Let....

let it be. just let it be and let go. let her have her way, then let go of it once and for all. let her have her way, then let a sleeping dog lie. let it be okay. let it be. let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with you. let up on the gas and let your mind wander. let yourself go. let your hair down; let it swing free and easy. let yourself have a break now and then will you? let yourself live again and love again. if someone has let you down, let it pass. let bygones be bygones. let the truth be known, now and forever. let the bells ring and the chimes chime.
--from 365 Words of Well-Being for Women by Rachel Snyder


and this has been part of the growth lately...just letting go...not letting folks walk over you or take advantage, but loving people where they are in their life at that time. not letting life get to me, especially the things i have no control over. to not hold grudges...to forgive others...more importantly to forgive myself.
just let it be and let go....peace

Haven't Listed In Awhile...But Still Always Grateful...

--for He & She always present, always blessings, always Grace
--for everday you get just a lil' better...hold on beautiful warrior
--for a great weekend and bonding even more with my team...crazy butts
--for being friends, and not just teammates...priceless
--for the inspiration and the fire put under our behinds and in our pens...WOW
--for you and the smile on my face you are responsible for...not ready for this
--for you trusting me...it will get better...but you are the one who must change sir
--for my new poet's bag all the way from across the seas...its hot!! my other bag is pissed at me for putting him away lol
--for knowing when to walk away...even for a moment
--for having the right music for every situation...why isn't this stuff played on the radiowaves?
--for you wanting to spoil me...thank you for appreciating me
--for vulnerability
--for the women in my life...never can say this one enough
--for the laughter of all 3 of my children in the same room...what else can i ask for
--for crazy text messages to make me laugh, cry, smile, and laugh again
--for remaining in the moments...its the lil things that count
--for 6 weeks to one of the best experiences we will have together

www.getwellshannon.com

write sister...
we are waiting
to feel the fire of your phoenix
the sun pales in comparison
to the fierceness piercing
from your warrior gaze
continue to write at His
at Her feet
oh the stories you will tell
when you return
please don't keep her too long
we still need her here
so write sister...
we are waiting

Leap....

close your eyes and step out over the edge. leave behind the baggage that will weigh you down. stretch farther than you beieved you could. gather your courage; you'll need it. let go of every one of those twenty-seven reasons why you can't do it. drop the concepts of failure, of success. just do it. know that you'll fly or you won't. the ground isn't that far away-and if you create a safety net before you go, someone will somehow break your fall. maybe falling is okay. you're not jumping off Mt. Kilimanjaro; you're simly testing your reach, bridging what seemed to be an impossible chasm. sell off your furniture and take a trip. cut up your credit cards. become houseless for a while. ask the children's father to take them for a month while you write or train or sing or sleep. ask again. move far away. leap.
--rachel snyder

right now...at this moment...this is where i am in my life...at the fork in the road...at the edge of the cliff...with toes gripping the edge and the wind calling my name.......

Lead...

if you were born to be a leader, lead! take the lead if it isn't given to you first. blaze the trail. usher in a new era. lead your people, lead your generation, lead us all into the promise of a new tomorrow. when the people lead, the leaders will follow. take the lead position and give others a target to aim for. lead the way to victory; lead the way to freedom. if it has always been hard for you to follow, now it's the time for you to lead. take one woman by the hand and lead her to a life of peace. lead her back to herself. if all the world's a stage, we need our leading ladies. and that means we need you now, more than ever, to lead.
--from 365 Words Of Well-Being For Women by Rachel Snyder

first, i must say a special hello and thank you to ms. snyder...if you haven't noticed she has been visiting and commenting on my blog. first time she responded i was like oh wow, then i was hoping she wasn't upset at me posting from her book lol.
i know so many of us have absorbed her words to heart, and some have even purchased this wonderful lil' book. both were my intentions for starting the posts. so thank you for stopping by...and i hope you guys will check her out on my list to the side.

second, the last few sentences of "Lead" are so important...start with taking one woman's hand and lead her back to herself or lead her out of a bad situation. i remember the ones who did this for me, and i will forever be grateful. i told myself a long time ago, i would always do the same for others...so one at a time, grab those hands, go back and get another...then another...and yet another...until the healing is done...and in turn we heal ourselves, don't you think?

Today of course..and everyday....

--for the Creator & She...always close, always love
--for one helluva team this year...the passion we have for the words...despite the game of slam
--for the beautiful women in my life, and the things we teach one another...and the hands clasped together
--for the smile on his face when he speaks of her
--for my magnificent children...thank you for allowing me to be your mommy
--for starry nights and listening...just listening
--for trusting me...for trusting you
--for the way you look at me and smile...but we know...we know it is not our time
--for music that makes me holla and be damn if i keep still
--for letting go, peeling off just a few more layers...now breathe
--for you slowly coming into your own lil panther...thank you for allowing me to witness the growth
--for rachel snyder visiting my blog lol with a good comment (check her out)
--for the people in my life...damn i am blessed
--for my creative hands
--for this life...tis good, tis good

sweetness she is...

you taste like home
like after sunday dinner's dessert
sitting under grandmother's glass cake dome
teasing me with anticipation
the sweetness of lemon cake crumbles
melting on my tongue benediction

beautiful brown
make love to my hands
with skin softened by wisdom and time
in chocolate divinity
allow me to drown

...work in progress...aren't we all

his words...poets are dangerous (lol)

(not my words...wish they were though)

A free verse moment (just wanted to give you something from me)

Let me capture you in my wings…
Help you to see the things…that are already there
A ball of positive energy burning deep within
A heart that has holes from leftover foes
Who made promises in the color of blood
And then killed your insight with false prophecies of love
Let me help you release and be free
To reach the peak of your existence
To pitch a tent against the wind…
Meditate under the stars
And start allover again
Because you are that sun…
That lights my inside with words to live by unknowingly
You have captured the flow in me
And others that have crossed your path
Live for you and never focus on the past
The new you that knows how to hold, how to feel, and how to take control
Of those who come against you
I have been in your shoes…that have been worn by ancestors before us
When you love like we do…evil comes against us
It’s the natural law of being unnatural...
For we breed the same flow…walk the same road of being different
Let’s combined energies and ignite
Let your wings take an artistic flight
And fly poet fly….just fly
The weather is beautiful up here

An Impossible Girl

Funky Mike's writing assignment: after listening too "Delilah" by The Dreseden Dolls, we had to write about an impossible girl...either she is impossible or an idea or situation is impossible.
i wrote about myself, speaking to myself, trying to save myself....

hey you
yeah?
we need to talk
about?
us
what about us?
i am tired of holding us together
this multifaceted woman
with cracked dimensions
self seeping slowly from salted fissures
depleted tape
tears slowly curling edges
sew tear ducts close
allowing them to retreat and fill empty heart chambers
cleanse the sticky residue of him
always searching for lil' boy lost
in every man you meet
the fixer
the healer
while you fall apart
tearing at the seams
stranger's kisses are not glue
warm nights only leave cold mornings
salvation will not be found between legs
no matter how many times you call God's name
get off your knees in prayer
he is not the bread of life
eat
all you want
lick the crumbs from in between fingers
all you want
gorge on his existence
all you want
you will always remain hungry
hardened bodies don't allow soft flesh
to fall to safety
only the sickening sound of a dull thud
like jumping off the edge
knowing he will continuously cut the cord
yet you expecting one day to fly
i need for you to fly
i need for you to fly away
with me
with splintered wings, tattered seams and all
you know the ones you've hidden in soiled pockets
full of pennies
because he didn't care about thoughts
yes those...
i can't promise i will catch you
but try anyway
you impossible girl

Da Week N Da Weekend Full of Gratitude...

--for trusting my instincts the Good Lord and She blessed me with...just got to listen
--for a week of abundant cash flow...always a good thing
--for being able to spoil my babies even more so, because of the extra...definitely a great thing
--for pizza, telling it like it is and laughs with 2 of my favorite people...priceless
--for the poetic family growing and for the family returning home...a blessing seeing you two on the mic again...NEO NEO WHAT!!!!
--for the cutest teacher directing our practice...natural leader
--for my pen calling me again
--for our real nice conversation at the bar...nice to finally meet you
--for the excitement of the new baby coming to fruition...say what?...SAY ANYTHING!
--for unexpected phone calls to keep me smiling
--for the way you and i "talk" without speaking a word, or when distractions come around, how we catch each other's look and laugh...yeah you stuck with me too
--for my lil' black panther always down to party...she fits everywhere
--for saying i am "wife material"...lol...why thank you ma'am
--for beautiful mild days and cool nights...why can't it stay like this
--for crazy storms watched from safe open doors, and tornadoes staying away from my house...even though the sirens went off
--for this life of mine...i am truly happy and most truly blessed

Laugh...

...laugh when it all becomes so ludicrous there's nothing else to do. laugh big, deep laughs that open up your throat and your lungs and your belly. laugh alone, laugh in concert with other laughers. at the movies, laugh when no one else laughs--and let them wonder what they've missed. laugh at your own mistakes, your own foibles, your own foolishness. laugh in the face of fear. laugh until you cry, laugh until you have a stomachache. let laughter be your medicine, your companion, your music of joy from within. laugh in school or at work or in church. get up and leave the room if you must. laugh in public. bend over laughing, fall to the ground laughing, roll on the floor laughing. start an entire room laughing, start the whole world laughing. and don't stop until you have the last laugh. she who laughs, lives.
--rachel snyder

i think this simple verb is one of the most important things anyone can do. just laugh no matter what! feels so good when you are laughing so hard, tears are flowing and you are begging for the craziness to stop because your stomach is hurting so much....that is great stuff.

Amazingly Grateful...

--for ordered steps in His path, if you ask.....you shall receive
--for just a lil bit more forgiveness...now breathe...
--for embracing the feelings and working through them instead of stuffing them
--for the lil switch that has finally gone off in my head...5 pounds lighter...watch out now!
--for the strength and power of women, especially when we come together
--for a wolf's fierce love for her man-cub...i understand
--for this thursday's neo....f*cking incredible...old school meets new school...neo neo...its not about ego's or mic time...its about a growing community, a family
--for your brown eyes smiling at me from across the table, and your lil hands in mine
--for newness
--for the excitement the team is feeling...we moving and moving fast
--for new clothes...hmmm i need some new shoes lol
--for my outlook on life these days....tis fabulous!...i am being prepared for something big ya'll...not sure what it is...but something is brewing i can feel it
--for the sound of wind whispering thru the trees, in anticipation of feeling it across my face...love that sound
--for meditation and peace of mind
--for my babies...ahhh my babies
--for the sweet love she has found, looks good on you girl
--for just hanging out, laughing, no expectations, no drama...just a slow even flicker of a flame contained...
--for her writing again...keep that pen dancing babygirl
--for long lists...priceless

Mental Foreplay

the best sex starts in the foreground of the mental playground
may i play in your sandbox for awhile?
share all my toys with you
even show you some new ones
we can play with our words
until we achieve deep stimulation
until the streetlights come on
so come inside
ease your hardness
into my softness
no movement
just sanctuary
within thy temple
bodies meditating in silence
set our minds a fire
soothe the soul
inscribe illusions across eyelids
like Ouija board incantations
hands kneading away at the subtleties
and thickness of curves
caress the underside of my thigh
go deeper into this playground
i told you i would share it all
soft heat whispers secrets across necklines
into wisps of curls
the scent of vanilla
the taste of raspberries
i your favorite sweetness
you my favorite weakness
intoxicates senses
let tongues seek their own inebriation
drink me into heaven
without judgement
without sin
sip me into sunrises
swallow straight through sunsets
savor this flavor
of blissful insanity
allow me to be the ultimate aphrodisiac
so come and play in between these mental walls
so come...

Labor...

labor hard to bring forth your creations. labor long into the night. feel your body as a sacred vessel, pouring out the fruits of your labors. give birth to an idea, a vision you've carried for decades. sweat and grunt and moan low to bring forward your music, your words, your dance, your dream. yourself. feel yourself ready to open. hear yourself cry out from the pain. scream for everyone to leave you alone. beg for everyone to hold you close. surround yourself with women while you labor. ask them to hold your hands, to rub your back, to bring you warm blankets and cool drinks and an extra box of diskettes. know that whatever you birth, when the labor is over, the hard work begins.
--rachel snyder of 365 Words of Well-Being for Women

the fight to bring forth love is worth every scratch, bruise, and blood spilt...right?

Kvetch...

Once or twice.

three times at the most.

then quit your complaining, and get over it.

it might make you feel well, but the rest of us are sick and tired of hearing it!!
--rachel snyder

lol, this one had me laughing and saying HELL YES!
you know we all know someone who is like this...whining about their life or somebody else or something else non-stop. okay...yeah...say it, then get moving...or what ya going to do about it? venting is good, i might add...there is a place for it...but you also need to know when to shut the hell up and do something about it. quit sitting in your own shit, get the broom out and clean your mess up!
whew...i needed to say that, i think...

Gracious Gratitude

--for the one who created this complication, and the one who continues to stand by me
--for knowing (sometimes) when to speak, and when to shut the hell up
--for crawfish boils, bad azz domino partner (they can't handle us!), great stimulating conversations, good company, reconnections and new connections, an unlikely dj, kindred spirits, and the passion of women...all in the same evening!
--for kayaking on an absolutely perfect day with my brother and my oldest gift
--for forgiveness
--for the growth in us that is obvious and acknowledged
--for paths that continue to cross...lets walk this one together this time
--for knowing...KNOWING my peace and joy does not come from outside sources...its been a long road to actually finally feel this coming to fruition
--for the sparks our lips create together
--for getting lost in a good book
--for prayer...i recommend it to any and everybody
--for the homeless man who said i had a pretty smile--and wanted nothing
--for meeting a young man who has been beyond the veil of this earthly plane, i believe he will be a good teacher...and he could see the unearthed power in me
--for family...blood and otherwise

Knit...(for you babygirl)

...knit by the fire in the autumn of the year. knit all winter long, woolen socks and mittens, hats and leggings. knit a magical scarf that tells magical stories, mystical yarns. knit ten thousand stitches and, at every stitch, recite a prayer. knit with wool cotton, handspun yarns, curlicued and mohair-soft and fuzzy. knit, purl, knit, purl. knit a family together. knit a community together, drawing each thread closer and linking with the others. knit a row, purl a row, knit a row, purl a row. knit for the baby not yet born a hooded shawl, tiny feet warmers, a blanket dyed with the marigold's gold. knit with your greataunt's needles, smooth wood or ivory, the mouths of whales, clicking softly, softly.. knit and purl, and knit and purl and knit and purl, and knit.
--rachel snyder

and she does so well...knit your heart back together and stronger sis...much love

mirrored pockets

beauty personified she is
but she doesn't know it
sees only distorted reflections
in cracked mirrors
kept hidden in bits and pieces
in the deep reaches of pockets
rubbing already scarred thumbs
across sharp edges
slicing flesh to the core
the only way she feels alive
for words change
and are temporary
though some stick
like gummy sidewalk trash
...when she is alone
in the darkness
and solitude of herself
she pulls the bloody shards from their hiding places
carefully arranging an image
of brittle distortion
trying to get the pieces to fit
trying to see past conflicted images
not lining up
something always missing
she doesn't see the answer
only more questions of devalue
she is
as simple as a flower in a field
with yellow arms and brown eye
looking for the sun
and not seeing it
missing the beauty of just being
missing the beauty of she.


...the highlighted line is Jonathan Sterling's words...poets had to write a number of similies. later, one poet would pass on one of the similies to another poet, and have them write off of that particular line. this was the result..

Inspire...

...do something very courageous, very bold, very exhilarating, and pass the energy along. be infectious. lower your voice and lean in to tell how awesome it is to move halfway across the country with no money, no job, no place to live. breathe in, breathe out, breathe into another. tell another woman how you left a suffocating job or relationship--so she knows she can do it. tell a young girl about the thrill of traveling around the world alone--so she knows she can try it. be as healthy, as vibrant, as beautiful, as authentic as you possibly can be, in a way that speaks silently to others. you can be this, too. smile at other women's dreams and their hopes, and reassure them that they'll survive whatever black hole they're currently navigating. at the beach, tell the young mother of four that you and your ex-husband can talk together, laugh together. don't just tell her that she can be there, too, show her. let her see it in your eyes and hear it in your voice and then breath it in --inspire.
--rachel snyder

i didn't have a strong village of women growing up. my grandmother jewel guided me as best and as long as she could. she left too soon...don't they always.
i paid attention to her silent strength. she never complained when life was hard, just dug her boots in deeper to remain standing. always staying true to herself. it has taken me almost a lifetime to remember that same beautiful grace and power runs through my own veins...i am getting it...i am feeling it...i am doing it, and will continue the legacy within my own namesakes and the women along my path.
part of our own responsibility as women...is to teach other women how to be women and stand in their own power...right?
keep passing the baton
--shelle

If Ever A Time...

--for the Creators love and grace everyday, and the gentle pushes
--for some much needed time away w/o cellphones...we have become so dependent on them its really ridiculous
--for picking up where we left off, you still are one of the funniest guys i know...glad we are still friends, and thank God for brothers and myspace lol
--to second another blogger's words...jazz, wine & writing with fellow poets/friends...tis good tis good
--for fellow poets/friends sharing good positive personal news, thank you for allowing me to be a part of the celebration
--for the strength of women...nuff said
--for tay's grades heading in the right direction...yeah!
--for the love between me and my brother...none like it...i cut a mofo over him lol
--for family, laughter, pizza, goodwill shopping, and air hockey...haha i BEAT YOU!!
--for our situation being different, but always love and always family
--for a great ktown showdown with 4 slamchamps!!! seriously!!!
--for ihop filled to the brim with poets and the cutie pie cookie handling it all
--for great reggae music, tight circles, and tight eyes lol
--for doing some things solo and being okay with it
--for embracing the sad and negative feelings instead of ignoring them...they are all a part of me and they all need their acknowledgement
--for doing me...well