Legends Poetry         

The skipped beats of my heart were just temporary

The loss of my breath was just momentary

As I took in the sight of this extraordinary

Group of beautiful black women who looked like me

Rarely does a sight limit my commentary

Bring a screeching halt to my extensive vocabulary

Making all that I really need to be doing secondary

To observing these beautiful black women who looked like me

Seated like royalty in Oprah’s lush green sanctuary

I’ve never seen a more outstanding itinerary

Oprah, you’ve certified yourself as a true visionary

When you put together this group of beautiful black women

who looked like me . . .

THE BEGINNING 

This picture was taken at Oprah's Legends Luncheon and was included in the August 2005 issue of O Magazine.  When Cassandra saw the picture she was just mesmerized!  The picture included Oprah and all of her guests that day.  It included the "Legends" as well as the "Young'uns".

After staring at the picture for a couple of hours, Cassandra was inspired to write "Beautiful Black Women Who Look Like Me" - the leading poem and the book's beginning.

The picture and a portion of the poem are shown here.  The photo is by Kwaku Alston Photography and all copyrights are reserved by Harpo Productions.