What Does It ALL Mean?

Please help me out with these: murder/suicide (steroidal-induced); a law to repeal the balance of "race" in schools; an heiress walks - with no more than a slap on the wrist; Libby is in effect "pardoned/forgiven"; valid indications point to the mis-information about Black Men being on the down-low, infecting unsuspecting female partners with the package; the plight in Africa, while obtaining celebrity notoriety has for the most part fallen to an after-thought; more violence killing our young men & women in a country where they do not belong-in a place that has no more significance other than that of an obsessed ignorant tyrant-why are the still there - who has the BALLS to DEMAND they come home, YESTERDAY? I get migrains trying to make sense out of any of these things. A man living 2-3 blocks away from me drowned his 4 & 6 year old daughters in the bath tub, then hung himself. WHY? Hell, if that was the intention, why not do you first? I'm sorry to get off on a rant here but the world get's uglier by the second. I want the Idyllic, though based on fallacy Days back.

Imus

I'm sure it's not news for everyone, however a radio personality IMUS made the most heinous remarks about the Rutgers Women't basketball team. (This team team kicked ASS throughout the tournament) Imus, in a broadcast called them "hard, tatooed, nappy-headed hoes"; not deserving to represent the state of New Jersey. Livid does not even come close to my reaction. Al Sharpton called for his resignation; many others wanted more than his lame apology; some wante his head on a stick. I heard something interesting from Steve Harvey on his morning radio show: he said he couldn't give a damn about Imus; his beef is with the rappers and the portrayal of Black women in such derogatory terms; he blames them as the culprits for allowing an Imus to even think he could go unscathed with such ideas, let alone send them through the airwaves. Me personally, I'd like to know the sponsors of the Imus radio shows and hit them where it will hurt the most. Boycott their products. Take a stand; show some loyalty and Monetary Power. I agree with Harvey, the negativity endorsed by many from the hip hop culture, leaves a lot to be desired. I'm not saying ALL hip hop, but TOO much of it. How do we begin to turn these perceptions around? Is it too late? Has there been too much damage?

SISTER MY SISTER

This is for ALL my sisters; especially the one who celebrates her birthday on the 6th. Please keep in mind & heart: SISTER is UNIVERSAL. Happy Birthday to all you Aquarians & Happy Day to everyone!

SISTER MY SISTER

Flesh of my flesh. Blood of my blood.
Be it night, or be it day,
Whenever blackness tries to darken my way,
You are there,
Carrying crosses meant for me to bear.
Sleighing dragon meant for me to greet,
Acting lamp, unto my feet.
SISTER MY SISTER.
Giving sight when I am blind;
Direction when I seek to find,
Peace in my heart & Rhythm to life
Freedom from struggle and strife,
Safety from doom & dread,
A watchful EYE above my head.
SISTER MY SISTER
Muse of Beauty, Kindness & Fun,
In my heart, second to none.
GATE-KEEPER of lock and key
To common wisdom. Endearing mystery.
Fire to ice. Deepest earth, highest sky,
A raging wind propelling me to fly.
SISTER MY SISTER.
Know that each sunrise as each sunset
Brings with it a "No-Can-Lose" Bet:
You're never alone. Time cannot blister,
The LOVE you have from
SISTER YOUR SISTER

HAPPY MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DAY

We Celebrate A People

(A Tribute in Honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.)

Forced to learn a language, without essential tools
No teachers! No books!No need for any schools!
STILL. They Learned!
Counted as 1/5 human, disenfranchised as such,
Their need to have a voice would not be hushed.
A fire was Hot.
A rope was Tight.
Nevertheless A People would Die for their Rights.
INALIENABLE RIGHTS. GUARANTEED.
Regardless of Race, Religion or Creed.

We Celebrate A People that WOULD,
when James Weldon Johnson said:
"Lift Every Voice 'til Earth & Heaven Rings"
A People who UNDERSTOOD,
when Maya articulated exactly
'Why The Caged Bird Sings'.

We Celebrate A People
A SPIRIT no shackle could chain;
A SPIRIT no cracking whip could wane;
A SPIRIT Jim Crow Lawws couldn't break.
A SPIRIT no living thing could take.
We celebrate the riches of our Heritage,
the tenacity of our Ancestors & the Hope for our Children,
As well as the Legacy of Determination bequeathed US.
To all of this we cling,
And in so doing:
WE CELEBRATE A DREAM & A KING!

Questioning Time

I don't know why but for some reason I am becoming almost morbidly preoccupied with "Time". How much do we collectively or individually have left? Is it an arbitrary concept? Are the most secure people those who live for the here & now? Or the those who meticulously plan every second? There are those who don't consider time: how much, how little, how long, how short, almost ZEN. They tend to "ride-the-wave"; que sera sera; like the song says, "whatever will be, will be - the future's not ours to see". Is that true. If we spend our lives planning for a tomorrow that may or may not become a reality, have we wasted our energies & efforts? Is it defeatist to entertain any of these thoughts? Is it cynical to expect little in order to avoid disappointment? Do we reach for the stars and in so doing negate any sense of humanity and compassion? I am just finding myself debating this quandry of time. What exactly is its importance? I would imagine the terminally ill would have one perspective that would dramatically differ from one who has the WORLD on a string - TRULY BLESSED & HIGHLY FAVORED. Which one might I be? Which one are you? Peace & Love, micki

New Year

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!

A special thanks to Christine aka Counselor for responding to my SOS, originally sent to the Dragon who delegated the request to the Counselor. Successful or not, I thank you both.

In retrospect 2006 was not great. I had to say a permanent "Good-bye" to both personal friends and friends in my heart & mind. In many of these good-byes I had to deal with a burden masquerading as guilt. I've been told many times, by many people that the burden of guilt has no place in "My Reality". Not helpful. One particular "good-bye" involved that of a 21-year old who was the granddaughter of the Love-Of-My-Life who had passed years earlier. This young lady at age 8 was sexually assaulted; at age 11 prostitution; at age 13 drug addicted & living on the streets; at age 19 HIV positive. Her gradfather was the one person she could always count on - the one she called when she was in trouble, which was often. He left her a key in his utility box, outside of the house, so she always had a place to sleep. She hardly ever used it but I say all this to say: she had a hard life & harder death. She was found in an abandoned house, strangled by her own vomit, which I suspect was the result of an overdose. This was one of the hardest goodbyes I had to say. I made a silent promise to her grandfather of his deathbed that I would always look out for her. While I did try, I can't help but think I didn't try hard enough. I couldn't save her. Maybe no one could have. Basically, my point of this blog is Life marches on rather we are prepared or not. I'm hoping 2007 is better. LOVE & PEACE

Holiday Spirit

This time of year engenders a vast array of thoughts. Loved ones that are near and far. Loved ones that have gone from this earth. Loved ones that are new to this earth. In addition, most of us are endowed with "The Spirit of Giving". We want to experience the Joy. The expression on a child's face; the surprise on the face of a relative receiving an unexpected gift; the sheer gratitude of a stranger who had taken for granted that he or she would not be receiving anything of a Yuletide nature. The feeling of literally BLESSING THE LIFE of another human being, rather you are related to them or a complete stranger to them, is a natural high. You don't lose the high even when the season has ended. Even if you don't have anything to give, surely you can donate some of your time. One year I spent just two hours passing out donated toys to children suffering with AIDS. At the time, I didn't realize how abandoned these children really were; no families; no visitors; no one to say "Merry Christmas". Still, they were amazingly happy. Content with a wrapped gift considering many of them never had one; when the volunteer Santa arrived, they were ecstatic! Seeing their reactions served as a double-edged sword: on one hand it was Wonderful (their excitement) - on the other hand it made me more depressed than I'd ever been. One more thought, if you've lost contact with someone and you've been thinking about reaching out but haven't made the time: DO IT - a good friend of mine passed last Sunday - I had been thinking of going to see him; I just didn't make the time. So I guess what I'm saying is: 1.) HAPPY HOLIDAYS! 2.) if you have any free time between shopping, cooking, celebrating reach out to someone/anyone who is alone. 3.) spread whatever joy you can - no matter how little or how much. It's amazing how a little means a lot. BEST WISHES TO YOU & YOURS. Much Love, micki