Morphological Confetti

"The truly creative mind in any field is no more than this: A human creature born abnormally, inhumanly sensitive. To him... a touch is a blow, a sound is a noise, a misfortune is a tragedy, a joy is an ecstasy, a friend is a lover, a lover is a god, and failure is death. Add to this cruelly delicate organism the overpowering necessity to create, create, create -- so that without the creating of music or poetry or books or buildings or something of meaning, his very breath is cut off from him. He must create, must pour out creation. By some strange, unknown, inward urgency he is not really alive unless he is creating." -Pearl S. Buck, novelist, Nobel laureate (1892-1973) I love that quote! I know that there are many of you out there who feel this as artist, photographers, writers, etc. I know I do. It is the end of July and I am getting my submission ready to be sent by tomorrow. I know that tomorrow is August 1st, but better late than never. Be blessed and don...

This song has been in my head all day. The Hip Hop Trio, De La Soul, takes me back to college around 1989 to the early 90's. The members of the group are: Kelvin Mercer (Posdnuos, Mercenary, Plug Wonder Why, Plug One), David Jude Jolicœur (Trugoy the Dove, Dave, Plug Two) and Vincent Mason (P.A. Pasemaster Mase, Maseo, Plug Three). They put the Hippie in Hip Hop and I was one of their disciples. Believe it or not they are an influence in my writing. So, all sing along to my favorite song while the pocket transitors are playing! Have a great weekend! Peace~ Album title: 3 Feet High and Rising (1989) Song: Plug Tunin' Dove: "Dazed at the sight of a method Dying at the death of a neverending verse Gasping and swallowing every last letter Vocalised liquid holds the quench of your thirst Reasons for the rhythm is for causes unknown Different individuals are dazzled with the showbiz Auditions are gathered but the soul would just rather Hold a count at three and in the end leav...

This is a picture of me and my grandfather. I asked him to take this picture with me and he told me to wait so that he can put on a hat and jacket. **smile** He's responsible for a great deal of who I am today. He crossed my mind this morning. That means that we have to call him today. This picture was taken last Spring. He is now 87. Excerpt from previous post: I don't care what question I asked he would always mention the car that he owned around that time. I asked him about the time that he asked for my grandmothers hand in marriage in 1945. He responded with, "I had a green 1938 Chevrolet." He did mention that there was another girl that wanted him to marry her, but he wanted my grandmother especially. He also talked about the best car that he'd ever owned. It was a 1966 Dodge. He said that he paid for it in 8 easy payments from a private owner. Please click link below for entire post. http://civileyes.blogspot.com/2005/08/early-times-spent.html

I'm at home today. There was no daytime television or afternoon rendezvous for me. Nope. I didn't feel well enough to go in. I heard someone say once that they had "anal glaucoma." In other words, I couldn't see my ass going to work today. :) It's all good though. I accomplished much. Peace, ya'll.

I had a chance to attend Artscape this weekend in Baltimore. Initially, I was supposed to go with my wife, but went with my cousin and road dog, G Bess instead (That's him pictured above). I had a great time! I also got in touch with fellow blogger and author, Stephen Earley Jordan ll, ( Bougie Black Boy ) who was in the Baltimore/Washington area visiting his sister. Side thought: Funny, I've never met a guy online. I’ve met a girl or two (shhhhhh…don’t tell my wife) online back in the day, (Black Planet, etc.) but never a guy. So, Stephen you're my first! Wait...wait, that didn't come out right?? It was cool though. Stephen came with his sister and we had a great time! We engaged in great conversation and lots of people watching. I saw very little art this year compared to last year when I attended the event with my wife and daughter. It was all about hanging out and hitting the food stands. I was hungry after walking around so we hit the Jamaican stand for ...

Nelson Mandela is 88 years old today. I know that readers would expect to see a picture of Mandela based on the title of this post. No disrespect. Personally, I could sketch Mandela from memory because I've seen his picture and image so many times. So, I decided to post a picture of my lovely wife instead. Besides, she's a native daughter of South Africa and she represents Mr. Mandela well in his philosophy and struggle. So, happy birthday to you Mr. Mandela. May God bless you and allow you to see many more. Also, check out Blackprof.com for a wonderful tribute to Mandela. Kgotso!

Washington, D.C. has many attractions that are east of the river. Wait. I should clarify by saying that this is east of the Anacostia River. Specifically, east of the river in DC means the gentrified remains of George Clinton’s version of “Chocolate City” (i.e. The Hood). Some of you may not realize that DC had/has a thriving Black community that has been here since the turn of the 20th Century. My family has been here for about four generations. The city is changing now that some poor blacks are being forced to leave because of new developments (condos, cafes, etc.) and others are choosing to leave for more yard space in the suburbs. Besides, we do love our BBQ’s and family gatherings. Then, there is Fort Dupont Park, The rock on the ridge located in the heart of Southeast Washington. For the past 30 years, Fort Dupont has been a place where family, friends and lovers can go to listen to the best in Jazz, Blues, Soul, and R&B. The best thing about it is that it’s FREE!!!! Yes, FR...

Yesterday, I attended a book signing for Jamaican author, Colin Channer. The event was held at the Charles E. Sumner School Museum And Archives located on 17th and M streets in NW Washington. Channer was promoting the recently published, Iron Balloons: Hit Fiction From Jamaica’s Calabash Writer’s Workshop (Note: The workshop is designed to mentor and guide young Caribbean writers who are interested in a career in writing). The event was sponsored by Vertigo Books and scheduled for 6:30pm. I arrived a little after 6pm and found only one person sitting in the auditorium. I suspected a “cp time”(colored people time) event, but it’s understandable because people were coming from work. I found a front row seat until the program started. I have never met or heard of Colin Channer prior to Monday, but I recognized him right away when he entered the auditorium. I was on my cell phone at the time, so I gave him a smile and nod. He acknowledged my greeting with a smile and went to the back to ...

This little fella almost made me give up curried goat because he was so cute. Funny...you should have seen how one of my uncles was looking at the goat. As a matter of fact, they are looking at each other, but my uncle is cutting his eyes at the grill. LOL! You can see his hat above at the left bottom of the picture. As you can see the goat is quite curious about my camera. This made for a great mug shot.

Today is such a slow day. I am sitting at my desk trying to get some things done, but I am constantly drawn to my blog and writing. **smile** So, I am writing this just to satisfy my urge. Also, I am thinking of my deadline for submitting a poem/poetry to a journal or magazine. My goal is by the end of July. I haven't been published in over 6 years. My first published article (outside of college) was for local newspaper, The Washington Informer on a piece about a local Jazz club here in DC, HR-57 Center for the Preservation of Jazz and Blues . I interviewed local Jazz great and historian, Nap Turner for that piece. I was so proud of that article! As a matter of fact, I recently thanked the paper's owner, Denise Rolark Barnes for publishing that for me. She didn't remember, but that was cool. It was my first time being paid to write. Well, I'm going to stop here to prevent myself from rambling. Do something constructive with your day and pray. This goes for you whether ...

"Tag! You're it:-Post six weird facts/habits about yourself. These cannot be used against you later on.-At the bottom name the six people you will tag next.-Leave them a comment to let them know they've been tagged and to read your blog." This was a message that I got from Stunuh . I, of course, tried to avoid it but she insisted. So, here are 6 weird facts/habits about me. Believe it or not: 1. I usually pretend that I’m a tap dancer whenever I’m standing on a tiled floor while wearing dress shoes. I really don’t know what that’s about? 2. I sometimes fantasize about eating a bucket of chicken and a slice of watermelon in front of a crowd of racist white people. In this fantasy I am finishing each piece of chicken and throwing the bones at them while they laugh. 3. My first kiss was with a brick. Allow me to explain. I was 12 years old when I first attempted to kiss a girl in the hallway of my apartment building. I closed my eyes to kiss the girl, missed her entire ...

Feeling black and blue Delicious brain freeze (Mango Daiquiri)

I often write when I am inside a lounge or small club with tables. The atmosphere is so charged that it becomes inspiring. This is what I came up with on Friday night at The Meeting Place here in DC. The Meeting Place Men…traveling alone Un-attached Attached to many Too many to count So many strokes that His tip lost count Creeping... Seeping into A state of less than Possibility of love Condemned No deliverance in sight Citing authorship of promise keepers Remembrance of lustful emptiness Joined by lies accompanied with afternoon brunch Menu: Doubles and Salt-Fish Beverage: Ting The sweet, pungent smell of meaningless sex Meaning less than salvation or Greater than pleasure Meanwhile, life is still in motion While his brain cells soak in a glass of Vodka splashed with cranberry