Our spoken word artist for this month is Inspire.
Inspire’s Bio:
Inspire is an inspirational poet who was born in Detroit, Michigan. She was the Director of Poetry for Gospel Music Magazine under Maurice and Candace Hunter. Inspire is a member of Praise Temple Church of God under the leadership of Bishop Anthony Johnson and First Lady Wanda Faye Johnson. She is the Vice President of Sisters, Sisters, and Sisters in Christ Women’s Ministry. She has been involved with many outreach programs such as Lahser Hills Nursing Home Ministry and the YWCA Interim House Women’s Shelter for battered and abused women and children. She is also a member of Poetic Justice for God’s Prison Ministry under the leadership of Sis. Estelle Humphrey.
She has performed at the Praise Temple Church of God Open Mic Night, Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, Anointed Faces Cafe, The Cream Café, The Moses Group, Poetic Justice for God and many other Inspirational gospel events in Michigan and Ohio. She also serves on the board for JJ’s Place, which is an open mic venue with Pastor Rev Thomas of Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church. She also operates her own venue called Inspirational Café every 3rd Saturday of the month.
Inspire is not just her name but it is what she does to all those whom come in contact with her. She has been writing poetry since the age of 6 when she remembers writing poems for her mother and father on special occasions. She is humbled by the gift of poetic expression that God has given her. She loves writing for weddings and other special occasions. She feels that the Holy Spirit literally moves within her when she writes for funerals and her words minister to those who are going through the trials and storms of life.
Inspire’s service offerings include but are not limited to Uniquely Yours Invitations, In Loving Memory Obituaries, Inspire Me Greeting Cards, Words From the Heart Framed Poetry Expressions & Messages in a Bottle. God has recently blessed her to finish her first book entitled “Inspire Me”, which she plans to have in print by late 2006. On December 1, 2006, she opened Inspirational Cafe, which is located at 17207 West McNichols in Detroit. It is located inside Follicles Hair and Nail Salon.
To contact Inspire you can email her at inspirationalthoughtz@yahoo.com, by visiting www.myspace.com/inspireme1st, or at the Inspirational Café – 313.212.1699.

You can see her perform on December 15, 2006, at the DFC School of Performing Arts banquet and on Antone Choir Boy Bell’s “Can I Get A Witness” show each Sunday on Comcast Channel 71.

You Don’t Love Me
How can you say that you love me when you treat me with no respect? My dreams are filled with painful memories of you and I that I regret. You beat me when you’re mad and sometimes I don’t even know why. It’s seems to make you madder when you look at me and I cry. You use abusive language and you hurt me with your words. To think that you love me is to be observe. You embarrass me where ever we go. The abuse is coming from every which way and you say you love me so. Our kids see us fighting, well you beating on me. Yet young girls look at my material possessions and their immature hearts fill with envy. How did I fall in love with a man who treats me so unkind, There must be something wrong with me, or I must be simply out of my mind. You constantly accuse me of doing things that I would never do. And even though you deserve it I will never ever leave you. My self esteem is so low that I hold on to the past, Praying and hoping that the next hit will finally be the last. You asked me to marry you , For I thought my dreams had come true. We’ll our wedding day came and so did your attitude, You beat me because you thought I was looking at another dude. So now I am gone from this life that I thought I knew, My soul is resting in eternity because I married abuse.
By Markeisha Darden-Crumbley