“Like the Land O’ Lakes butter has the Indian girl sitting holding a box and a picture of her on it holding a box, with a picture of her on it holding a box, with a picture of her on it holding a box. You ever notice that?”
Belly flashes across the television screen,
television on mute. Headphones in, Novacane fills my ears,
computer keys are cold as I type,
Scentsy candle burning Perfectly Pomegranate,
my tongue red from the cherry sugar free popsicle.
For Colored Boys is a dramatic web series written and directed by award winning filmmaker and content creator, Stacey Muhammad of Wildseed Films. Inspired by the highly acclaimed 1975 choreopoem "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf" by Ntozake Shange, For Colored Boys is a series of short stories that follow the lives of seven African American men from various walks of life as they navigate and overcome challenges, face their fears, find their truth, mend broken relationships, find love, build families and inspire the lives of many.
The first season of For Colored Boys, subtitled REDEMPTION, follows the life of Benjamin Boyd, Sr. who upon release from prison seeks to reunite his family by rekindling his relationship with wife, "Lisa" and reassuming his role as father to his teenage daughter, Sidney and 20 year old son, "E". A talented yet somewhat troubled young man, "E" has had to shoulder a tremendous amount of responsibility during his father's incarceration. Accustomed to assisting his mother with his 15-year-old sister, Sidney, he is pulled and persuaded by the temptations of his environment to make money and help provide for his family.
Returning home, Benjamin finds his son is no longer a boy, but a man unwilling to acknowledge or accept the presence of his father. In order to mend a troubled and fragile relationship and rebuild his family, Benjamin must be careful not to overstep his bounds, yet still re-establish his presence as E's father. Finding his place in a world he's been estranged from is more difficult task than he could have ever imaged and suffering from Post Incarceration Syndrome makes it seem nearly impossible.
“Better thinking,” was a common theme as I structured my list. Some of the items mirror those from the featured post; contentment, exercise and improve relationships.
It is never too late to do/be better.
Resolve.
Read MoreJulian Date 2456647.3125 there was an impromptu discussion about childhood memories with those whom I share cubicle space. Mostly everyone exchanged stories of teen defiance. Skipping school? Check. I did it the smooth way; I would call my mother and ask her to check me out. Skipping ain’t easy. Underage drinking? Nah, I didn’t have my first drink until I was twenty-one. Age ain’t nothing but a number, but watch out for the R. Among the group, the most common indiscretion was underage driving. Young souls taking the keys to the family whip all while their parents lay sleeping, hung-over or otherwise occupied. The infamous joy ride, I plead the fifth dimension bruh’ … at times my mother reads my post.
Read MoreMy social media streams are diverse; they include elements of everything that I love; music, food, photography, sports and reading [books and blogs]. There are very few antipathies, if I encounter anything I disagree with rather than debate, I remind myself that living souls have the right to believe who, what, when, where and why they want. Arguing is the least effective way of changing someone’s mind.
Read MoreLiving souls love genuine and sincere compliments. It makes us feel good, loved and respected. Yesterday while standing in line to pay for gas, I observed a man pay for a woman’s coffee. He simply handed her a five dollar bill and boldly stated “Here, I’m going to buy your coffee.” The why was unnecessary, she was #Fly.
Read More“Sometimes what keeps us alive eats us alive.”
Heavy in these social streets are conversations about attraction. Beard gang, team natural, tattoos, piercings, [insert other highly personalized appearance choices] there will always be something that pulls us in.
Read MoreArrived early to work this am, the streets were blocked with crowds of living souls walking purposefully. I detoured, approached the west side of my building. Fire trucks, however no flames or smoke … a fire drill. I park and exit the miracle whip. As I’m heading inside I catch the gaze of a woman in red. Red; passion, energy and action has always been my favorite color. I was drawn to it and then to her face. I lower my head to look down at my cell [because of something important] so that she wouldn’t notice me noticing her noticing me. I raise my head and I see our reflections in the mirrored glass. Perfect. She wasn’t looking at me she was looking at her own self.
Brian TramueL
Envy.
Most of us use it interchangeably with jealousy. I suppose this is because some are jealous and envious at the same time. However, their definitions differ when we consider envy as an emotion. I witness it frequently while working. Today a peer was pulled from our normal process and given a separate project. The shade as it was announced was epic. When someone lacks another person’s talents, skill or otherwise advantages and clearly wants them for themselves ... witness eyes turn green.
Read MoreI love pizza, I’ve traveled all over these united states and have enjoyed some of the best. At times it’s not all love, although the unfortunate bad slice is still very satisfying. With so many variations it would be impossible to show love for all, each deserve their own praise. Here is a sampling of the best I’ve ever had.
Read More“When you have been wounded it does not give you permission to hurt others. To be healed, you must name the hurt, aim the hurt sharing in a safe environment, and then tame it by embracing forgiveness. ”
Hip hop’s golden age began in 1986, the day Rakim stepped to a microphone to record “Eric B Is President.” Only 18 years old (though he sounded considerably more worldly), Rakim (real name William Griffin) had a smooth, effortless flow that brought a cool melodicism and high intelligence to the MC game—he gave both fire and ice, set within the wiry frame of his serious features. Even those who didn’t get the Five Percenter reference wouldn’t have bridled at his nickname, God. His partnership with his DJ, Eric B, yielded four great albums and numerous classic singles before Rakim split for a solo career. Despite initial success with 1997’s The 18th Letter, he endured several frustratingly fruitless years signed to Dr Dre’s Aftermath, working on an album that never came. Now Rakim back in his native New York, the city where his immense influence is most clearly audible, notably in other NYC wordsmiths such as Nas. As recently as 2012, The Source named him the greatest MC of all time.
I'm able to write this posy for two reasons; I bought a new battery for my computer, now I can go the whole day [pause] and free wi-fi at this laundromat. The dryer needs to be replaced at home so I'm here because The Future used the power of the P.
We all know I'll do anything for pizza.
Read MoreSeptember kicked off a two month celebration for my family; it has become a precursor to the holiday season. The kids are up next; Geneva's October 1st and Brian's October 2nd. Early Sunday I asked Brian if he wanted to go to Target, my plan to engage him in conversation about the bike he wants was met with excitement. I thought he figured me out, to my surprise his enthusiasm was about finding the perfect card for his sister. This guy even paid for it with his own money. I couldn't let him do that after such a loving gesture.
Compassion sets us apart from others.
