin was written by Rev. Ellis while he was attending University of Maryland and majoring in African Studies. Through the poetry, the reader can clearly see the poet's heart for calling attention to issues of race and faith and, on a more personal level, to self-respect and accountability of the individual.

At times the poems can get a bit preachy (no pun intended). But hey, what poetry isn't opinionated? Whether one enjoys it or not depends on the level to which one agrees with the poet. The intention of the poetry is to inspire readers to live better, fuller lives and to connect with God who makes it so, so, who wants to argue with that?

I enjoyed the poems that embodied a more rhythmic flow and were blatantly honest. The poems fueled by frustration and sadness are the most powerful. Take "Le Bron" as an example:

"you are being exploited by
an obsession with ignorance.
i don't mean to call you names,
it's just that
our ancestors spent generations
trying to remove the chains of their oppressors
but now
you sport them,
as if they give you super powers;
the hard metal being
indicative of today's climate;
ice cold."

"Le Bron" reminded me a lot of Jasmine Manns' poem to Kayne West and really impressed me. It was the non-spiritual anthem of the collection.

I hope this collection gets more attention as I think it's a very noble effort and has an inspirational message behind the rhymes.

Hmm interesting