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Remembering Medgar Evers Today – “A Prose for Medgar and Myrlie” by Nikki Skies
It landed on the kitchen table next to the watermelon. Like a Sunday newspaper on Thursday. Set aside for recycling. Or an abandoned spoon after dessert. It sat there foreign but familiar. Like an African American in America.
The carousel sang loudly. Drowned out the relief of parental duties. Playful screams resonated the atmosphere. Cotton candy decorated white faces pink and blue. Mustard stains on white t-shirts. Scraped knees caused by unattended shoelaces. The day was glee and the night carefree, as flying gravel spun under running feet.
Her bladder was full of miles like her mother’s. She watered the ground with chocolate auburn. The spices enticed the clouds to cry and capture the streets. She met him where the sun sat in the fire pit. He kissed her hand to summons a feather so she wouldn’t doubt his words. His eyes were complete like the turn of an owl’s head. The preacher announced their commitment where roads met corners with mirrors. He hung their picture in a birdcage to catch time. He told them not to be afraid.
The first season spread the hours like a bridge. He supplied water to dry, fallen branches daily. Believers of the unseen. She carried unicorns in her pockets. They wore audacious yellows and greens in a black and white world. Demanded freedom like 8 a.m. school bells. Unbalanced as thick as unjust. At night she placed sweet onions on his eyelids. He remained rooted. His tongue poignant from the aroma.
Dog’s were death’s best friend. Hydrants absent from fires. Hoses present at protests. Tilted buses full of spiritual songs. Northern boys with fresh fists. Southern boys with patched will. Northern girls with golden intuition. Southern girls with ancient maps. Laughter extinct. Spit like rain. Freedom rides. Spirits flew. Red summer. Blue years. Freedom wide. Hatred tall. Black bodies hung/ burned/ mutilated. Daylight tardy.
Soprano saxophone accompanied her screams. Vibrato in her hands. His head in her lap. His eyes meeting her’s was the prize. “Sit me up, turn me loose.” Abandoned from forever. She sat him up. Erect as pillars. Baroque rocked. Down. She sipped tea in China.
Scores for his name. His verses rhymed her forward. Her passion sweet as fruit. Seasoned. Made days wet cement. For imprints. Slops. Hills. Concrete with purpose. His remembrances sleep at our feet.
a prose from the book,
SHE CHRONICLES: Quote of the Day
SHE CHRONICLES: Video Post, Jaha Zainabu
“Stories that come to me in the middle of the night from folks I don’t know. Don’t have nothing to do with me except they know I know how to get a pray through and a story straight.”
SHE CHRONICLES: Video Post, Sonia Sanchez
SHE CHRONICLES: Daily Quote
SHE CHRONICLES: “Nana, Mother, Love” by Susan “Spit-Fire” Lively
When I think of you, my Nana, I think of…
nature’s smiling spring blooms,
good food cooking in a warm room,
life over-flowing from floor to rafters,
the things that I’ll recall forever after.
Because when I think of you, my Nana,
I think of family, joy, and laughter.
You see, I was the precious clay in your hands,
and you gave me the best gift when you said
that I had your heart.
When you died, I felt my world come apart.
A woman unlike any other,
for there could never be another,
like the lady who taught me
how to live, how to love – Nana, Mother, Love
Susan “Spit-Fire” Lively is a poet, spoken word artist, producer, photographer, educator, and activist from Belleville, IL. Co-organizer of “100,000 Poets & Musicians for Change – St. Louis” since its inception in 2011; Susan also produces the series’ “First Bloom” and “Women For Peace”, and co-produces the “Dia de los Muertos Fiesta”. In 2016 she became an Officer of Urb Arts’ Executive Board. In January of 2017 Susan produced the St. Louis leg of the international event “Poets & Musicians Against Trump” (with co-producer John Blair).
Lively’s been featured on “Literature For The Halibut”, “The Arts with Nancy Kranzberg”, the “Healthy Living Program” and PBS’ “Living St. Louis”. She has taught spoken word and creative writing at Confluence Academy, Foster and Adoptive Care Coalition, and for the Nine Network and St. Louis Fringe. Susan’s work has been published in “Static Movement”, “Postcard Shorts”, “Head To Hand”, “The East St. Louis Monitor”, “The PEN”, “Chance Operations”, “Drumvoices Revue 20th Anniversary Edition”, “SIUE News”, “Big Bridge“, “No Vacancy” and the social justice anthology “Crossing the Divide“.
https://www.facebook.com/#!/SPITFIRE365
Instagram.com/Susan_SpitFire_Lively
Instagram.com/Susan_SpitFire_Lively
A SHE CHRONICLES Quote
SHE CHRONICLES Video Post: “Black Privilege” by Crystal Valentine
“Black Privilege is having to have the same sense of humor as Jesus, remember how he smiled on the cross? Black Privilege is a joke, a myth, a punchline…”
She Chronicles presents, “Reflections” by Dawn Edwards
We all have moments where we get caught up dealing with life’s chaos and whatever struggles we’re facing, and we have a hard time filtering out all the negative crap that likes to build up and overwhelm us. That’s when it’s crucial that we are careful about the kind of “Self-Talks” we have because if we’re not careful, those little talks can too easily be consumed with an unhealthy amount of pessimism and bitterness that tends to accompany us in times of stress and worry.
When times are hard, they can often be blessings in disguise- so you must let go and allow life to strengthen and guide you, because no matter how it much it may hurt, you need to hold your head up and keep it moving- remember this when you’re having a rough day, a bad month, or a crappy year- just know that things will change and you will not feel this way forever.
We gotta keep in mind that we are in control of our attitude and our way of looking at things, and it doesn’t take much sometimes to let our thoughts overwhelm us and then our heads are filled with, “I’ll never get this finished.” “I can’t.” “What else can go wrong?” “I have too much on my plate, I can’t deal with it anymore.”
That’s when you gotta manage those self-defeating thoughts and acknowledge that to attract positivity, you gotta start by giving off positive energy. Stop focusing solely on what’s going wrong and what can’t be done, and put more energy into doing whatever is in your power to better your situation.
Try shifting your perspective, Take a deep breath. Take a walk. Move to another room. Sometimes working from a different location can bring a different perspective and some much-needed clarity. To keep your sanity and stay mentally sane, sometimes you just need to change your point of view and tell the negative committee that likes to meet up inside your mind to be quiet.
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Dawn Edwards wrote her first short story at the age of 8 and has cultivated a deeper love for the written word over the years. She is now a published author, her book is entitled, “Food 4 Thought” and currently has two book projects in the works. She’s a blogger and a political activist who wholly believes that she has the responsibility to use her words, in addition to her legal knowledge and political science background to uplift, motivate and address issues that affect her community. Dawn’s also a mother of 3 boys, and a trained dancer.
