My Unborn Child

Forgive me, child
I have ushered you
Into a place that will try
To kill your initiative
And drain your power

But remember that I gave you
Reserves that replenish
When tears fall
And hurt steels
And confidence wains

I am your father
My Father gave you
As my unexpected gift
Before I could see
The outline
Of your forming self
I loved you

I am your example
You will see my
Accomplishments
As stepping stones
To your easier walk
In a tougher life

I wish that your path
Could be easier than mine
But life does not work
In retrograde

The Master set the path
And its speed
It is my job to teach you
How to make your way

I will teach you, child
I will bare my soul
And open my heart
You will be equipped
And I will be your shield
Shoulder
And spring

That, my child
Will never
Ever
Change

From the Mouth of a Living Legend

Tragedy has often been the impetus for great literary work in America, and this moment joins a list long and heavy with the wealth of love and spirit and expression in the history of our words and our writing.

Professor Nikki Giovanni:

Art Is Life

Shai made me think about my love of hip hop culture and what I feel about the youngsters who are screwing up the culture's good and the music industry that is pimping it like a mega-ho turning tricks only in gangbangs (my words--not hers). Listen and watch the godfather of the rhyme, Gil Scott Heron, as he speaks on that subject and some straight talk on some parts of his life.

Life and Its Circular Journey

All this death, such tragic passing
Makes me wonder if the caged bird
Should shriek louder
Death is not freedom to a tortured soul
Suicide is not a gateway to celestial
Cancellation of debt

Life is a circle
Death is the meeting of points
But the journey from point Birth
On the orbital path of existence
To the final stop of Death
Can be peaceful
Tortured souls just feel
All the bumps along the road
And forget that vehicles
Outfitted with shock absorbers
Even stop more precisely
And smoothly
God, grant me the serenity
To aid the hurting
While I walk my walk
Without succumbing to their grievous
Hurts

Is the Consummate Black Man the 21st Century "Holy Grail?"

Four beautiful ladies gave my last blog post some great comments and opened a few questions that I'll ask individually over the course of the week (thank you, sistas!). This is not a single-gender question: I EXPECT MY BROTHERS TO SHOW THEIR STRENGTH ON THIS ONE! The question of the day is my subject line: is the consummate Black Man that women often write powerful poetry and pen silky-smooth erotica to describe/glorify/worship a REAL MAN? Does EVERY sister want the Corporate Ruler with strong street swagger? Are blue-collar men some step DOWN to our women?

Please remember that we're here in POSITIVITY as well as in TRUTH. My blog will never be a place to demean or libel anyone. We all need an oasis in the desert.

Ladies and gents, what say ye?

A Question for the Ladies...

I'm a man who loves a woman who is that age-old combination of a "lady in the street and a whore in the bedroom." Ladies, what kind of man "gets your mojo on?"

Do you go for a the old-school straight-to-the-physical kind of man?



Or do your tastes beckon for a more classic kind of gentleman...



Do you like the sensitive type?



Or is your ideal man the androgynous musical type?



Ladies, let a brotha know!

CapCity Tagged Me...and I Must Answer!

What main lesson have I learned in the month of February?

REMIND the world that history is something we should never ignore. The world repeats its mistakes when it ignores the past.

What bad habit do you want to rid yourself of this month?

Procrastination

What are your favorite muses?

Poets who bring their souls on ice, allow life to thaw those souls, and then pour their essence onto pages of cold truth...respect to every single one of you!

Name one thing UNIQUELY DIFFERENT that you recently discovered about yourself?

My mind

What is your definition of passion vs intimacy?

I see passion as the power that drives intimacy. Intimacy, the complex conversation of emotion and communication that joins two hearts in friendship and love, births passion. The same passion that drives a Marine in combat never to leave a fellow soldier behind in battle moves a friend to maintain close contact with a distant crony. The bond formed by intimacy is empowered by passion and maintains the core strength of the heart-ties.

What are you currently vibing to?

Evidence, THE WEATHERMAN
Jaguar Wright, DIVORCING NEO 2 MARRY SOUL
Miles Davis, BIRTH OF THE COOL

What are your favorite gadgets?

My Sony Vaio, my Fusic phone, and my Palm w/GPS

What would be a perfect date with the person you're thinking of right now...

Sitting on a beach and burning a bonfire as we eat some grilled seafood...talking about the millions of subjects we find so easy to discuss...and bringing her home to continue the discussion with a different kind of language...:-)

Last book read?

BLINK by Malcolm Gladwell

What would you re-name it based upon your perception of the storyline?

VIBE: The Way We REALLY Understand the World

How many times a day do you look at your blog or the blogs of others?

I WISH I could say that I read blogs daily.

Who's your favorite blogger or spot you find lurking around most often?

CapCity owns two of my favorites. Check my links to see one of them.

If you were to live the opposite sex for the day what name would you give yourself?

Say what?

Describe yourself in 3 adjectives?

Strong-willed, contemplative, and grounded

One goal you set for yourself for the month of March?

I DID IT: I wanted to see more of my family here in California. My grandmother's fight for life brought us together on the last day of the month. God works in mysterious ways, indeed.