Ladsonian Sonnet #1

By Etta Mae Ladson

To Africa a toast! Let her be feted,

Be silver spooned, glass knifed and golden forked,

To celebrate the joy her birth has netted,

The universe's champagne be uncorked:

May rivers flow across you, blue and bubbled,

And forests grow you high and green leaf heavy,

Upon your ground, confetti strewn, untroubled,

Be dancing feet, unslippered, party ready;

May you be whirled and twirled and wined and dined,

Called for and catered to, corsaged and kissed,

Your life ballooned and bannered, silver lined,

The pleasure of your company unmissed;

Your mother God, I grant you know, believe,

In My creation, you are New Year's Eve!

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Etta May Ladson is the holder of three degrees, B.A. & M.A. in English from Hunter College of the City University of New York, and the M.P.S degree in Religious Education from New York Theological Seminary. She is the recipient of many awards, including citations by the State and City governments of New York.

An advocate for public education, she is a 30-year veteran of the classroom, having served as Teacher of English, Chair of English and Assistant Principal, English. She served in the National Teacher Corp at the University of Southern Illinois and has taught at Brooklyn College and Queens College of the City University. She lectures widely on religious and educational themes.

A community activist, she is the founder and director of the African Christian Teachers, a nonprofit private foundation servicing gifted youngsters in the public school, General Partner in The Golden Bowl, an investment group servicing minority seniors, and CEO at Jewelgate, the umbrella enterprise for all her activities.