The Red Summer Experience

inheritance

admin — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:02:21 +0000

the sound of fists
in flesh
became his lullaby
still can’t sleep without it
his parents were the first ones he saw
beating up on people smaller than they were

maybe it was that last whooping
the one when he didn’t cry that did it
broke his resolve
made him less man
more monster
than she had anticipated
the one when he grabbed the belt
looked her straight in the eye
and showed her who was stronger

she wanted to break him
now he roams the earth
looking for things
and people
to break
he had to stand still
and take it
so he hits
until they are still
pushes noses into skulls
snaps bones
splatters blood

babies are not born rabid dogs
they are trained that way
thrown scraps
fed blood
slapped and praised by the same
chained and released
they learn to sniff out the weakest one
chase
attack

those who want to live
learn to kill

Chris Adams

admin — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 06:55:54 +0000

C.C. Carter

admin — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 06:39:33 +0000

Adah Duval

admin — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 20:10:17 +0000

Saddi Khali

admin — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 07:10:09 +0000

Tasha Mac

admin — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 01:34:06 +0000

Teka Photography, LLC

admin — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 05:53:26 +0000

Raw Sugar

admin — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 04:28:12 +0000

I have written this book 3 times. The original release date was Feb, 2007. Every time I got close to releasing Raw Sugar, something happened. Many of the projects I attempted after that also went unfinished. Raw Sugar hung over me like an anvil in the old cartoons. Nothing I wanted to do could be done until I finished this. So, I gave it one more try. When I was compiling the poems for the book, I started to have overwhelming feelings of doubt. I doubted my work, my voice, my relevance. I doubted my position and stance on the topics I discussed. Did I not hit hard enough? Is the work strong enough from a literary standpoint? I thought and thought myself into another hole. Even after enduring and pressing through all of the doubt and fear to finish the book… I hesitated in releasing it. I wrote down my answer to the questions “Why Raw Sugar? What was my intent?” I wrote: Raw Sugar represents how I look at and handle difficult subjects. It is clear, direct, simple and put in a way that allows readers to go through the experiences without being traumatized by it. The title Raw Sugar is my style as a writer, even in the most aggressive instances, I still embody a sense of gentleness.

When I looked back on what I wrote about the book and about myself, things seemed to make more sense. Then, on Sisterhood Sunday at church, a visiting pastor preached from Mark 5:25-34. Verses 33-34 read “33 But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. 34He said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed.” He talked about how freeing it is to tell your whole story. How when you have gotten to the point of no return and you step out on faith, you are taking a step to activate your own healing. Through my fear and trembling, I must tell my whole story. What was done to me and what I did to myself. Once that process has taken place… I can “be healed.” Well, when faced with the reality of being healed or being afraid, it became a little easier to move forward with this process. Knowing that the responsibility in telling my story is releasing it and creating a new story from this point on.

Raw Sugar is my healing, it is my mustard seed.

For Colored Girls

admin — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 03:23:42 +0000

Carlos Saqiid

admin — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 06:17:49 +0000