Traveling Uptown on the D Train

4 step on
3 adults and 1 child

Their accent belies

their American attire

Africa / they once called home

It is Sunday afternoon / they
appear to be coming from church

They fill the empty seats
beside me

Rhythms and syntaxes fall

from their lips / African hieroglyphics 

tapping smooth syncopated beats on my ear 

drums, but I cannot discern them

Our chocolate hue silently
testifies of a history interrupted / broken brother
hoods / and the estrangement of sisters…

My American attire belies my full lineage

Although we sit side by side

I am / we are / separated still by an ocean

Lotus Rising (UPDATED)

I

will play big and bold in the world;

I

will play on my terms.

I

will play loud in the world;

I

will play intelligently without apology.

Forever

my enormous feet will change landscapes.

Forever

my hands will landmark the spots where

I've dug, and dreams unimaginable will adorn 

my fingers, like diamonds, and crown my head. 

Love will guide me, arm-in-arm, to that promised land where

my name is Sheba, and all sing 

my praises...

Forever

Soul Reclamation

  In an empty room 

within an empty house,

stands a figure: my Persephone

A feast of colors blooms arounds Her. 

/

            I enter at the back, 

through Her kitchen's door--it's unlocked!

           Her back faces me. Her dress is 

white, terry-textured and embroidered in

           indigo blue; softly it kisses the floor. 

Her back slowly turns to the left, 

           Her shoulders too, 

and Her eyes welcome mine…

\

            I am famished, 

famished from enduring Her enduring 

          absence and barren from our forced 

separation. But I am not too late:

           Her belly grows...

and we are still young.

/

           ... I approach Her.

Her face is mine;

           weariness warmed with relief and desire 

 pour from Her eyes and fill us both...

          My arms embrace Her, Her arms embrace me

and gently we rock from side to side,

          turning in a circle…

REPOST: Friendship for Sale

Friendship for sale! Friendship for sale!
Friendship for sale! Friendship for sale!

My collection of friends, or
semi-friends, or never-were-my-friends,
friends...

are available for sale.

My collection of friends:
deceiving friends, lying friends, back-biting friends, spying friends, always mocking friends, and never letting me live friends. Always parenting me friends, jealous competitive friends, always gotta win friends, take the fun out of fun friends, judgmental friends, controlling, juckin'-n-jivin' friends. Talking behind your back friends, never calling me back friends, laughing at your expense friends, always talking but never listening friends, always right never wrong friends, over bearing and pushy friends, overstepping their bounds friends, unapologetic friends, complaining friends, using me for their own good friends, agenda-seeking friends...

are available for sale.

...loud and obnoxious friends, disrespectful friends,foul-mouth and ungrateful friends;
always-have-to-be-the-center-of-attention friends, codependent friends, provoking friends, unloving friends, low self-esteem friends, low financial means friends, going nowhere friends, extreme friends, unbelieving friends, two-timing friends, childish friends, arrogant friends, greedy friends, spoiled friends, nobody’s friend friends.

are all available for sale.

I am moving out of the neighborhood.