Love Poetry Volume I

Lovelight DeepLove

he says:
 I enter u

Soul speak sort to speak
Begin climb to eclipse peak
Eyes seeing heart so heart
Leaps .....

she says:
Your eyes like stars
 lighting my neglected light
Soul Searching
hands wander
you trace my curves
with no words
 nothing to say or to be said
as your fingers intertwine with mine
grabbing the bed sheets
We Seek

he says:
silence becomes the place we view this unheard love
it listens as we hone from above
clear coherent climbing to hove
fly float combining this feeling of expressed in symbol dove
peace peeled in each layer of skin
that blends in the brightness
of the night                 

she says:
The Moon lights our Passion filled journey
a silhouette of our flesh
tangled
our tongues dance to each others groove
synchronizing rhythms
of love untold

he says....
Unfolding moves 
Deepening grooves .... It behooves us to take hold of this 
Us bless 
Fresh water wetness .... I pull the breath connect 
And breathing reflects .... Our union depth 
Divine shine 
Ur mine 

she says:
In your arms time unwinds
as our souls  grind
We combine in a Love that's Sublime
It Rhymes
 your eyes melt mine
you're so fine
Your Love refines my shine
Each breath Bliss
licking my lips waiting  for the next Kiss...

he says:
i want to activate this word
 make it love us/
envision us
i want this word to moan
make mind mend
to move to be
i want this word true

This Scribe written by Nakia Santos (@MSKIASWAY and Luqmon Abdus-Salaam @wiseservant Photography by @wiseservant

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   The Anatomy of His Kiss
       ~B. Sharise Moore

His kiss is bone.

 the thirty-third vertebrae

intricate cog of knotted stomach
and butterflied flutter

 time sheet of nerve ending
river of want spilled
over heaping spoon of tongue

 his breath, ligament
and yearn
the slick and the slide

our lips, uneven bars
a perfect purse
of where impossible meets
intermittent dream

 day trader of nibble
lick
suck
sigh

his delicate bite
is a coiling respiration
kickback
pinwheel
a clockwork
respite
from routine
the safest danger

 his skin, a mosaic splash
of Middle Eastern silk hung subtly
across dark copper jaw

 he is fragmented mirage
the unhinging before the howl
makes me a muted
maim of a lover

and

 I can only beg from the
pits of my pupils

 he snatches my speech
catches it between teeth
grinds it to chunk
of unintelligible grunt
swallows
sinks
inch by
inch

 he is
heave and
muscle
and hands held
and tight grasp.
and moan thrower
and gasp hurler
and wind sower
and seismic shift.
and thought staller
and think freeze.
and sane stealer
and heat tweaker.
and temperate boiler
and steam sucker.
and thunder feeler
and faint maker.
and shout bearer
and time meddler
and love peddler
and he is
and he is
and he
is...

© 2011 B. Sharise Moore

=====================================================================

For 3 A.M.

and then the rains came
no overture or prelude
in a higher key than we
as if I'd squeezed the last red word from your tongue
and sunsoft cotton caught each drop

fire to water, heat to sweat
we met on the bridge from fantasy to reality
lost in arms that didn't give directions
staring at eyes that shone no sight

the rains came
washing away
the doubt

By @inVinceWil

By @inVinceWil
=========================================================================

 "The Honey Drips"

 My heart is poundin'

My mind is racin'

Every muscle in my body

Anticipatin'

Therefore, causin' the honey

To

Drip...drip...drip

As he grabs a hold of my buttocks

Then licks around the chocolate cherry

Before he begins to...suck

My chocolate body buldin' up the fluid

Then the closer he gets...to...the

Clit

There it is

Drip, drip, drip

My chocolate body releases the fluid and

The honey drips

Written and Published by Fertile Spirit

==============================================================

come with me

come on and take this journey with me
who cares where we end up lets just go
we can go to the stars or heavens above
to the deepest depths or hells below
does it matter as long as we have one another?
the longer the better so come lets begin
any challenge we can conquer as long as we're together
we'll be each others shield
my strength shall complement your weakness and vi-sa ver-sa
no matter what is thrown our way we will come out on top
i'm willing to put all on the line so what are you worried for?
a journey threw the fabric of reality it self is what i want
to the ends of time and space beyond all reasoning and back
lets go lets go......why wait? lets go lets go before its to late
a leap of faith is all it takes
ill catch you when you fall as long as you do the same for me
we can be the greatest of the great hero or villain
just as long as when the end comes we stand strong together
so come on and follow me on this wild adventure
no telling where we end up but who cares as long as its together
all the new friends and enemy's we meet is only half the fun
in the end will be stronger for all of the trial and tribulations
so come on and grab my hand and lets begin shall we
let the winds of time take us
spread our wings wide and plunge into life's uncertainties

--
Dat TearlessPoet

                            Submission

        
          All I thought of was conquering you

                Forcing you to submit

Another conquest added to the

Admired you for your independence

Wit and intellect

And coveted your physical form

Every trick and move I had

I pulled out the bag

Yet stubbornly you wouldn't fold

I wanted you to be mine

How arrogant was I

Yet you did not shun me

Slowly you chipped away at me

My false bravado melted like frost

Underneath your Spring time touch

Foolishly I thought I was making way

Those times you became distant Like a foreign Goddess

Humbling where these experiences

Stubbornly though I persisted

Yet the goal changed

You remained the focus

But the tactics evolved

I fell in love

And when you took note

That's when you gave into submission

But never a lesser

My equal and my teacher

For love is what you gave me

I was conquered through submission

=============================================================================
 

Moon Stones

I used my phallic piece
As a chisel, and with
Each stroke I carved
A miniature figurine
Encased in her body of onyx.

Her skin is sun-kissed
With baby oil,
A glistening moon stone
Hardened through centuries
Of endurance,
But still smooth to my touch.

She has absorbed the UV rays
From various suns since
The dawn of...
And within her crater
Those rays congeal into
The essence of her beauty:

A moon stone whose illumination

Dims when within my arms,

Only to brighten as chips are flicked

Off to grow into future moon stones.

Give a poet a pen,

A. Jarrell Hayes

http://www.ajhayes.com/apps/webstore/products/show/2122323

==========================================================================

I am so excited that I was able to share my space with Amazing Poets..To all that read this a huge Thank you. Love Light and unstoppable blessings...

Poetry is our Song,
Nakia

Manifestations Of Love and Friendship

     We are truly at our best when we are around people that are happy, healthy and who lift us up. The ones who are not afraid to love us right where we are and who tell us the truth. Who Love us fearlessly and relentlessly.  I have very few people that I call friends than I did a few years ago and the list keeps decreasing. I'm never afraid to cut anyone off and I'm never afraid to discontinue in a relationship that I feel is unhealthy for me. I'm all about healing and I'm serious about mine. Some people will keep you sick and stuck if you allow them to.

      I'm all about diversity and widening my circle in that same sense. I like people who challenge and encourage me to grow and inspire me to keep the bar raised high, however there are not too many that do that. In order for me to stay hopeful I need to be around like minded people, people who are working towards change and wellness. Folks who are serious about the upliftment and advancement of my people.
    
     I love the youth and interact with them often, I learn from them.  I have met many fabulous minds through counseling and community projects. I like people who love not like but LOVE music, culture, art,poetry, language, writing and most of all LIFE. My first time dancing to some deep, soulful house music years ago with someone, was with a brotha from Japan who was full japanese and his energy was contagious and had an afro kinkier and curlier than my own. That's when I really began to understand diversity and how important and relevant it is to survival and getting free from ignorance.
Diversity is a must.

     I'm forever reordering my priorities.  Life gets busy and hectic even confusing at times. Its during those times though that we can't get so caught up that we forget to say "Thank you" to our higher power and to those that Love and support us, honestly and sincerely throughout our Journey. The people that we care about, should know it and should never have to wonder about it or second guess it. The people that inspire me know that they do. It's not a secret.
    
     We have to choose our friendships and relationships wisely, selectively and with Integrity. Never being afraid to disregard what and who doesn't match. This is a great practice in Self Love. Never staying in a uncomfortable place or situation. We have to be free to just BE without all the extra. True friendships are a safe place always remember that.  So remember Love who you Love and don't forget to tell them that you Love them and appreciate them. Say Thank You to them and mean it.

Namaste, Peace, Passion and unstoppable Growth and Blessings
Nakia

A Cuzzin of Yours (@cuzzin_queens)

        ...cuzzin queens is what i go by...hailing from the west side of the
2nd half of the name...a regular man making steps towards fully tapping into my
original self...or die chasing such...3 words i dislike: always, never &
impossible...that is until ive realized dreams are always never impossible...go
figure...
          ...i see people caught within a well-designed scheme to slowly
eradicate us...but i also see souls who glow brightest in the midst of
madness...i see a world manipulated by mainstream media in order to keep folks
entertained...but i also see exactly what they think about me while they're
continuing to do so...i see the jay-z's, the beyonce's, the kanye west's & the
lady gaga's...but i also see the dead prez', the mela machinko's, the bone
thugs-n-harmony's & the jill scott's...i see what most folks would deem a
stranger...but i also see a distant relative...i see how senseless it is to
break the bank to purchase something too expensive for peoples' means...but i
also see the feeling & the joy that it brings them after buying...i see the lies
& biased opinions of damn near every newspaper...but i also see something that i
could use to wipe my ass with if i were to run out of tissue...
       ...i see corruption & tyranny...but i also see fairness & prosperity...i
see asses shaking & titties bouncing...but i also see exactly where 3yr old
trechelle wimberly will most likely refuse to place herself...i see housing
projects as overgrown roach motels...but i also see a place that im very proud
to have come from & survived...i see folks who want to be like others...but i
also see the struggle for acceptance in the face of being broke...i see big
corporations leech the lifeforce out of the masses...but i also see people
occupying wall street...i see how the oppressors are mobilizing, gaining steam
towards what they believe is an inevitable plan...but i also see a growing
number of folks who are awakening, realizing & becoming fed up with the current
& whats to come...i see governments beginning to tighten to noose...but i also
see revolution...i see death...but i also see life...i see you...but i also see
me...in you...lets get it...

Relacing Ships By (ahbseenkwestion)

I am restless. My current bout with insomnia is anxiety driven. Sleep seems
exorbitant when you have so much to do and so much going on in the world around
you. It doesn't all pertain to me but it affects me just the same. People are
doing bad. Some have admitted it. Others are just realizing it. Many still have
yet to grasp it, but these strange times are taxing.
With relationships on all sides of me crumbling like asbestos, I can't help but
hold a deep breath and feel guilty for what I'm involved in. I say guilty
because it's hard to counsel someone who married the wrong person out of
convenience or opportunity if you yourself married based on understanding and
comraderie.  Even harder to try the same approach with several couples on the
same page. So I don't. I stopped trying. A defeatist oblivious to their own
devices is painful when in soliloquy. They're minds are set like concrete though
other people have clearly scratched their names into their surface, while the
core of their problems remains unscathed. They talk to be heard, not to be
analyzed or critiqued. Oddly, they expect you to believe this ISN'T how they
were in the dissolved relationship. Multiply that by 2 and get a good look at
why so many relationships are simply unstable.
It isn't just men. It isn't just women. People are selfish. We live in a society
that has taught us that greed is good. "There's always something or someone
better than what you have now, so get it or them. Take it or them from whoever
currently possesses it or them." " Be loyal only to your ambitions." "Sacrifice
should be viewed as a role other people assume in your life." Oh yeah," get
money." These mantras are easier to subscribe to than Know Thyself because they
ask so little of the subscriber on the introspective level. When a follower of
those particular disciplines considers their wants and begins to rationalize
obtaining them, without considering all of the ramifications, they believe they
are conferring within. They are actually tracing the names written in the
sidewalks of their thoughts. Braille if you will. Most of what they want was
projected into their minds by other people. All of what they need is accessible
through the soul which is a reflection of the All.
So some pound the pavement while others study in the basement. The Scholar of
Society will move as that society moves. If that is out of order, against nature
and contradictory to it's own welfare than so are they. The Scholar of Self will
move as the universe moves. Breathing the same breaths. If that is orderly,
harmonic and complimentary to it's growth than so are they.
Society runs and ruins most of these relationships. The universe just
accommodates them. The infidelity, financial stress, insecurity/self-esteem
issues, domestic violence, psychological domination, etc are all representatives
of this society metastasized through the relationship. These social cancers are
the result of the individual's inability to separate who and what they are from
this extension of society they have been taught to be. They can not diagnose and
operate on themselves because they can not perceive a problem. Normalcy is
measured by a given society. In this society, divorce is normal. A happy
marriage is rare. Under this example, the binding principles of the Universe are
overlooked in favor of the social construct of Separate but Egoed. Yes. It takes
an ego to barrel through life believing that all that has hindered you were the
flaws of others. We all contribute to our conditions. Even in decision or
indecision, we inspire specific experiences to be written on our pages.

It is of the utmost importance to not forgo your obligation to those notes that
amount to your life. They are your truth to be denied or embraced with
corresponding effect. Every relationship you enter and/or exit will be subject
to what you have or have not studied about yourself. Do not train your mind to
support the belief that using wisdom to manipulate others makes you immune to
manipulation. On the contrary, what you don't know about you, you will
continuously find yourself subject to. It is the archetype of the broken
relationship you will continue to build with other people until you stabilize
yourself with reality of your own understanding of you. Believe it or not.

Donald Wooten II is a professional Graphic Designer/illustrator, owner of Hollagraphics Design Services, co-founder of Stolen Outfitters, administrator of TrueIndeed.me, a loving Husband and a Father. He is also @ahbseenkwestion and the Custodian of the #Skyline. His interests are in Self-Mastery, Self-government, Self-Sufficiency and all they entail.

Judgement Call (Decisons, Decisons) AllEyeceeing

Peace, Anyone who knows me knows and understands that I can’t stand clichés and I make it a point to try and destroy as many of them as I come across. One of the clichés I loathe the most is the expression “I’m not judging” or “I don’t judge”. One of the reasons why this is one of my least favorite is because most of the time the one saying it doesn’t realize that at that very moment they are judging, but it can be hard to detect with the naked ear. Ask anyone who uses that expression if they are a good judge of character and I’m pretty sure that they will say they are. Now I’m not saying that I have a problem with people judging, that’s something that’s unavoidable. Whenever you decide to go here or go there, do this or do that, hang around this group of people or stay away from that group of people you are making a judgement. A judgement is nothing more than a decision and in life we are faced with making decision after decision. Your (de)cisions are the instruments used to make (in)cisions or slice thru life so it’s of the utmost importance that we keep them sharp. YOU are the administrator of your rewards and punishments according to your merits and demerits of action. The above statement or philosophy of not judging derived from the misinterpretation or taking out of context the Bible scripture that says “Judge not, that ye be not judged.” Get a Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance Of The Bible or any concordance of the Bible for that matter and look up the word judge and you will never find where the scripture says you cannot judge, but you will in fact find where the scriptures encourage us to judge but when it encourages us to judge it encourages us to judge righteously(John 7:24) and wisely because we will in fact be held to the same standard. 1 Corinthians 2:15- he that is spiritual judgeth all things When I hear people say “I don’t judge” it’s just an indication of a lack knowledge & understanding of one’s self & purpose in life. The same person who makes the “I don’t judge” statement is usually the same one who will say “I’m a Child Of God”. What are we saying when we say we’re a child of God? A child is one who has not attained maturity. A child is also an offspring, a product, or a seed. You were not created to be a child or seed forever. No!, we were created to grow & mature into that which we are a product of. A seed contains within it everything it takes to reproduce all over again that which it is a product of. Just like an apple seed contains within it every property to produce the apple tree and the fruit, so do we have within us what it takes to become what we are a product of and that’s God. So since God is The Force, The Power, The Authority, and The Judge then you & I have within us that which gives us the divine right to judge and exercise dominion as long as we continue to grow. The scripture says “My people are destroyed for the lack of knowledge”, but what is the particular knowledge that people lack that keeps them destroyed? It is The Knowledge Of Self(God). You can only be fooled by what you don’t know or what you are ignorant of, and if you don’t have a thorough knowledge of Self(God) you can be robbed of everything, which is your birthright. It is Satan who wants to keep you blind to yourself and doesn’t want you to judge because Satan fears your potential to gain complete control of yourSELF, destroy Satans ability to influence you, teach others how to do the same, and ultimately destroy this world(system). I’m not going to lie like a lot of people do and say I don’t judge because I know damn well I do. I’m a judge and so are you if you only but knew and I don’t worry about whether or not people are going to judge me because they’re going to do it anyway, whether it be consciously or sub-consciously. Your case will always be pending in The Peoples’ Court Of Opinion as long as you’re in the land of the living. You’re the judge & the one man/woman jury so when it’s all said and done it really doesn’t matter what others have to say about you. You don’t have to wait for Judgement Day because you’re already living in it. YOUR HONOR, WE AWAIT YOUR DECISION! Peace & Love!!! Eye follow on Twitter @AllEyeCeeing I AM the consummate student therefore everyone & everything I come in contact with is my teacher. I AM every possibility + 1. I love simple things like seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching, and YOU.

God In You by (Victorious Jihad Hall)

Today in class I asked my youth what do they see when they first meet someone? They responded with a wide range of answers. Some noted that they first look at their appearance and/or "swag". Others noted that they take a little bit of time to hear their convo to realize if they are intelligent or ghetto. While still a few asserted that they don’t see anything but a person.

I then asked them, "does anyone see and/or feel God when they first meet someone?" They all seemed to look at me with the dazed and confused eyes. I knew it was time to pounce. I asked, "How different do you think the world would be if when we saw people, we actually saw God?" Their faces transitioned into ones of curiosity rather than confusion. I added that if we saw God in all we interact with, it would be much more difficult being comfortable disrespecting, lying or commit acts of violence against someone when God was inside of them. Acts of prejudice and stereotyping would have to decrease because God would be present in our thoughts. So if we are serious about doing God’s work and being of God then we must see God in all. We should feel comfortable in observing the supreme force within our fellow man. God is supreme energy; lets begin to meet and interact with each other from a divine frame of reference. Peace

-Brother Victorious

Born number 4 in a family of 7 brothers and sisters. Raised in a family that valued education and peace. Pops was a mechanic and Moms was a receptionist in a hospital. Moms and Pops was always never on the same accordwith marriage so they split during my formative years but they were always on even ground while raising us. They lived check to check, struggling to make ends meet but my life was rich. My house stayed full with laughter, friends and rich dialogue. My moms would feed the neighborhood and my Pops would pile his station wagon with kids who didn't have a way to football practice. Watching their service to others is what helped to mold me.

They never had a lot but what they did have; they were willing to share with anyone in need. They had no problem sharing God. I watched, studied and observed and now I am merely trying to share what I have been given to those who may need it. Teaching is merely an extension of my life. I have been teaching or mentoring in some capacity since I was 17. Twelve years later, I am ready to extend my energy to a wider audience. My foundation is what has helped to groom me. My mother's strength, my fathers resilience, my siblings wit and ingenuity. I am a mold of my family, community and experiences.

Manhood Piece (wiseservant)

                                  My 9th Manhood development Piece

         Ride with me...

       The reason for the title is that i have written about this more than a few times, have talk, educated, fellowship, cried, hugged, expressed, and contradicted on more than a few occasions. I am a walking paradigm of constant thought on this issue as every day i face a triple consciousness dilemma . Yes i know the Great W.E.B. Dubois termed the concept double conscious ( basically being black in a white world) but I am also muslim in a heightened western world where fear rules. So i am black and muslim in a white world that  literally forces its cultural lens on ones third eye!... so every day i walk this western earth i am reminded of who i am but most importantly want i can not be. the one thing that we have been able to pass down from generation to generation is pain, misery, issues, and sometimes struggle. so how do i become and more importantly not only maintain but excel in my manhood when we live in a hyper masculine society that has also oppressed me. See for so long black men have transferred that oppression from white men in two ways on black woman and children or on themselves....

  let me say this though... being a manhood has a enormous amount of complexities in its development...usually womanhood is deemed complex but the myth is that manhood is not. As a man you have to lead but not too harsh, you have to listen but not too long, you have to act but not too brash, you have to vision but not dream to long, you have to do but don't shot out, you have to communicate but but be clear, you have to be sensitive and find balance for you own inherent aggression. You have to be calm but not too passive, Assertive but not too demanding. confident but not too controlling.... this is the tight rope.... the walk... the balance beam.... to far one way and the negative aspect will have an effect on a loved one or associate. Its such a tug and pull within in manhood, particularly when one denounces the white male standard that symbolizes. This becomes like bile in your soul as you try to rid it from your pores so there can be a healthy balance of manhood represented in your bones...

      One of the biggest mistakes i made was being judgmental... looking at older men in my community, my surrounding, my family and being extremely judgmental.... thinking i am not going to be like that when i get older.... thinking i will not do that when i get older.... not knowing that when you do get older you come across the same pitfalls, the same second guessing.. the same insecurities.. the same demons that you have to fight for they might not be those men who you watch growing up demons but they become your own.. You see children imitate their atmosphere more than they learn from who is there.... this is so true... as you find your self walking the same footsteps as your father... being at the same fork in the road as your grandfather...Then understand the choices they made you may not make those same ones but you understand ....the pressure and stress of American made manhood can crush you at times... and you know what you will always feel your father and grand father inside of you... now imagining feeling that inside of you and not understanding what it is because there where not around...

      Want to know why men leave the women in their lives and their own children? why they don't want to be around the child or be involved in the child's life? its because they cant have the child or woman look at them as a failure. They cant fail !!! For failing in the child's eyes creates damage in a Man... not being able to... and yes its the easy way out and a lot of women don't understand but its that simple.. the best thing i can do for my father now is go and tell him i understand ! when i did that our whole relationship changed, it went from my mother always being in the middle of our dynamic to it being a man on man expression ...

.... i still need to be one though ... be a man.. i need to be listened too.... learned from... respected... i need space and i need to be included... i need to feel i can express my viewpoint and it will be heeded too.... its the balance... its deli cant

i have learned:

1)  when i am with you i must be the best of me and not try to change the worse of you

2)  by being the best of me at all times it will inspire u to change the worst of u

3)  that i must have something in me that is so dynamic that it makes people go wow!

4)  that i must be so humble that it makes people go wow!

5)  that i can always learn even if its from my own children

6)  that there is a place for aggression and a lot of times is not with woman

7)  that there is a place for being sensitive and its sometimes have to be around other men

8)  that manhood is complex and each stage is a serious challenge

9)  that i must have a guide a role model, a man or men in my life that i can imitate when i need to

10)         that my realizing my imperfection is my perfection

11)         that i have to do before i say sometimes and explain what i do a lot of the times

12)         not to take myself so seriously

13)         that i need to bond with other men share expound and cultivate true brotherhood

Luqmon Abdus-Salaam aka btree aka wiseservant aka just a brother who is a poet writer performer educator photoexpressionalist thinker of art and conveyor of creativity and also community organize and does youth development and with all that is striving for all of it is a service
Oh and producer of soon to be released music project BlendedBlue
Twitter.com/wiseservant
Tumblr.com/wiseservant
YouTube.com/wiseservant1
Facebook.com/LuqmonAbdus-Salaam
google +:wiseservant

Blessed Is the Family

Growing up the family connection was the main support system for survival.  I always say that through our families we learn how to be with others, we begin to develop our thoughts ideas and beliefs we also begin to learn how to treat or not to treat people. It seems it’s also the family’s responsibility to nurture us and help us develop, think and form social skills. I think as we grow and develop and things go wrong in our lives we often look back and question our upbringing and find our parents or caregivers guilty, guilty of being human that is.  No matter how dedicated our parents or caregivers could have ever been in raising us there may still always be the need for something more. 

Growing up my Father was and still is a good man, bread winner and one of my role models on so many levels. He was also a drunk an alcoholic on so many levels. He never thought he had a problem because he never missed a day of work. We never lacked or missed out anything. My mother worked because she wanted to not because she had to. He stayed on his job from age 19 until he retired in his 60’s. My mother took plenty of verbal and other types of abuse from my father, for years on end all because she didn’t want to break up our family. However his drinking would no longer allow her to stay in the situation.  Finally she decided that she had enough and divorced him. That divorce was one of the main reasons my middle and teen years were so troubled. Our lives changed drastically. My mother had to go back to college in her 40’s; we also were homeless for a short period of time. I missed out on many things that my father provided for us, that my mother was not able to provide. I was finishing high school, while my mother was graduating college.  Even though we made it, I had a lot of unresolved resentment against my mother for our situation and getting rid of my provider, my father.

I never understood why my father abused alcohol. At that time I had no formal understanding of what addiction even was. I knew that he also had demons and things from his childhood that he needed to fight.  I could spend a lifetime going over things that went wrong in my childhood. The people that reared us had so many things that they themselves had to contend with including unresolved issues and painful pasts.  So many times I hear of how fortunate children with two parent households are. From my own personal experiences some of those children are no more fortunate than children who are in single parent homes. Often times having two dysfunctional parents is worse than having just one. I have shared some painful childhood experiences with people whose parents have died or were incarcerated, or even abandoned them. I have close friends who grew up raised by cruel foster parents.  After hearing their stories of struggle and survival, I look at my disadvantages very differently.  I felt blessed. I realized that there were so many that surrounded me that were raised by uncaring, unloving, self destructive people whether it be their parents or whoever the caregiver was.  Even my parent’s biggest mistakes held no weight when I compare it to what others have been through. They never missed a day of loving me or my sister.

One thing I had to learn was that parents are not perfect and that things are subject to change and without notice. I don’t love my father any less because he did what he knew how to do at that time. Once I began to investigate my father’s childhood I found out that his father, my grandfather who I love and miss very much was an abusive parent and also a heavy drinker.  It helped me to understand his childhood a little bit better and not make excuses for it.  My mother was not perfect either I respect her more than ever today for not staying in any type of abusive situation. Now she helps women get out of their abusive situations. I don’t love either one of my parents any less. Whatever my experiences were they gave their best the best they could give at that time. I learned that we have to take the best that they gave us whatever that was and continue to incorporate into our lives. We have to be forgiving and willing to move forward.

I did family therapy for a few years working with families in poverty for the Head start program. I experienced some heart breaking family situations and also some very wonderful family situatuons. I learned that even children, who were clearly in abuseful and neglectful situations because of their parents, still did not want to be separated from them. That in itself taught me alot about unconditional Love and forgiveness. I love my parents today for who they were and who they are, I turned out just fine. Being a Mother myself, I only hope that my Son will forgive me for my not so perfect moments, for all of the times I came up short. For all the times I didn’t feel like being a mother. I had to unlearn so many things. I hope one day he will extend his father who is no longer in his life the same.

Our roots are a deep reflection of who we are and we can’t be afraid to take a look at those who raised us investigating our families history. Let the truth be told many of us were raised by unstable, unreliable, emotionally unavailable people. Parents who have suffered trauma, abuse, addictions, anger, and grief. People who are struggling with their own personal issues, who are fighting to bring order to their own lives much less to someone else’s.  It’s important and necessary that we put hurtful family experiences in their proper places or they will continue to resurface. How we get along with our families not only depends on them but also on us. When we build a healthy relationship with ourselves taking an honest look at who we are, we can then deal with others accordingly. Then we can proceed with understanding, compassion and grace.

Always remeber to Bless it then Release It

Namaste, Love and Unstoppable Blessings

Peace Nakia

THE INJUST JUSTICE SYSTEM

Guest Blog Post by Jason Ortiz

The family court system often offers fathers seeking more time with their children, every other weekend with their child. Two weekends a month in some justifiable manner that this is enough time to actually provide positive input in raising one's child. That is 96 hours a month, 4 days out of a 30 day month, with 26 other days away from the father.

What can one really do in 96 hours a month? Doesn't seem like alot of time. Then if you take away aout 20-24 hours of sleep and about 3 hours of travel and a couple hours for weekend homework, it sort of weens it down to about 67-71 hours a month. The family court system often stipulates that this is suffice time for a willing father to see his child when they disrespect his parental stance by only allowing him to see his child every other weekend.

The family court system is one of, if not the most gender biased system this country has (particularly in NYC). In this system, there is the willing and wanting father to not just be some part of his child's life but an integral, positive role model in this child's life. This isn't always given to the child and father as too many outside forces dictate and destroy what could be a stronger relationship.

As parents we often say we would do "whatever is best for my child" and yet so many mothers refuse to admit that their childs father should have more time in their childs lives because of personal feelings they may have about a break up or personal feelings about they way the father feels towards the mother. These mothers have lost sight of the promise to do whatever is best for their child and has set aflame a world of vindictive rage that doesn't make the "winner" of some bitte revenge but forces the child to lose on needed parental male bonding for more than these limited hours a month. Of course there are other instances that there are cowardly males who do not step forward and do justice for their children but fo those that do, fo those that fight to see their children and for those that want/need more, there has to be a better justice in such a biased and injustice system.

For example there was a case in Family Court in the Bronx where the judge (who was female) refused to allow the father to see his child(ren) while fighting for custody, despite the mother intentionally denying him this right because "She is the mother and I'm not forcing her to". Now in this case there was not only no charge of the child ever being harmed in any fasion by the father (emotionally, physically, mentally or verbally) but the mother actually admitted he was a good dad, yet, in this biased, cruel injust system, the judge made the father wait 14 months before ordering visitiation which she then ordered to be monitored by the very same mother who was opposing him in court.

Where does the role of fatherhood become of any importance in the Family Court system outside of child support?

There is another case in NYC where the judge ordered for the parents to see the court appointed court psychologist, who in turn made observations of the parents with the children seperately and then spent a considerable amount of time interviewing the parents before making the court ordered opinion on where would the child not only be safest but best place for growth in all facets. The court psychologist made a detailed explanation on why the child is better off with the father and how the mother is not able to provide the emotional support the child needs at the stage in the life the child was in at the time period and the judge clearly said "That's not enough, she is the mother". So I ask again, when is being a Father important in the court system outside of child support?

Isn't it about what is best for the child? In the years of dealing with dead-beats in a society that gloifies in some perverse manner, the negativities we have, we forgot about the great men who stand forward and want to be a continuous role model for their children and are intentionally denied because of gender or because of males before them who have absolutely nothing to do with the case they present before the judge.

Every system has flaws but when our children are impacted and affected, should we not take notice and demand better for our children? The laws have forced dead beat losers to pay child support and sadly losers of that magnitude still exist but we can demand more in a civilized manner. When one enters the family court system, it is safe to say that the mature line of communication has failed. This system should not be used as a tool of revenge but a format to fix a broken line of communication that two adults could not do as mature adults. This system is a last resort to other avenues of fair and impartial lines of communication that broke down. Should you use this system as a form of revenge without putting your child first, you are just as sick and disgusting as the dead beat loser (dad or mom) that refuses to offer self to their children. The system should never used as a pawn on a chess board but as a final line of communication where all attempts failed.

When will this horrible system that professes to give justice, do so for the very children they allege to protect?

Good Morning September

                                          GUEST BLOG POST BY AUTHOR BRANDI L. BATES

Good Morning September,

I've missed you. And as the Autumn Equinox slowly eclipses the shadow of Summer Solstice, I'm noticing that shit I used to be wholeheartedly interested in no longer inspires me. With age and wisdom comes a calmness that is inexplicable. This year brought so many changes that at times I have to question fate and the gods.

This year I've been working on my higher self and with that work came revelations. I beefed up on my social outreach. I poured myself into my foundation and went out into the streets to feed the hungry and teach literacy to at-risk youth. I lent both hands to women and children in shelters. (Boy, is that an experience everyone should encounter!)

You will have no idea how good you have it until you meet a person who has no running water, nor a roof, nor a toothbrush, nor a bed to sleep in. When you stand face to face, and are met eyeball-to-eyeball with a woman who has lost it all, now that's reality for that ass!

I started practicing the ancient Zen arts of meditation and Egyptian yoga, stopped eating meat, stopped consuming alcohol, got spiritually clean, and shattered about 300 years of generational curses. I had an epiphany after going on a 6-week pure natural juice feast. I came face to face with the GOD in me. I unplugged from the Matrix, stopped combing my mind so my thoughts would loc; locked my hair, and hung up my player card. As they would say, "I got 'on' my grown woman."

I made a vow to "Do No Harm," and became an initiate to some of the most ancient wisdom to ever incarnate on this planet, during this age. And not to go too deep, metaphysical, and otherworldly on you, but the shit I've been learning is completely pulling the veil off of 32 years of bullshit that I've been sold and told. Not only have we been bamboozled, but most of us are living an illusion.

Woke up early this morning, strapped courage around my wrist, tied a little confidence around my waist, and picked limitations and stress from my coiled crown. Did a little jig to the tunes of Corinne Bailey Rae, and munched on a Granny Smith apple, pondering what the day would bring. Stepped outside my door and saw a blue sandpaper sky with pinwheel clouds that loomed above, all puffy like Dizzy Gilespie's cheeks. And it was pindrop silent.

Those are my favorite kinds of mornings--when I can inhale and think. When it's quiet and I'm able to just be alone with my thoughts. Magical mornings such as these remind me that even in eternity, there is no yesterday and no time. And I'm reminded of all of man's social constructs, such as space and time, gender and race...the belief that we are bodies toting around a spirit.

How easy it is for us to forget that we are spiritual beings having a human experience...and worse, we have this insane belief that we are limited. Shaped and indoctrinated by the beliefs and traditions handed down to us, we blindly follow whatever we're given without question. For magical mornings such as these, I'm inclined to wonder. I wonder what else is out there that we have no knowledge or understanding about? I wonder what other figments of our imagination are backward and twisted-- ideas and ways of being that we've deluded ourselves into grasping.

I can say that as I grow, I notice that the world around me tailors itself to my thoughts. As if God tailors the universe to fit my situation--sending me men and women to help guide me through the waist-deep waters of life, pitfalls, and obstacles. I know that I've never been alone.

I know that the spirits of my ancestors are just as present as the legions of people surrounding me. And I know that they silently whisper the meaning of the wind to me. And trees, even trees, I have grown to respect trees as being prolific preachers, teaching me life lessons. Such as the power of silence and just standing and knowing that seasons come and go.

You have NO IDEA how powerful you become once you start meditating and doing yoga, focusing on what you want as opposed to the myriad things you cannot control. You have no clue how utterly magnificent you will become when you turn off the tube, put down the bottle, and channel your sexual energy into creative energy.

Fuck balancing equations, learn to balance the fuel of passion, love, and sex into something bigger than yourself. And when you can speak dynamite to granite, pray for something and watch it manifest out of nothing...or spit truth to power--it's orgasmic!

--
Brandi L. Bates
http://www.brandibates.com

“When you do common things in life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world.”

—	George Washington Carver

Staying The Course

New Beginnings
    
     My mother said to me the other day Oh so and so stopped by my office and said she is graduating from college this semester and the only way she made it through is because she held in mind what you told her. So I said WHO is  so and so.?  I had no idea of who she was even talking about. So after further discussion I remembered who this Sista was and what our conversation was about. This had been over 2 years ago when I spoke to her at a Cook out and she has revealed to me that she had lost her job after all of these years and was finding herself in a position where she needed to go back to school after trying to find employment again and was unsuccessful.  She was uncertain about many things, one being her age, another was her teenage Sons and the other was a very unsupportive husband. I saw the torment in her eyes while she told her story. But What I did say to her was to go register for school and not to be held back by what she was experiencing.  She had no confidence in her early 40’s she hadn’t been inside a classroom in years much less a college one, she had so many things to come to terms with, facing and just one thing after another. I also shared with her a little piece of my story she could not believe some of the things I had revealed to her.  I had to let her know that when we feel struggle we are not struggling alone. The only difference between her and I was how I handle things when I’m faced with adversity. So the moral of the story and the bottom line  is that this Sista is graduating from college with Honors. She stayed the course and she kept our conversation her only source of inspiration in her Heart to see her through.

Starting Over

     A very dear Sista friend who I have been friends with for at least 12 years now, went through a complete transition in her life. In a blink of an eye, she found her and her 3 children homeless and on welfare, living in a hotel.  Her loss of employment caused her to lose just about everything except for her mind. Through this time she decided to go nursing school and as I sat with her and ate lunch one day, she inspired me. What helped her was that she had recognized all of her bad choices in her life period and had no intentions on repeating them. She was at a point where she wanted better for her and her children. Life living in a hotel was not easy in one room with 3 kids.  She said nothing was more embarrassing than having a school bus pick her kids up from a hotel. As I sat with her teary eyed her strength gave me life. We talked about the system and how they make it so hard. Here she was worked all her life and needed help and they were making it almost impossible to get it. She never lost determination or hope from that hotel room. She started nursing school making top grades. Eventually she found an apartment and received help paying for it. She even met a decent brotha, who was so crazy about her and her children that he married her and provided a life for her. She also graduated school with a Bachelors degree in Nursing and finished with Honors. The last time her and I met up, we cried and hugged each other for like 20 minutes. She has a brand new beautiful baby girl with her husband and a new spirit a sense of self. She used the system as a resource to make a better life for her and her children, not to stay stuck. She stayed the course. She didn’t let the twists and turns that life presented, ready or not, stop her.

 A Miracle

      When I was 6 months pregnant with my Son I was in a very bad car accident.  I thought that I was ok even though the next day I would find out that there was a tear in my placenta that was more than likely to end my pregnancy involuntarily because my son would not get the nutrients he needed. After talking to my doctor he said I should go on bed rest and let the pregnancy end itself. I hadn’t felt my son move in a couple of days even though his heart beat was present. I was very depressed and discouraged. I didn’t know how I was going to get through any of what was happening. One peaceful car ride to work had turned into an instant disaster possibly changing my life forever.  I had spoken to many people but I needed the wisdom and insight of my grandmother. My grandmother lived and loved long 82 years of beauty and grace. She never had much schooling but her wisdom and insight stretched way beyond any school. She told me that no matter what happened I had to continue on even though I didn’t feel like it, I couldn’t stay stuck in that painful place.  She also told me that the baby was going to be fine and that my pregnancy was not going to end in 2 weeks. She never believed anything a doctor said anyway of how she grew up with home remedies and very little medical care. She asked me “how was I falling apart and things hadn’t even fell apart yet”?  She told me to keep going to continue to pray, continue on with my plans, and to stay focused.  The following week the doctor had called me in to do another sonogram and after reviewing them several times. They could no longer locate the place where my placenta had torn. He couldn’t understand, he said it was a miracle. Maybe,  but I had taken my grandmothers advice I didn’t focus on any of the outside circumstances, not the accident, not my car, not what doctor’s were saying, not even in how I felt or how I thought. I stayed the course. I asked the Universe for what I needed and that was for my baby to Survive and he did.


The End    
     Without Question there are times when Life’s pressures will knock us down, whether it’s expected or unexpected.  But when we are balanced in whatever our Higher Power is and trust the Universe Life, will never Knock Us Out. Most of all we have to believe in ourselves that a current situation, no matter how bad it is does NOT define us. The crisis that was assigned us does not apply. We have the power to change any situation.  Everyday we have to put on our spiritual Armor and be ready so that Even if we do lose someone or something, family, friends, employment, material things, finances a home, that we are better prepared and we don’t lose our way. We Stay the Course.

Don't Give Up and Don't Give In. Peace, Love, Light and Universal Blessings/Nakia