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Showing posts from 2022

Toodles to 2022: What to Leave or Not to Leave?

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  Toodles to 2022: What to Leave or Not to Leave As we approach the deadline of an existing year, we always hear, see it shared and shared again amongst the feed of our social media accounts or we may even wonder ourselves, “What are we leaving behind?”. So, I questioned myself, “What am I leaving behind in 2022?”. Hmm. With no scientific hypothesis or elongated deliberation, I’d say nothing and no one —only the 365 days and 8,760 hours that are impossible for me to relive. I have my heart and mind, beautiful storage of collective memories, to recap the little pain and disappointments underneath over-weighted joy that the best of this life can bring. I have 1,901 Google photos, 230 videos and 8 new contacts to tell me the new and old places I’ve been, the new and old people I’ve seen and all the new things I’ve done. Countless invitations and a list of no’s, disregards and yes’s to jog my memory about my purpose and principles here on earth. Deep down inside, I wanted to add my

PAD Challenge Day 30: TimePiece

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PAD Challenge Day 30: Write a moving on poem. TimePiece If I was time, I'd move the way it moves. Digitally and circular motion I'd groove nonchalantly through the days of your lives. You'll look up, see me in a different zone or gone. Wasted or not, I'd still be precious to your God given sunrises and sunsets, the sweetest taste between your dear life and death. Keep you thinking of me. Keep you wishing  you could turn  my hands back  for another time. Keep you wanting synchronization in all of your daily intervals. Keep you arranging your life around my ticks and my tocks. Keep you watching me until the day you cherish me for all the times I'd passionately extended my seconds for a few minutes just to donate hours for you to excuse yourself from ole' past times and grow with me. Or will you assemble more excuses in this present time? Knowingly, knowing that I can run out on you, without you ever counting on me

PAD Challenge Day 29: The Last Good Girl

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PAD Challenge Day 29: Write a The Last "Blank" poem. The Last Good Girl I used to feel like the last girl good standing until I met other good sisters like me. You know the ones that had mothers and grandmothers that clothed us in sophistication; Ordered us to not just sit pretty but to revolve like the Earth around the sun; Implanted knowledge in our gray matter for better yellow days ahead; Marked our foreheads with holy oil to keep the lurking demons away so they couldn't steal what has been stolen in their youth; Gifted us Precious Moments to remind us our precious and young we truly were; Passed down wisdom like soul food recipes and great-great-great grandmother's Princess rings and brooches; Outlined their flaws like laws for us to memorize and fear to commit; Told us if a man couldn't see us during the day, he wasn't worth seeing late at night; Showed us their bucket of tears after ungodly days and nights; Demonstrat

PAD Challenge Day 28: See Saw

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PAD Challenge Day 28: Write a sight poem. See Saw I love when you and I sit eye to eye without seeing doubles so that we can see through what we saw in us and others. Every so often, we may not see eye to eye in this universe but we see it thru and all the eyeful of things, whether together or apart. Through our lows and highs; you see me as I see you. And still, as I see you, you see me. Without excessive force on us, we see clearly ahead without losing sight of each other or seeing over one's head just to keep this love thing balanced out. D'ElegantOne

PAD Challenge Day 27: Prose Remix

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PAD Challenge Day 27: Write a remix poem. Prose Remix What kind of poet would I be if prosed but not performed? What good would the content be if I let it rest in print? No memories of lyrical imagery and storytelling  full of guiding light, when all I have to do is double my courage, meet and greet the mic  and  suit up in rhythm to let my love for poetry pump outside  parallel lines. D'ElegantOne

PAD Challenge Day 26: "Red Roses" and "Black Orchids"

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PAD Challenge Day 26: Write a love and/or anti-love poem. Red Roses You planted twelve in my hand, I returned seven because all you ever given me was more than a half of your love without a demand or a query. Black Orchids I don't want us to be hated by them anymore. I don't want us to show hate to us anymore. Haven't we suffered enough? Haven't we perished enough? Haven't we flooded streets like rivers from crying too much? With little rain, sun and soil left, Isn't it time to respect our roots? Isn't it time to appreciate our seeds? Isn't it time to nourish and heal our stems? Isn't it time to flower ourselves ahead of four seasons? Isn't it time for everyone to love us just for our lucky seven sepals? Our black Lives Our black Skin Our black Hair Our black Features Our black Culture Our black History Our black Excellence The way they are..... D'ElegantOne

PAD Challenge Day 25: SMS

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PAD Challenge Day 25: Write a response poem. SMS I'm too grown for mixed feelings and mixed vibes. I rather have mixed drinks then to undergo a mix up with what you're not sure of, where you wanna be, what you want, what you need, and with whom or where the conversation  is not flowing so easily  and you and your effort is a no show. It can't be that  hard to reply before you hear little today and go silently more tomorrow where your quality  time has low quantity. Questions unanswered. Special days forgotten like 30 days old passwords. And I'm left feeling like my feelings are filling up dark circles before the lights of you. So, I have to withdraw from replying to you. If I wanna go back and forth, like I can't read  what was read, I'll stand in a mirror and play charades alone. With that said, here is my last text, so long! D'ElegantOne  

PAD Challenge Day 24: My Sheroes

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PAD Challenge Day 24: Write a superhero or supervillian poem. My Sheroes My superheroes did not inherit capes nor could they fly but they were fly in their ebony skin of all shades. They produced sweet black fruit from their own roots. They were first of many  and second to none. They wore braids as symbols of their heritage, status, and African tribes; Rocked afros as their standard of beauty and black pride; Doobie curls and pressed tresses when addressing the world they didn't choose to live and defend; Locs as a rebel of strength, spirituality, and power; Headwraps to protect their crown under the sun or before they laid their heads down after celebrating the love for being nubian. Their superpowers were transcendence and resilence. Their voices stretched higher then their raised clenched fists. They were more than power to the people. They were fresh flesh and bones waterhosed down and spit on at sit-ins where they marched and fought for freedom, ju

PAD Challenge Day 23: All of a Sudden

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PAD Challenge Day 23: Write a conspiracy poem. All of a Sudden You know when to speak when spoken to. You went from smiling between your teeth to smiling in my face-- low balling, black balling and brown nosing to ass kissing because I advanced to the head from a seat at the table. D'ElegantOne 

PAD Challenge Day 22: To the Naked Eye

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PAD Challenge Day 22: Write an organism poem. To the Naked Eye My charming brown oculars believe you're the most beautiful specimen on earth; You're too impossible to duplicate. Every feet and inches of you is a present; A heavenly decadent gift worth more than a promising upkeep. Homemade chocolate made out of distilled love that has me so geeked up to see you. I wish I could see your  father's eyes ; thank him for implanting his seed; And place flowers in your  mother's hands; thank her for  hosting the  richness of you in her womb because the delivery of your African descent is the sweetest sample I've cradled, sampled, and wanna withhold like a baby's scent. The first DNA I didn't want to degrade or smear under objective lens just to scan and adust  for your true colors to take shape. Frankly, I rather decline  the use of a  compound, an electron, dark field or fluorescence microscope because You're organic and fine just

PAD Challenge Day 21: Cha-ching

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  PAD Challenge Day 21: Write a sound poem. Cha-ching For the love of money, people tend to do the most treacherous things. They’ll tell a tale Sell some tail Exploit themselves Pimp their spouse and kids Execute a block for drug bids Pay you to remain on “the hush” Extract their soul from in God we trust Cut out the middleman and still cheat you Rob you to pay another brother Place a price over your head then send another brother to check for a silent pulse to make sure you’re dead.....   Dead as the dead presidents God knows people love Big Bens but nothing ever stops them from being lovers and friends when it comes to Jacksons, Lincolns, Washingtons and Hamiltons.   We all want ‘em. We all need ‘em. We all can’t survive without ‘em. And when we got ‘em, like Big said, “mo’ money, mo’ problems”. With money coming and going, PROBLEMS PROBLEMS we can’t always solve ‘em.   To hell with change, Jay-Z and JD said “money