Morphological Confetti

“Back in the days when I was young…I’m not a kid anymore but some days I sit and wish I was a kid again.” ~ Ahmad I’m going to take you back to 1985 when I was in the twelfth grade. A senior! I was one of the coolest brothers in high school. Yes, I was cool. You should've seen me! I was sportin’ my favorite burgundy Lee jeans with all white, shell top Adidas. You know I had to have my striped burgundy and grey fat shoelaces and steel taps on my heels so that you could hear me coming down the hallway. If I was outside I had on my burgundy and grey pull over windbreaker and cap with the words, “ Stevie B ” written in gold across the front. As I said before, I was cool. *smile* My best friends were Roby Rob, “Kiterio” Jay-rapping-Al, and AJ (aka Boot). My music was R&B, DC Go-Go music and the beginnings of Hip-Hop on a national level. In DC we were listening to Go-Go legends like Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers , Experience Unlimited (EU), Trouble Funk, Rare Essence, Pump Bl...

The day was Saturday, August 20, 1955. Mamie Till rushed her son, Emmett down to the 63rd Street station on Chicago’s Southside to meet Uncle Moses.  It was a southbound train going to Greenwood, Mississippi. “Now remember what I told you Emmett,” Mamie said with her soft voice and sad eyes. Mamie told Emmett about the rules of Jim Crow and how to conduct himself in the Apartheid south. “Never look them in the eye, Emmett and always say yes sir/ma’am when you have to speak.” She told Emmett about the separate water fountains, separate restrooms, and separate restaurants. She told him to look for the signs that said, “Colored.” “Look for the signs, Emmett!” “Okay, momma. I’ll be alright.” Mamie would not be there to protect her son so she emphasized the peculiarity of the place. I imagine that Emmett gave his mother an assuring smile, but even asserted his manhood as he boarded that train to Greenwood, Mississippi. She probably gave him a shoebox filled with her home fried chic...

The line for open mic night at Busboys & Poets here in DC. It was packed with beautiful people. My brother Thomas and cousin Gary in line. Thomas (far right) is waiting to put his name on the list for open mic. I just thought that this was interesting and funny. This is located on U street in DC.

Good morning! I hope all that reads this post had a great weekend. This weekend was so busy for me! I think that we were a little over booked for functions, but we worked it out and went to the ones that were more important to family and friends. The highlight of the weekend was our church’s 5th Anniversary cruise on the Odyssey (Click post title). The Odyssey is a floating restaurant that cruises the Potomac River. Our group included church members, a band, and a gospel group out of Philadelphia. They were fantastic! The singing group consisted of older gentlemen between the ages of 50 and 70. They were harmonizing and singing the songs that my grandmother would listen to while getting ready for church. They took me back to Sunday mornings in North Carolina. I enjoyed it a great deal. Also, my younger brother is visiting with us. He pulled in from Atlanta yesterday. It’s always great when he comes to visit because he brings so much positive and creative energy to our home. He sta...

I honestly had no expectations as we approached the Sotterley Plantation visitor center, but suddenly there was a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. I stopped to hold my stomach, and to try and detect what the problem could be. My wife was ahead of me; she turned around and asked if I was ok? I didn’t want to worry her, so I said that I was fine. I started walking again and the sick feeling increased. “I have to find a restroom!” My wife turned around and, again, asked me what was wrong? I admitted to her that I felt sick. She looked around, saw a restroom, and pointed in its direction. I made a quick dash. I came out of the restroom not long after and I felt a little better. I blamed it on the breakfast that we had an hour before at Bob Evans. Well, we finally reached the visitor center. I went in and purchased two tickets for the tour that would begin at approximately 1 p.m. We had almost an hour to kill, so we looked around at some of the artifacts and buildings that...

These are photos of the slave cabins on the Sotterley Plantation . The original cabins did not have shingles, windows or a chimney. These things were put there for aesthetic reasons and for overall preservation. The cabin that is pictured here was constructed around 1850. We were told that there was an old woman that lived here well after 1900. (Click post title to find out more).

I took a couple of days off to explore the Maryland coast. This a really nice trip because I have never been to the Eastern Shore and all the places that I read about in history like Cambridge, Maryland where Harriet Tubman was a slave. They have an African American History museum dedicated to Tubman in that town, but it was closed. As a matter of fact, the days or hours of operation were not clearly posted. We also had a chance to see the Chesapeake Bay along Solomon Island. It was beautiful. The people there were a bit strange and seem to lack social skills. Perhaps they have been ill treated by tourist so they really just look past you as if you are not there. I still had a nice time just traveling with my wife. The highlight of the trip was a visit to the Sotterley Plantation in Hollywood, Md. I have never been on a plantation so I was very interested in experiencing that first hand. We arrived on the plantation an hour before the tour would start. Plantation Flower There were onl...

I'll be taking a vacation from my blog so I won't be posting for a few days (That doesn't mean I won't be writing). :) Perhaps I can come back with something interesting to post about when I return. In other news: My birthday is on Sunday, Aug. 13th!!! Yes, exciting! So I will be celebrating this weekend. I felt that I should mention it now because I won't be online for the next few days. Yes, I am soliciting birthday wishes. *smile* Anyway, I'll see you soon and I'll be back with more morphological confetti. Well, I gotta hit the road! Peace~

I wanted to share with you guys a little of my family life. Over the weekend, my family got together for a little reunion. My uncles, Mack and Carlton decided that the family doesn’t get together enough so they invited everyone over for some good ol' southern cooking. I’m talking they roasted half of a hog. You ever heard of a “pig picking?” I realize this may be disgusting to some, but some of y’all out there know exactly what I’m talking about. Yeah, Soul food! There was corn on the cob, mac and cheese, cornbread, fried chicken, grilled chicken, ribs, string beans, collard greens, pasta salad, and baked beans with strips of bacon across the top! Haa haa!! I mean a real trip to the doctor, but it was so delicious! Oh, and you can't live in the DC/Maryland area without trying some of the Chesapeake Bay's finest crustaceans! Yes, Crabs! This was also a chance for the family to meet my wife because I was just married at the end of 2005. They loved her and they loved the Sout...

Poem: Untitled Big momma put on a pot of slick bones with biscuits in the oven ! We got any molasses ? Definitions: Big Momma - Grandmother Slick bones - Pork Neck Bones Big Momma’s homemade biscuits and a bowl of molasses - PRICELESS! © Stephen Bess 2006 Art: Acrylic & Marker on board This is one of my many attempts at art. I did this piece in 2001 while sitting in my apartment on a Saturday afternoon. I was playing one of my favorite cds, Muddy "Mississippi" Waters Live [LIVE] and this was what I came up with.

One of my favorite Jazz songs is by a Chicago Jazz great, Ramsey Lewis. This rhythmic, toe tapping, hand clapping piece is a song called, The "In" Crowd . One of the best versions of this song was performed in 1962 on Washington, D.C.'s famous U Street (Black Broadway) at a place called, Bohemian Caverns . This version of the song is featured on a cd titled, 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Ramsey Lewis. Ramsey Lewis would go on to win a Grammy Award for that "Live" recording at the Cavern. Well, enjoy your weekend. As you can see I have music on my mind. Perhaps I will get a moment to listen and enjoy. Peace~

This is a photograph that was taken in North Carolina off of Hwy 125 South. I had a little fun with it on bitmap. I know, I know...I should be working. *smile* Peace~ Click picture to enlarge

I recently picked up a book at the used bookstore near my job. I know…that’s nothing new for me, but this book was old and the title immediately caught my attention. The title of this book is, Eneas Africanus , by Harry Stillwell Edwards. I said to myself, ‘what kind of animal is this about with a name like Eneas Africanus?’ I flipped through the book and read the dust jacket. I found out that this book is about a man. I immediately became interested enough to purchased the book for $2.00. Author information: Favored Southern American author, Harry Stillwell Edwards, first wrote this as a series that ran in the Macon Evening News in Macon, Georgia (of which he was also part owner and co-editor). It was considered his most popular work. As a matter of fact, the series was so popular that it would eventually be published as a book in 1920; it sold over three million copies. Grosset & Dunlap, Inc. republished the edition that I have in 1940 and it became popular all over again in the ...