I remember
when peace
was a dream or two away.
Dreams to escape the longing
for peace
I screamed, shouted, sighed and sought
each day.
On my knees
passing up to the clouds
my faithful prayer.
Now with this peace in my hands
and the eyes through which to see it's
power
To hold and have it.
To love and live it.
I would not trade the gray
for the love i feel
in this peace today.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Is it college football season yet?
Also, the NBA is fixed. Tonight's game is a prime example of why I prefer NCAA sports to pro leagues. How is Ray Allen going to go 0-13 in field goals in a National Championship Series Game #3 AT HOME in Boston...
How you may ask??
By getting paid enough to take a series to 7 games. Stop yanking my chains tricks...
How you may ask??
By getting paid enough to take a series to 7 games. Stop yanking my chains tricks...
Ascension
I just have to write that I'm blessed and thankful, and I feel it right now, very strong. Life ain't been no crystal stair, but I've been blessed to keep climbing nonetheless. The kinks, nails and bent up boards only served to make me stronger, wiser and more adept in my walk. Ascension in fact. Yes, higher, higher, higher...
Dream it, then live it.
Dream it, then live it.
Monday, June 7, 2010
When you're over your self...Overture to your truth
"So you might as well keep dancing if you're not gonna run..."
I keep trying to write and something always seems to stop me. Either some mental block, or some happening in my life that forces me to exert the energy I'd rationed off for writing towards some less than worthy cause. Like heavy drinking and a hard recovery. Or working until 11 pm on a Friday night (what the WHAT!). Yeah, BAH is my new boo. Sexy, confident and always willing to keep me around to put in work. That's the kind of lover I appreciate and my employer has met those requirements fully.
I've been thinking about life a lot more lately. Not just the normal mental melee' of plans for the long-term and immediate future. More so on the nature of it all. Really, the thoughts on life ironically stem from thoughts on death.
My paternal grandfather passed away this past weekend at the age of 82. Who can be mad really? He lived such a full life, and was such a great person that it's hard for me to feel as sad physically as I do mentally. There will always be a gap in our family with his passing, but I think more than anything, he received his reward for a life well lived, a job well done.
So is death a payment or a reward? Furthermore, is life a payment or a reward?
I've always lived with the underlying belief that everything is always worth it. There's always some pay ment, or pay back for that which we're given and for that which we give in this life. Respectively.
This might be my faith speaking. The notion that whatever I may be going through today, whatever heartbreak or disappointment or fear or misunderstood rotations of the earth, are all to shape me into a better man for tomorrow so I can fulfill God's will. But, what if your time is cut short? Does that mean that it's all fulfilled. Or is it a tragic falling short of a promise? A branch cut before it's able to produce flower or fruit...
I've seen more death over the past few years than I'd like to. Each person, regardless of the proximity of their bloodline to mine, represented a hope lost, ripped from the collective hopes of the world, in my eyes. The tears have been for that more than anything. The world as a whole has lost something so precious as one other life.
So if this thing called life is so precious, so precious in fact that we celebrate it as much on its departure as we do on its arrival, then we should all be overwhelmingly thankful for each day the gift is renewed.
We should also all really stop driving cars. BP, and Chevron, and many other companies that financially benefit from the literal raping of the earth, need to be put out of business (or forced by way of the market, as expressed by consumers, to enter into delivering new energy products), and I don't see any other way to do it. We can all sit around and pretend as though some gradual and well thought out change will reverse the detriment we've brought upon the earth from whence we all are derived. However, while change takes time, I know that better can happen overnight. Some births are laborious, but some rebirths can be in the blinking of an eye. It's time for our humanity to be reborn in a way that maintains the connection and collective appreciation we all have for our mother, the earth. Gaia as the Ancient Greeks would know it, and Geb as the Ancient Egyptians would before them. That which God created first, along with heaven. That which we all come from, and shall one day return to...
For Rosalind Caldwell Jones, Courtney Donnell, Darnell Burns Jr., and now James Rutledge too. I should continue to strive to be better tomorrow than I was today, and much better than I was yesterday.
"And in the corners of my mind, I hope that I'll get to see you again, my friend. Just like a candle snuffed at dawn, you're here, you're near, you're there, and then you're gone"
I keep trying to write and something always seems to stop me. Either some mental block, or some happening in my life that forces me to exert the energy I'd rationed off for writing towards some less than worthy cause. Like heavy drinking and a hard recovery. Or working until 11 pm on a Friday night (what the WHAT!). Yeah, BAH is my new boo. Sexy, confident and always willing to keep me around to put in work. That's the kind of lover I appreciate and my employer has met those requirements fully.
I've been thinking about life a lot more lately. Not just the normal mental melee' of plans for the long-term and immediate future. More so on the nature of it all. Really, the thoughts on life ironically stem from thoughts on death.
My paternal grandfather passed away this past weekend at the age of 82. Who can be mad really? He lived such a full life, and was such a great person that it's hard for me to feel as sad physically as I do mentally. There will always be a gap in our family with his passing, but I think more than anything, he received his reward for a life well lived, a job well done.
So is death a payment or a reward? Furthermore, is life a payment or a reward?
I've always lived with the underlying belief that everything is always worth it. There's always some pay ment, or pay back for that which we're given and for that which we give in this life. Respectively.
This might be my faith speaking. The notion that whatever I may be going through today, whatever heartbreak or disappointment or fear or misunderstood rotations of the earth, are all to shape me into a better man for tomorrow so I can fulfill God's will. But, what if your time is cut short? Does that mean that it's all fulfilled. Or is it a tragic falling short of a promise? A branch cut before it's able to produce flower or fruit...
I've seen more death over the past few years than I'd like to. Each person, regardless of the proximity of their bloodline to mine, represented a hope lost, ripped from the collective hopes of the world, in my eyes. The tears have been for that more than anything. The world as a whole has lost something so precious as one other life.
So if this thing called life is so precious, so precious in fact that we celebrate it as much on its departure as we do on its arrival, then we should all be overwhelmingly thankful for each day the gift is renewed.
We should also all really stop driving cars. BP, and Chevron, and many other companies that financially benefit from the literal raping of the earth, need to be put out of business (or forced by way of the market, as expressed by consumers, to enter into delivering new energy products), and I don't see any other way to do it. We can all sit around and pretend as though some gradual and well thought out change will reverse the detriment we've brought upon the earth from whence we all are derived. However, while change takes time, I know that better can happen overnight. Some births are laborious, but some rebirths can be in the blinking of an eye. It's time for our humanity to be reborn in a way that maintains the connection and collective appreciation we all have for our mother, the earth. Gaia as the Ancient Greeks would know it, and Geb as the Ancient Egyptians would before them. That which God created first, along with heaven. That which we all come from, and shall one day return to...
For Rosalind Caldwell Jones, Courtney Donnell, Darnell Burns Jr., and now James Rutledge too. I should continue to strive to be better tomorrow than I was today, and much better than I was yesterday.
"And in the corners of my mind, I hope that I'll get to see you again, my friend. Just like a candle snuffed at dawn, you're here, you're near, you're there, and then you're gone"
Thursday, May 20, 2010
When you see inside yourself, you're having innervisions...
There's no other artist that holds more significance in my life. He's played in the background of my highest points along with my lowest.
In divine inspiration he's composed the unfolding of my life.
"All is changed with time, the future none can see...The road you leave behind, ahead lies mystery"
In divine inspiration he's composed the unfolding of my life.
"All is changed with time, the future none can see...The road you leave behind, ahead lies mystery"
Just enough for the city...
“Music speaks what cannot be expressed, soothes the mind and gives it rest, heals the heart and makes it whole, flows from heaven to the soul.”
I've had a lesser degree of writer's block these past few weeks. I almost forgot that i started this blog with a specific purpose in mind, only to stumble upon it tonight. Life is an unpredictable surething, in that you can guarantee that the things you surely need will always show up right in time. If, you allow your mind to welcome and begin the enactment of that guarantee.
So, I'm listening to this KICK ASS album I just copped. I love The Foreign Exchange. I love their music, along with their souls as expressed through said music. By virtue, I will of course love any iteration of those souls that is put into the universe. And to this, the universe blessed me to stumble upon this auditory jewel, Zo! and Tigallo Love The 80's:
Zo! & Tigallo (aka Phonte of Little Brother) - Zo! & Tigallo Love The 80s
Guess who else loves The 80's?
All I ever want in life is to be surrounded by great music. So, my prayer this evening (among many other things) is that regardless of what absolute auditory waste is available through conventionally accepted media, let the ears of me and mine be privy to that which is soothing, uplifting, recharging, rebuilding, and regenerative to the soul.
Spring of '10 will be remembered for many things.
1) understanding Love in a brand new way
2) sharing that Love in a brand new way
3) Life affirming live music
4) Transformative perspective that yields transformation
Corinne Bailey Rae sparked this. With her open and unguarded concert. Knowing that this chica who makes some great music lost her husband to tragedy and still came out and bared all this raw emotion in her music...and then shared it so openly with strangers. It was moving. And she can sing...saaaaang.
This time of the year, I'm usually burning a textbook and paper or two, getting drunk and hoping the Pistons make it to the championship. There are no Pistons in the playoffs and the textbooks I have left are actual reference materials. ---> WHAT THE WHAAAAAAAAT!
In time...all can change. Spring has sprung. My life has replaced textbooks, study sessions and final exams with concerts, trips and some hard work for Mr. Charlie in between. HAHA real rap, please ask somebody.
Stevie Wonder - Innervisions -- Masterpiece. Let me get back to the task at hand.
Also, what we have to say has meaning. Freedom comes with the price of truth. If you're free, and free in your whole self, tongue and feet included...Let your feet move you to a higher ground, and your tongue lead others to their higher ground.
I've had a lesser degree of writer's block these past few weeks. I almost forgot that i started this blog with a specific purpose in mind, only to stumble upon it tonight. Life is an unpredictable surething, in that you can guarantee that the things you surely need will always show up right in time. If, you allow your mind to welcome and begin the enactment of that guarantee.
So, I'm listening to this KICK ASS album I just copped. I love The Foreign Exchange. I love their music, along with their souls as expressed through said music. By virtue, I will of course love any iteration of those souls that is put into the universe. And to this, the universe blessed me to stumble upon this auditory jewel, Zo! and Tigallo Love The 80's:
Zo! & Tigallo (aka Phonte of Little Brother) - Zo! & Tigallo Love The 80s
Guess who else loves The 80's?
All I ever want in life is to be surrounded by great music. So, my prayer this evening (among many other things) is that regardless of what absolute auditory waste is available through conventionally accepted media, let the ears of me and mine be privy to that which is soothing, uplifting, recharging, rebuilding, and regenerative to the soul.
Spring of '10 will be remembered for many things.
1) understanding Love in a brand new way
2) sharing that Love in a brand new way
3) Life affirming live music
4) Transformative perspective that yields transformation
Corinne Bailey Rae sparked this. With her open and unguarded concert. Knowing that this chica who makes some great music lost her husband to tragedy and still came out and bared all this raw emotion in her music...and then shared it so openly with strangers. It was moving. And she can sing...saaaaang.
This time of the year, I'm usually burning a textbook and paper or two, getting drunk and hoping the Pistons make it to the championship. There are no Pistons in the playoffs and the textbooks I have left are actual reference materials. ---> WHAT THE WHAAAAAAAAT!
In time...all can change. Spring has sprung. My life has replaced textbooks, study sessions and final exams with concerts, trips and some hard work for Mr. Charlie in between. HAHA real rap, please ask somebody.
Stevie Wonder - Innervisions -- Masterpiece. Let me get back to the task at hand.
Also, what we have to say has meaning. Freedom comes with the price of truth. If you're free, and free in your whole self, tongue and feet included...Let your feet move you to a higher ground, and your tongue lead others to their higher ground.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Tat, Tat, Tatted Up
I love getting tattoos. I love the process of going back and forth about whether to get one, what to get, where to get it, who should do it....It's a microcosm of the deliberative process I go through with pretty much everything in my life.
"To be or not to be, that is the question"
In fact, that is always my question. My Libra / air sign qualities dissuade me from making very many concrete decisions without the proper and necessary or unnecessary deliberations to vet every possible outcome, benefit and ramification of an action. Squarely put, I think too damn much.
So this Saturday, I just woke up and did what I knew I wanted to do before my mind could start working (since it can only work overtime). I went to a great tattoo shop in Adams Morgan, Tattoo Paradise, where Tattoo Artist Shawn Brown (check out his portfolio under the Portfolios section of the site) gave me two new symbols of fresh ink and solidified perspective.
The Nyame Nti
and
The Mmere Dane
One on the inside of my forearm and one on my left ankle taking my tattoo total to a even magic number 4. I love tattoos and can't wait to get another 1 or 2.
The experience is always a good time. In this case, I got to know my artist well and had great conversation (happens easily when you're getting two tats). It's always funny to me that I'm so cool opening up and establishing a bond with someone injecting multiple needles into my skin to inject me with ink. Bring the pain, son!
I love them. They're beautiful.
The Nyame Nti is an Adinkra symbol for God's grace and mercy. This is to remind me to always be extending and receiving that grace and mercy as I interact and communicate with my world around me.
The Mmere Dane is also an Adinkra symbol for time's changes. The only thing constant in the world is change, and as I walk through this life's journey, my prayer and hope is that I am open to the changing nature, the dynamism of life.
Together, they represent the lessons I've learned and lived by in my life thus far. in fact, I've lived by them so much, that they've become my most intimate mantras, my psyche's song, a melody for me to sing in my soul to keep myself going when times get tough, and to remind myself to be thankful when the sun is shining.
"To be or not to be, that is the question"
In fact, that is always my question. My Libra / air sign qualities dissuade me from making very many concrete decisions without the proper and necessary or unnecessary deliberations to vet every possible outcome, benefit and ramification of an action. Squarely put, I think too damn much.
So this Saturday, I just woke up and did what I knew I wanted to do before my mind could start working (since it can only work overtime). I went to a great tattoo shop in Adams Morgan, Tattoo Paradise, where Tattoo Artist Shawn Brown (check out his portfolio under the Portfolios section of the site) gave me two new symbols of fresh ink and solidified perspective.
The Nyame Nti
and
The Mmere Dane
One on the inside of my forearm and one on my left ankle taking my tattoo total to a even magic number 4. I love tattoos and can't wait to get another 1 or 2.
The experience is always a good time. In this case, I got to know my artist well and had great conversation (happens easily when you're getting two tats). It's always funny to me that I'm so cool opening up and establishing a bond with someone injecting multiple needles into my skin to inject me with ink. Bring the pain, son!
I love them. They're beautiful.
The Nyame Nti is an Adinkra symbol for God's grace and mercy. This is to remind me to always be extending and receiving that grace and mercy as I interact and communicate with my world around me.
The Mmere Dane is also an Adinkra symbol for time's changes. The only thing constant in the world is change, and as I walk through this life's journey, my prayer and hope is that I am open to the changing nature, the dynamism of life.
Together, they represent the lessons I've learned and lived by in my life thus far. in fact, I've lived by them so much, that they've become my most intimate mantras, my psyche's song, a melody for me to sing in my soul to keep myself going when times get tough, and to remind myself to be thankful when the sun is shining.
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