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MERGE LITERARY MAGAZINE
POUND CAKE MAKER
(for my mother)

By Akbar Imhotep

How can I simmer thoughts
About the source of my existence
Outlook & thirst for life
Into a few lyrical phrases &
Memorable metaphors?

How can I capture the essence
& cause of my being with words?
After writing about failed but
Productive marriages,
A heart mended many times &
Countless relevant unrelated
Events and encounters,
Where are the words for my mother?

Who was this woman
Who nourished humble seeds &
Gave birth to the trees
 We’re still becoming?

Who is this Georgia peach
Who never knew her mother
But mothered seven & gave each
A reason to thrive.

Who was this woman who made
Sweet potato pies, pound cakes &
Collard greens on wood burning
Stoves in old, wind welcoming
Homes on country roads
To sweeten & stabilize
The lives of her flock?

She who grew up in the world
Without her mother but not
Without others who sheltered 
& Protected her to some degree.

She who connected us to our people &
The land they cultivated for others.
Land that’s still fertile & holds the remains
Of many who came before & after her.

How I wish I could find poetic words
To say about, “Carrie Lee Davis Ridley”
When each phrase of her name holds
Stories needing to be told.

‘Carrie’, the name of several cousins &
Her mother’s sister that I knew during
My childhood & the mother of a son
I only knew as “Uncle Lewis’.

‘Lee’, the last name of the midwife
Who brought her into the world &
The great-grandmother of her
First set of grandchildren.

‘Davis’, our family name given
By he who called himself owner,
Now merged with Lees, McGhees, 
West, Webbs, Ridleys & more.

‘Ridley’, the last name she wore 
During our childhood & now in eternity.
Mr. Sugar’s last name, her husband &
Our father in the absence of those
Who planted seeds in her garden
For others to cultivate.

How do I capture the pound cake maker with
Only lyrical phases & memorable metaphors?
I can’t. I can only try & pray that she would 
Be pleased with my effort. 




  • HOME ISSUE #3
  • Mission and Content
  • About US
  • POETRY AND PROSE
  • BLACK MUSIC PHOTO ESSAY
  • ESSAYS ARTICLES AND FICTION
  • VISUAL ART GALLERY
  • BIOGRAPHIES
  • SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
  • Support Merge Literary Magazine
  • ISSUE #2 CELEBRATING BLACK WOMEN
  • FEATURED WRITERS AND ARTISTS
  • MERGE LITERARY MAGAZINE PRINT EDITION
  • Mission and Content
  • About US
  • POETRY
  • ESSAYS ARTICLES AND FICTION
  • Multimedia Art Review
  • PHOTOGRAPHY CELEBRATING BLACK WOMEN
  • ARTIST SPOTLIGHT
  • WRITERS AND ARTISTS BIOS
  • SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
  • ISSUE #1 POLITICAL AFFAIRS AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
    • Mission and Content
    • About US
    • POETRY
    • PROSE
    • ART ILLUSTRATION
    • ESSAYS AND PLAY
    • MULTI-MEDIA QUILT REVIEW
    • WRITERS AND ARTISTS BIOS
    • SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
    • Support Merge Literary Magazine