Photo of the Day: Old U Street

Ben's Chilli Bowl on U Street in Washington, DC (Photo: S Bess 2006)

Forget about the present situation, these were the Pre-Obama days in DC. Gentrification had not fully enveloped the U street corridor at this point. Ben's alley wall was blank and there was nothing happening "Next Door." There were still a few business left from the post-riot days; however, everyone knew that it was coming. The one hundred year cycle was over! The place was changing. DC was changing. My life was changing. Things are very different now in 2017. 

~ Peace

DC Black Arts Movement: Harlem Connection

Are you aware of the significant contribution that Washington, D.C. made to the Black Arts Movement (Harlem Renaissance) of the 1920's? It was 1923 and the wounds of slavery were still infected. A movement to showcase the resilience and creativity of a people was just the thing to help in the healing process. Two Washingtonians come to mind when I think of Washington, D.C. during the Renaissance and they were composer, Jazz pianist, and bandleader, Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington and writer, Jean Toomer. I am especially proud of Duke Ellington because he formed a group in 1923 called the Washingtonians that stormed Harlem that year. The name of the group was not especially creative, but it certainly showed that the Duke's heart was still in Washington. Duke and his band eventually landed a gig in the famous Cotton Club on December 4, 1927. Their popularity soared afterwards and secured them a place in Jazz history.

In 1923, Jean Toomer impressed the literary world that year with his publication, Cane. This mixture of poetry and prose based on his experiences in Georgia and Washington, D.C. had instant success. There was also a young lady at that time by the name of Gwendolyn B. Bennett (1902-1981). She had also spent a significant time in Washington before moving to Harlem. Her poem, Heritage was published Crisis magazine.  I came across her name after doing a search on "little known writers of the Harlem Renaissance."
I found her poetry to be heart felt and very lyrical. This is my favorite:

To A Dark Girl
by: Gwendolyn B. Bennett

I love you for your brownness,
And the rounded darkness of your breast,
I love you for the breaking sadness in your voice
And shadows where your wayward eyelids rest.
Something of old forgotten queens
Lurks in the lithe abandon of your walk
And something of the shackled slave
Sobs in the rhythm of your talk.
Oh, little brown girl, born for sorrow's mate,
Keep all you have of queenliness,
Forgetting that you once were slave,
And let your full lips laugh at Fate!

Photo:  Heritage Trail poster on U Street by S. Bess

25 Writers Meme

I was tagged by Geoffrey to name 25 who have influenced my writing. There are some you might find surprising, but I thought of it carefully (with the help of my bookshelf) and came up with the following:


1. Richard Wright
2. Paul Laurence Dunbar
3. Ishmael Reed
4. James Baldwin
5. Jean Toomer
6. Langston Hughes
7. Ernest J. Gaines (pictured above)
8. Fydor Dostoevsky
9. August Wilson (Playwright)
10. Octavia Butler
11. Toni Morrison
12. Zora Neale Hurston
13. John Henrik Clarke
14. Sterling Brown
15. Irwin Shaw
16. John Donne
17. William Shakespeare
18. Oscar Brown Jr (Singer/Songwriter)
19. Edwin Torres
20. Clifton L. Taulbert
21. Curtis Mayfield
22. William Faulkner
23. Bill Withers (Singer/Songwriter)
24. Joseph A Walker (Playwright)
25. Kahlil Gibran

Honorable Mention: Jesus Christ (Holy Spirit) who is with me everytime I pick up the pen.


(Note: The names are in no particular order. Also, some of the names are song writers.)

Now, I'll have to tag 25 bloggers. Here's my list:


Barbie's Rants-n-Raves
Conscious Thought
Get Zapped~Pearls of Wisdom
Lessons Learned
Mwabi's World
NML is Tired of Men
A.E. Roman ~ Writer
CapCity
Cathy Delaleu~Poet
Kei's Revelation
Kofi Conde
Lovebabz
NosTheGameToo~Poet
Poetic Pin
Pop Musicology
The Trials and Tribulations of Jenelly Bean
Torrance Stephens
Uncle David's Poetry
Urban Butterfly~Poetry
Yasmeen Christian
Soul Aperture
Sugar-n-Spice
The Fulfillingness of Nina
Wandering Caravan
Bougie Black Boy~ Author

Mocha Hut: Your Move In DC

I hung out at the Mocha Hut Saturday afternoon on U street here in DC. This place is really cool. It has great atmosphere, comfortable seating, gracious host and a delicious breakfast menu that includes delectable snacks! I had a really good breakfast/brunch while I was there. I went there to meet my cousin and his friend who were engaged in a friendly game of Chess when I arrived. Well, I thought it was friendly until the young lady would get frustrated with the game and knock over the pieces. LOL! :) She did this about 5 times as I sat there eating. I would just laugh everytime and she would give me that one trembling evil eye. **grin** She was a sweetheart afterwards and we talked a little before I went out to do a little exploration. It was a nice day and I got a lot of good shots in and around the neighborhood. I'll have to share some more with you soon.

Your move

How High?

"I am not less poet; I am more conscious of all that I am, am not, and might become."
(Jean Toomer, Writer-1894-1967)

Jean Toomer was an American writer during the Harlem Renaissance. He would become famous for his book, Cane in 1923. It consisted of short stories and poems that was inspired by his 4 month stay as a Teacher/Principal in Sparta Georgia.

Jean Toomer was born December 26, 1894 here in Washington, DC. Although Toomer's racial mix included Dutch, Native American and a couple of other spices from the mixing bowl he was classified Black by law because that mix also included African blood. This little racial misunderstanding would bug the hell out of Toomer for the rest of his life, but that's another blog. Today I want to briefly touch on Toomers quest for higher consciousness under the teachings of philosopher, George Ivanovitch Gurdjieff (click title for more info). In 1926 he had an out of body experience on a New York City subway platform. Yeah, I know that doesn't sound too out of the ordinary for New York, but this experience gave him a sense of higher consciousness. In other words, he became acutely aware of his spirit as something completely separate from the physical. He had a sense of becoming one with his spirit while navigating through his physical body. He compared it with being his own puppeteer that was controlling his every move. He also became aware of others who were experiencing the same level of consciousness (I know that this sounds a lot like some really good "smoke" or weed but it isn't). 

He could quickly pick them out of a crowd and the two spirits would connect for that moment. He described it as a strangely wonderful feeling. This is something that is often experienced by different people on different levels, but Toomer's experience lasted 2 weeks. I challenge anyone to attempt to see themselves and others beyond the physical. I've done this on occasion and, for a moment, it makes me forget about color and ethnicity. It was weird because I began to see the body as simply a host to something that is beyond my comprehension.

Works Cited

Toomer, Jean, and Frederik L. Rusch. Jean Toomer Reader: selected unpublished writings. Oxford University Press, 1995.

Book Sweet Book

"I have lost all sense of home, having moved about so much. It means to me
now--only that place where the books are kept."

John Steinbeck, novelist,Nobel laureate (1902-1968)

I am feeling this quote! Jean Toomer, American writer and thinker, also considered himself "locomotive." I've moved around quite a bit in my life as well, but I have finally settled down in one place. Really, I have. Besides, I have the bookshelf to prove it.

Locomotive Reflection

Jean Toomer, 2oth Century writer, described himself as "locomotive." He said that it was difficult for him to stay in one place. He moved around from a very early age and it continued thruoughout his life. Jean Toomer died in 1967 and past that locomotive spirit to me and many others. I can't seem to stay still for more than a couple of years. Some might say that I have a restless spirit or that I am unstable. Others might say that I am adventurest and inquisitive about the world that I am in. I think that I am just locomotive. I haven't had the experience of traveling the world much since I left the Navy. I couldn't appreciate traveling then. I don't care where my ship, the USS Theodore Roosevelt would dock I would get off and look for the nearest MacDonalds or some other fast food joint. Nowadays, I like to think of myself as having more sophistication when it comes to traveling. Now, I would instead look for a TGIF or Bennigans. :) No, I would try cuisine that is part of that culture and community.
This weekend I am going to Chicago. I will be nestled just off the South Shore in a friends Condo. I love that town! I've even considered moving there. While I'm there I will see the sites and partake of local cuisine. I will devour all that it has to offer and appreciate the moment for what it will be. This will be my last entry until my return on Monday. Have a great weekend and be still until I return. Peace~