…Shit, I wish it WAS a genie so I could blink myself away from all the madness of the world today! Needless to say… I’m feeling “some kind of way” and its starting to manifest in my daily routines and life in general. For instance, I had quite an interesting dream last night.

Part one: I’m somewhere chilling with a few friends in a den/living room type of area and there just happens to be a tiger lurking around like its someone’s pet! No bullshit!!! And I’m the only one paying attention to it like, YO…you guys are ok with this!!!??? Perhaps the tiger too felt my curiosity to it roaming around so freely because it was looking at me from time to time with the same apprehension. As it paced back and forth, we would make eye contact and our tension grew with every connection. I guess he had enough of the guessing game and decided to go full “tiger” on me and chomped down on my entire hand!!!

Part two: Now I’m in a corridor with a man walking two dogs close by. One was a German Shepard and the other was a Doberman Pincher. For some reason, I felt in danger of this man letting his dogs loose on me, so I made my way around the corner trying to get out of eyesight of him and his “pets!” As I turn the corner, the Doberman was let loose, followed me, and jumped on me in a playful manner…or was it playful? His teeth were exposed, but I wasn’t sure if it was playful or aggressive. In my utter bravery, I stoop down to look it at eye level and kept staring at it until it became friendly and let me pet him. We were now friends, but the German Shepard was still under its owner’s control and I certainly didn’t feel so safe again. This same man/owner then has a young teenage son in tow along with the two dogs. However, his son is now the aggressor! He was teaching him to “defend” himself and was taking pride in all he had learned at the present time. I could tell he was pleased at how the son felt the need to punch me in the chest in the exact technique he was taught. The punch didn’t phase me one bit and after I let the kid know, I even invited him to punch me once more! I’m all solid lil homey and your punches…although swung with great technique, have no effect on me. The father looks at the son with a nod of approval and the little guy then slaps me!!! I look at the father and tell him, you’re lucky you have these dogs close by because otherwise I’d beat the shit out of your son right now!!!

Analysis: I. Will. Not. Be. Silent. Nor Silenced!!! The tiger bit my hand off….but, it was the left hand! I’m right-handed and as long as I can write and have breath in my lungs, I will not be afraid to speak up for injustices! I have some friends who would rather stay neutral in the face of danger, but I’ll take the calculated risks for freedom of speech. I’m willing to be friends with the enemy if we can see eye to eye on our differences! I can tell the difference between friend or foe, no matter who is the owner of your true self! The sins of your forefathers can and will revisit you if you’re not careful! And if you teach hate, those sins can have repercussions on your loved ones if they don’t catch up to you personally!!! And in the eloquent words of Maya Angelou… Still I Rise!!!

E.N.T.

Embrace NEGRO Things  

There’s a large, lone tree in the magic Forest of Lessons. It’s the turn of the season and leaves still have yet to form on its towering limbs. The trunk looks as though it’s not strong enough to feed and hold up the branches and the grass surrounding it was dying. However, it had a personality that totally contradicts its appearance. It was arrogant, pompous, and quite full of itself to say the least. It had seen better days of positioning and status, but now its fighting to simply stay relevant. One day, a young deer and a doe strolled along and rested under this tree. They would frolic about, eat, and mate in the surrounding area of this tree. They were young and full of promise with boundless energy to bring all their wants and needs to fruition. The arrogant tree would watch them as they grew into a loving pair and admired their camaraderie. There was one problem though! After long days of playing and eating and running around, they would eventually have to relieve themselves and it was often around the base of the tree’s trunk. Enough is enough… How dare you, said the tree! Don’t you know you’re on rich soil!!!??? This is no place to do your business. The deer replied with laughter saying “what’s so rich about this yellowish grass and dry dirt you call soil?” The tree said, you’d show more respect for me if you had seen me in my heyday! Well old timer the deer said, perhaps your time has passed and you can now only hold on to the memories of yesterday’s lore!

Aaaaannndddd, that’s all I got for that story but here’s a shorter story about how that story came about. I’m taking this master class on the art of storytelling by Neil Gaiman and he said that a story is born simply by taking two entities and put them in conflict with each other! It can be make believe/fairytale, magical, real, or anything your imagination dreams of. Well, one day while driving my work truck on a early spring day I notice a tree that had yet to form any leaves yet. And one section of the limbs looked like the antlers of a huge deer! Hmmm, now how can I bring this vision into conflict to form a story? Welp, the above story was SUPPOSED to be a clash between a dying money tree and a deer that was mating with a doe. While in mating season, they would often shit by the tree, therefore providing much needed fertilization for the arrogant money tree; and thus… they all were “Making a Buck!” And the moral of the story was: Sometimes the very people who shit on you, subsequently help you make a better version of yourself!

E.N.T.