Mind Your Own Business!

It's not about you, but it's about someone you know
and you choose to defend them.
You know me,
but you choose defend them.
So what is it?!
I don't understand.
You want to make ME
feel bad as if my intention was to hurt them,
When YOU don't even know what I was talking about.
You don't even know what YOU'RE talking about!
Instead of opening your mouth trying to start trouble,
MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS
and let me handle mine!!!!!!!!

August 24, 2000.

It was morning, four days after my birthday I woke up to the nice smell of
bacon and coffee... mmmmm.
I stretched, got out of bed and walked into the kitchen.
"G'mornin, K! How ya doin?" Daddy said.
"Fine, it smells good!"
He chuckled and asked me to wake my Grandfather up to eat with us,
a family affair kinda thing.
Especially because we lost my Grandmother a year before.
I bust down the door expecting my Granpa to play his faking trick then tickle me,
"Grannnnpaaaaaaaaaa, time to get up!"
He lay there,
I laughed and repeated, "Grannnnnnpaaaaa, time to wake up! We're about to eat breakfast."
He lay there, still.
"Okay, Granpa. I know you're playing! Time to wake up!!!"
Still, he lay.
I reached to his face in attempt to open his eyes, just to see if he would move
and...
he didn't.
Seeing his eyes rolled back, I screamed:
"DADDYYYY, GRANPA'S DEAD!!!"
I've never seen or heard Daddy run in my entire life, before or after this moment.
He came and noticed Granpa's oxygen machine was off beginning to call him over and over:
"TJ? TJ?? TJ, come on... Wake up, TJ."
Granpa wasn't responsive.
"Run down and get Derrick..." Daddy ordered.
Doing as my father said, my cousin ran up in straight silence.
"Go outside to the neighbor's house, I'll come get you later." Daddy told me.
The ambulance came and took Granpa away soon after.
Hours later, while a friend and I were playing outside the police pulled into our driveway.
We hid behind a parked car and watched the officer give Daddy a yellow slip and say:
"I'm sorry, sir." and Daddy dropped his head.
"I'll be right back!" I told my friend, then ran to my house.
"Is he okay? Will he come back, Daddy??"
"Kay..., he's gone."

"Cutting Greens" by Lucille Clifton

curling them around

i hold their bodies in obscene embrace
thinking of everything but kinship.
collards and kale
strain against each strange other
away from my kissmaking hand and
the iron bedpot.
the pot is black.
the cutting board is black,
my hand,
and just for a minute
the greens roll black under the knife,
and the kitchen twists dark on its spine
and i taste in my natural appetite
the bond of live things everywhere.

Secrets.

Whisper, really?
That's something that I didn't know.
Eat green, drink water, walk around and be observed.
Something commonly done.
But whispering?
Maybe.
Zebras whisper.

Point of View.

To my left are brown trees and dead grass on a hill, everything's just dead.
In front is all life and color; red track, green grass and trees, people running on the track... Alive and living.
Behind; two giant dumpsters... hmmm.
Reminder: keep going forward, where life actually is.
Don't go back, don't turn because nothing's there.
That's the Point of View.

Mobilar.

The next important thing to me, after my Bible.
I take you, we all take you everywhere we go.
What would the world be without you?
Can you imagine how we'd get by?
With today's form of industrial arts, you actually have a mind of your own.
You can talk, sing, give directions...
The only thing you can't do is walk.
I'm sure an intelligent individual will come out with something to make that happen.
Man, I'm so glad we all have you!
Whenever I'm late, I can let the other person know immediately.
Or even when I'm early, I can let them know that I'm there.
In case of emergency, I don't have to worry about hearing from anyone when I get home.
You let me know right when it happens, then I can do something about it.
The next best thing "since sliced bread..." okay, maybe the 14th best but still.
We will always appreciate this invention, a cell phone.

What it is?

Everyone has to have one of these,
One of these that does a certain thing.
Certain thing that causes an individual to say:
"Okay, everyone get together!"
Get together and do what, take a shot?
Take a shot with or for a group,
With or for a group and/or candid.
Candid? Those are the best because they are funny!
Funny... Yes, photos are funny.

A Little Cliche.

This weather today is all apart of God's plan,
I'm head over heels in love with the heat.
My love for the North is up in the air,
I hope I'm not digging a hole.
Though there's a place in the South with my name on it,
I'll stay in the ballpark known as the North.

Epigrams

People that tell you everyone's business tells everyone your business.
No matter how old you get, you'll never stop learning.
There's nothing you can do in secret, He'll always know.
Be a man, pull those pants up!
Be a lady, pull that skirt down!
All flowers don't smell good.
Make-up doesn't create beauty, it enhances beauty.

"Fast Metabolism."

I just ate, but I am hungry again.
This is something that I love having, but
I just can't keep eating if I don't
exercise. I need to go relieve stress,
anyway but I'm all the way down
in the flats. Here's to healthy eating 'til
I'm able to go back again, which will
be after Wednesday sometime. I can have
this because I'm always on the go but
once break comes, I really don't know. We'll see
because I am a vacuum at home, I
can think of the foods now! Collard greens, mac
and cheese, chicken, banana pudding... YUM
in my tum.

Poem 15, "Me, Anew."

You were a girl who struggled with low self-esteem and depression. There was practically nothing that could make you come out of it except… one day there was this guy who expressed his interest in you. Without him getting to know you and you getting to know him as a friend, you both skipped to dating. The relationship went higher and higher and then, BAM! It fell. God had something He wanted to show you.

First, you needed to know who you were and whose you were which was something you thought you knew before you got into this relationship, but you didn’t. Second, you needed to learn how to love and appreciate yourself for who you were and the person you were to become. Never did you think that you’d take such a journey as this.

For over a year, you worked and you worked hard. Slowly but surely, you started to love yourself and appreciate you. You also became optimistic by setting a goal to reach, forgetting all things that were behind. Piece by piece, the shell began to crack and fall apart in which you began to realized how you were made: fearfully and wonderfully.

December came and you did it, you lost fifty pounds! You kept the faith alive through your hard work. Even though you didn’t want to at times, you worked at it with all of your hear. Everyone shares in your joy accomplishing something so great and being an example to all to be healthy and confident with who God made you to be.

You’re not finished yet, keep going… And remember, on one can define you unless they created you!

Poem 14, "Reminiscing."

You were so little when you came to us.

Trouble you’d never cause, not even a little fuss.

You, I and sleep together

Caused us to be the best of friends, forever.

You’d run around and play, doing only half of the things I told you to.

Sneaky you were also eating things that weren’t yours, like the day you ate our fruit.

But life was never boring when you were around,

Especially when you grew to your full size by eating anything you found.

I remember your rides in the green wheelbarrow to help build my strength.

And I’ll always remember you being there when I needed you, by my side at arm’s length.

When I cried, you were there for me.

Always keeping me company.

Another thing I remember, when Dad tricked you.

In a wheelbarrow you went but water was there too.

Oh how you hated water after that,

It took a long time for us to get your trust back.

Then it was the end and time to make a decision,

Whether you wanted to go on or whether you wanted to keep livin’.

You decided it was time to go, because things became hard.

And now you’re in doggy heaven being our spiritual house guard.

Poem 13, "Sleep"

Sleep

Where are you?
Not here.
Will you ever come to me?
Please come, I need you.

Poem 12, "Chandeliers"

Chandeliers

They are so beautiful
Hanging from the ceiling
In the Chamberlain Education Center.

Poem 11, "Music"

Music

Gospel
Hip-Hop
Rock
Jazz
Rhythm and Blues
Classical
Music, I love it all.

Poem 10, "Sabbath"

Sabbath

What did I get myself into?
I'm working, I'm cooking and cleaning.
I'm supposed to rest!

Poem 9, "Snow"

Snow

It hinders me
From where I need to go
And from where I want to be.

Poem 8, "Running"

Running

Running as if my life depended on it.
It's hard, but I have a goal.

Poem 7, "Dance Party"

Dance Party

Everyone needs this once in a while,
Dance freely around a room with your friends.

Poem 6, "Tis the Weekend"

Tis the Weekend

Tis the weekend, Lord I'm so grateful.
Work, school, gym, homework...
This is when I rest.

Poem 5, "You're Loud."

You're Loud

Although I don't live right by you, I still hear you.
Darn siren, you're loud!

Poem 4, "Untitled"

Untitled

It's all over the place in Hazlett 37.
The floors, chairs, sofas, tables, cabinets...
Wood.

Poem 3, "Green Things"

Green Things

Round.
Not so solid.
Sometimes wet,
Sometimes dry.
Perhaps cold,
Or warm.
Not known to be bitter,
But always sweet.
I just finished them up,
Mmmmmmm... grapes.

Poem 2, "Aquafina"

Aquafina

Sittin' here drinkin' bottles of water that can't quench my thirst.
Dehydrated, my tongue is so dry it's starting to hurt.
Hold up, did I spend my time with You today?
Talk with you, walk with you besides getting on my knees to pray.
This water is living but not Living Water.
It's not the type you use with clay, Potter.
Not Harry...
Back to the poem that's turning heads like Tina.
No one can satisfy my thirst like You, God, the real Aquafina.

Poem 1-ish, "Vibe"

Vibe

This thing that attracts me to you...
Like a magnet, it pulls us together.
Bet cha' never knew these feelings,
Lingering around like little human beings.
It's something I like about you.
Maybe it's the way you play,
Or the way you smile.
I've been wanting to say something for a while.
But I want you to say it first.
Ahhh, I love the way you---OHHH, can't go that far now!
I wasn't thinking anything nasty because that's not my nature, but wow!
But it doesn't bug me when you're around.
You make me laugh, smile, feel good when I'm down.
Just do me this favor;
"Say ya really love  me, baby. Say ya really love me darlin'..."
Why? That's the vibe I feel, it's cool.
Just know that "Alllll this love is waiting for you."