Listen

  

Seems to me like our past goes unheard and we forget to listen... remember...

Southern trees bear a strange fruit,
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root,
Black body swinging in the Southern breeze,
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.

Pastoral scene of the gallant South,
The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth,
Scent of magnolia sweet and fresh,
And the sudden smell of burning flesh!

Here is a fruit for the crows to pluck,
For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck,
For the sun to rot, for a tree to drop,
Here is a strange and bitter crop.

Grandmother

  

The power of prayer is working strong.. Grandma is hanging tough.. Her last words to me today as she lay in intensive care were "be careful and I'll see you tomorrow."

God bless my grandmother, Alzata Moorings...

Avalon

  

Sometimes when eyes connect there can be an exchange between two people that renders one or both of them helpless or in this case...wanting? I pulled up to a neighborhood corner, waiting for a chance to make a right turn. The traffic was pretty heavy and parked cars to my left made it almost impossible to see when I could safely make my turn. Then as I looked to the left a strikingly beautiful young lady came into my focus. Our eyes locked; so much so that she stopped for a split second before continuing on. She smiled and then she looked down. She walked in front of my car and I watched... She had short hair, almost looking like a twenty something year old tomboy with green shorts and top to match. Her body was tight, sort of athletic looking. Her face was somewhat innocent...Her eyes were light hazel. Her skin glistened with little sweat beads due to the extreme hot temperature outside. She looked like she definitely needed to find comfort in an air conditioned room.

After passing in front of my car, she stepped up on the sidewalk and again looked in my direction. She gave me a bashful smile. I'll call her Avalon; named after the street she was walking on. The picture above is actually her, blurred out to protect her not so innocent way of life. Somebody called out to her and she turned to the left. It was an older man sitting in a beat up Toyota. That was also the moment I snapped the picture. I turned right and caught Avalon again looking at me. Our eyes connected long enough for me to say something and for her to know exactly what I said. I mouthed the word, beautiful. It froze her in her tracks as though I'd given her a shot of oxygen that she didn't know what to do with. She seemed like she wanted to cry. Maybe no one has said that to her and meant it without wanting anything but to see her take that compliment and store it some place in her heart.

That last moment as we made eye contact felt like the longest two seconds ever. I continued on as I could see Avalon in my rearview mirror. She got into the car but I'm just hoping that whatever she felt when I said that word which seemed to give her life, continued to linger inside of her long enough to force her to think about what she does with her body. What I saw in her today wont last very long as I imagine each moment after accepting a ride only deadens her spirit until there's nothing else left but to live unconsciously without any ounce of caring. Unfortunately, if she continues that's probably the best and only way for survival.
Ride safe, Avalon...

Eye on a little more...

  

The fire beneath a man that gives…

From time to time, the fire burns low.. The inspiration teeters back and forth between full blown and fizzle.. You find yourself seeking, searching; hanging in places where discovery is close to nothing. You can have fun; yes. You find the kind of rhythm that puts a smile on your face with lust splattered against the walls of your mind but you never exit feeling fulfilled… You hang in locales where the decibels are high and all that glitters holds you down long enough to keep you busy for the weekend but then the 9 to 5 grind returns and reminds you what’s missing… Where’s the purpose? Where’s that reason for wanting, fighting, striving, climbing, desiring that which you crave but hate to admit even to yourself that you crave this? And then you see the reason walking by… A new spark in your lifetime journey… A little hello turns into a question mark. Her whole vibe got your mind swimming; trying to figure out the best approach as if she'd put a brand new spin on living.. You want to show her something unique that has you standout as one of those never-had-a-man-like-this-before-dream-come-true's... A challenge you sometimes ache to demonstrate as a natural born reality.. I grew up so that I could love but along the way I met tragedy, game playing, triflin behavior, selfishness, poor judgement, fantasy, and those winding curves that blur your vision leading you down highways of stupidity but not for long with a good heart and enough wisdom to put patience before desire... The waters are calm. The river is flowing.. I'm thinking clearly and soaring; lifted up by the wings of chance and determination.. I'm ready to let you know what I want, once I find you and once you show me you're brave enough to listen and wont run when you begin to feel... something... And I leave you with this feeling, hoping for the chance to continue this conversation as one heart to another...

I was thinking about you the other day and thought I would send you something that was a reflection of those thoughts...

Salute

  

A salute to my friend Kim who is making the move to Atlanta and will soon become a southern girl! I can hear the Frankie Beverly & Maze song already playing in the background. Kim got a little southern twang in her voice already but that sound comes from South Central LA! I guess she's about to add a little something extra to it pretty soon.. LA will miss her and I will too...

Q

  

I found this questionaire on the My Space page of a fabulous lady with an incredible website and warm personality... Yes indeed.. If you want some incredible music in your life, checkout HoneySoul.com! This questionaire is cool.. short and to the point.. I couldn't resist after reading Honey's responses...

The Pivot Questionnaire

1. What is your favorite word? Weird
2. What is your least favorite word? Neat
3. What turns you on creatively, spiritually, and physically?
Creatively: Music, art, and a flowing couple of sentences that give you a whole chapter's worth of thought...
Spiritually: Peace and connecting with a woman through conversation... Physically: Presence, voice, and a great walk...
4. What turns you off? Constant complaining to the point where I know what you're gonna say before you say it because you say the same shit every day!
5. What is your favorite curse word? Seems like shit pops up the most frequently...no pun intended...
6. What sound or noise do you love? Music, silence, a woman's voice when she's tuned in who she is, a woman moaning, and water...
7. What sound or noise do you hate? Angry voices, crying for reasons of pain, Kem singing that song that I hate..lol.. *wink*, and car horns...
8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Photographer
9. What profession would you not like to attempt? Politician or anything that requires I not be real with my own reflection..
10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? "I'm not so sure they got it but you were the perfect example of a man that knew how to love. I enjoyed watching you on your journey through the highs and lows of each moment. You had a good heart."

How do you catch a fallen angel...

  

The door was unlocked; the living room empty. I felt a breeze from behind. It pushed me further inside. Actually, it wasn't that strong but something about that cool air caressing the back of my neck inspired me to take a few steps forward. That's when I heard music coming from one of the rooms. The cool jazzy sound was like a satin rope pulling me in the direction of where it came from. I couldn't resist. There was turmoil flowing through my veins like an uninvited guest who knew better than to step foot inside a place they'd never been before. That was me; uninvited. I didn't know why I was there but I was-there. The music was oh-so seductive, yet a little bit sad. The beat was mid tempo and yet it hypnotized you into timing your steps, carefully... The voice was familiar. It sounded as if she were singing with pain in her heart, clutching whatever she wore as if trying to rip her clothes off. She was one of those beautiful legends that you wish whoever knew her could've done something to save her... Still, inside this house I wondered who was in the room keeping company with the voice of that songstress from the past. I almost didn't want to turn the corner. I'd reached the room where the music was playing. The words of the song at that moment were "I can't take this living all alone..." and then I heard the sound of someone fighting back tears followed by the ruffling of paper. I looked inside and found a fallen angel sitting on the floor. She was releasing everything she held inside of her onto the page in front of her. I couldn't see what she was writing but I could only imagine how it echoed the sentiment of the song that filled the room. It was Phyliss Hyman's, Living In Confusion. I was at a loss myself. I didn't know what to do.. How to proceed and/or how to intrude... A moment of rescue.

A few days later I had lunch with her. We talked. Her smile was guarded. She appeared embarrassed but thankful. We parted with a hug and said goodbye. Recently, she sent me a card from North Carolina that included a picture of two kids and a man standing next to her with a smile and spirit that glowed as if he were born again. This time I was able to read her writing very clearly. She wrote:

Thank you for intruding. *smile* I'll never forget what you did for me. I know its been a while since we've been in touch but just know that you will forever remain close to my heart. Even in your silence that day as you struggled to figure out what to do, you still inspired me. I smile at the memory of your nervous hand reaching out to wipe my tears and I laugh when I think about how you warned me you were going to give me a hug as if you thought I would punch you. I've told my husband about that day and he thanks you too. Maybe one day you'll visit and we can all smile together... You could fill the empty space that would make this picture inside complete. That of a dear friend. A man who can inspire a woman to try life again. I can't thank you enough...

Sincerely,
Sabrina

All Day

  

Errrrrrr....day! Pick it up... Checkout the review below..

Saturday

  

Sat-urrrrr-day

  

Tis Saturday

  

Saturday

  

My Life

  

It's been a minute since I posted anything about the book so I wanted to share a review that came in today from Urban Books Review. This is a good example of quite a few cool reviews I've been getting despite the ONE review recently where the young lady was real mean to me and had absolutely nothing constructive to say..lol.. Thus, her mean spirited review gets filed under "T." But anyway, peep this out as I'm really enjoying the diversity of the reviews. Each person has a slightly different way of talking about my story and each person seems to point out a different scene(s) as well... This story has so much to it that no review has yet to touch on every aspect of the journey this young lady is still on(sequel in the works)and that's a good thing... Surprises keep you staying up all night. *smile*
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Leesha Tyler’s main goal is to leave LA. She wants to leave the hopelessness of her childhood which her own mother is a part of. Leesha and her mother are always at odds especially when her mother runs after no good men. When her mother decides to move in her latest loser boyfriend, Leesha decides its time to move on and make something of herself. She wants to move to Atlanta but first she needs the cash to do it. Leesha soon comes up with a dangerous bank robbery plan and involves two of her close male friends to get the money she needs. All of those plans could change when she finds out a devastating secret about a close family member that will change her perspective on life forever.

My Life Is All I Have is a powerful novel by V. Anthony Rivers. Rivers did a masterful job in telling this story through the eyes of Leesha Tyler. I felt the frustration of Leesha about her home situation and how through it all she still wanted to make something of herself. I also felt the anger and sympathy she felt for her mother. I would love to see if Leesha makes it on her own and if her mother ever comes to her senses. This author really showed how making the right or wrong decisions can determine the path of your life. This novel has the perfect blend of grittiness and deep emotion that grabs the reader from the first page and doesn’t let go. My Life Is All I Have is gripping and insightful. V. Anthony Rivers is definitely an author on the rise.
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