[This poem was composed by the audience of the Busboys and Poets 14th & V open mic when I hosted there on Tuesday, September 21, 2021. I host there on 3rd Tuesdays and the occasional 5th Tuesday. The time frame has recently been moved to 7-9pm and we have also just instituted a requirement for proof of COVID vaccination for all of our locations as part of updated DC safety mandates. For now, enjoy this uniquely inspired on-the-spot creation of the Busboys bards!]

I don’t quite know what to say
Everyday, Embrace love and life AUTHENTICALLY AND UNAPOLOGETICALLY!!
BUT DON’T FORGET, LOVE DON’T ALWAYS STICK
KEEP IT MOVING
DON’T GET LOOSE IN THE VODKA JUICE
LET’S CALL A TRUCE…
New city – new skyline, new pavement, new faces
Different sky, different places
I’m embracing everything yesterday was, today is, and tomorrow will be
…(6 second pause) (side step to left) (right foot back) (spin) (wink at audience)
Glad to be here in a sphere of orange and out of a light that doesn’t work anymore – light?
Anything to make these words feel right
They spill out and I fight, fight, fight, but I stand no chance against my subconscious might
Always dependable
The one who gives, working hard, taking care of others
When do I get to live?
While living feels so hazy, and every breath I dare to breathe comes right back to twist itself around my neck
I’m waiting for the waiting to end
So restless yet lethargic
Contradictions, contradictions
And in the space between, a possibility, a deep breath, an either/or
Thank you everyone for letting me be an observer to your spirit through your art and presence
Turn your lights off before they go off
Spirit – send love and light for nights
When I can no longer feel it
As I felt your inspection
Fingers over grooves on my thighs
I remember what happened that night
I remember losing my will to fight
I remember the sun being too bright
And my soul feeling too light
A feather clipped from my delicate wing
But still I fly, still I rise like Maya
Fly away from the dark shade and burn my sage
Streets that scream like music beats, hips swaying in the autumn breeze
Kids laughing and playing with glee
Wishing we could be as free as they be
Wishing I didn’t live the nightmares my dreams see
Wishing I could plant the seed of a happiness tree
But the best version of me is all I try to be
It’s not my fault the grass ain’t always green
And as the heart monitor goes beep
I find strength within myself to bop
Just working my way to the top
Never going to give up, don’t stop
Aspiring to overcome obstacles and excel within the compounds of my mind
Try to stay afloat of the daily life, while still not wasting time
Ready for my time to shine
And shine I will, ’cause I manifest, try my best, and excel above the rest
Why do I exist in this universe?
To be pissed in this universe.
Fuck, shit, I curse, in this verse, yet I am Blessed.
Remember what you forgot and forget what you remember
What’s up with working a full time job?
Do I really have bills to pay even after I die?
Love is freedom
To be free is to be loved
And he says to us….you’re going the wrong way
I am leaving in 4 minutes
We laugh without a care
Not thinking this was real
Not thinking this is real
I go to streets that scream like music beats
And poets that flow like a soft breeze
Focused on family and friends lately
Sometimes separating myself from the woman that made me
He brings a smile to my face, and I love his embrace
Warm and gentle like the morning sunrise
I see me in your eyes
I move across the room
Focusing on Zoom
I think I need more coffee
Middle school lives up to its name
I really do feel in between
Adult and child, I am neither
Life is overwhelming but I get through
Oh, I hope high school is better
Dead bodies and warm souls
Each coming and going so quickly
How should we heal?
How’d we get here?
That question is baffling
Seeing the demise our world is in
Slavery being played out in Del Rio
Against the Haitians
Back tracking years of sin
Just another undercover dividend
How’d we get here? You asked again….
Trying to build community but we keep acting foolishly
Hiding behind masks and diverted eyes
When will we go from strangers to friends?
What about love?
I’m optimistic
The Golden Age is here for all to stay
Live in love, live in light, live fully
And do not let fear get in the way of your dreams
Y U keep looking @ me?
Say hi, don’t just keep looking at me!!
Say you see me in a sea
Shoot your shot den, don’t just keep swimming
If you walk fast and run slow, you can swim backwards
See your light shines bright even when you can’t see it
But trust in your light cuz everyone else wants to see it
And even if you can’t be it in the moment, just try
Fly until you pass the clouds, higher than the highest sky.