Thursday, June 30, 2005

n mo stuff

chillin' ova in these parts people. the rain is back n forth
making it real hard to not slip. doc said i can remove the
cam walker (the robotic leg thingie!) but my foot is still too
fat to fit in my shoes... even my shell toes! :(

no worries!
we went to check out the theatre again for the aug 6th show. it
is just so amazing ya'll. the conception. the manifestation of
an idea? it's so beautiful. i promise you -- almost as good as
an orgasm. ok -- a small orgasm, but it feels good all the same!

i am selling tickets as we speak, crystal i ain't forgot about
you sweetie! push my paypal t-shirt joint on the site and i will send them out
immediately! lol believe it or not, we have sold over 50 tickets already!
the theatre only seats 120! so i'm very pleased, especially since
we haven't sent out the mass emailing! i love ya'll for that...

i gotta go work on takin' ova the world. me and he got mountains
to crush... in a minute

bklyn livin'

ps: shout to ms bassey. i believe in you sis. rock on!
mr hart -- hold it down in madison, thanks for the inspiration -- always welcomed
and definitely needed!
dasha. you are my systa, man. we knew this in canada, right? can't wait for the slumber party! co-ed, eh? lol see ya when i return in aug!
amari, mommy misses you.
black, thanks for the smoking quit. we love to hate you too much to see you kilt ova!
vic, as usual my gyrl that comes thru right on time.
esther - you deserve all the happiness in the world. im so proud of you.

Wednesday, June 29, 2005

da dopeness!

mr. d hart, from madison, WI wrote an incredible poem. he and his wife
have the most beautiful family! it was a joy hanging out with them while i toured
milwaukee & madison wisconsin! i posted the poem he wrote due to a conversation we
had about inspiration and lack of sources as a touring poet. touche' mr hart!





She reaches deeply
into her poetic pockets
and pulls out lent
because see she's spent
the last three hours bent
over wobbly bar tables listening
to uninspired drivel and endless
rhythmic drone

So when her name's called
she wants to use the microphone
to build linguistic structures
of poetic stone that she's
honed from kinetic energy
channeled telepathically from her head
to her
heart

And as she starts to build
she feels the microphone
between her fingers--
it is a thimble-sized phallic symbol other
poets have used to repeatedly
violate anything that resembles African history,

but the microphone transforms rapidly
into metallic pheromones that provide comfort and
therapy to the young masses that listen
at the open mic waiting to be moved, waiting for greatness

And her greatest greatness is
she knows that if the masses
hear more wacked poetry tonight
they may rise together in mutiny,
she knows
that if they hear more work not subject
to intense scrutiny, literary irony, self-edit
grammar, and spell check
they may just spray the joint

And her delivered verbs never disappoint us
but at some point her soul has to have the same
refreshment her body gives the masses
at some point her brain needs caressing,

I'm guessing

I'm guessing she wallows in
the empty hollow spaces in time created by Diogenes' mantra paraphrased,

blessed is she who keep on blessing

when all of the lessons she's learned from the sonnet
of single motherhood
are packed into a fifteen minute show
and rocked to be understood by the masses
who don't quite recognize her pain but
understand her flow

and so like Diogenes
she packs up her knapsack
heads to another venue
looking to be inspired.

(c) d. hart

fugee - la - la - long!

das right. da fugees rocked BET awards, got back together. i wasn't mad. however that damn performance was like a mini-concert. a bit much. but - when else would you have seen lauryn rocking that classy blunt cut wig? beautiful... just beautiful!

brewing in bklyn
(til fugees finish the new album!)

Tuesday, June 28, 2005

thxs rashida!

you know i've been in NYC too long when i can relate to over half of this damn list! now, here is the clencher! your homework is to complete a list similar to this about your OWN city. i will be making one for Oakland -- as that is my true home! can't wait to hear yours!

You Know You`re From New York City When...

You say "the city" and expect everyone to know that this means Manhattan.

You have never been to the Statue of Liberty or the Empire State Building.

You can get into a four-hour argument about how to get from Columbus Circle
to Battery Park at 3:30 on the Friday before a long weekend, but can`t find
Wisconsin on a map.

Hookers and the homeless are invisible.

The subway makes sense.

You believe that being able to swear at people in their own language makes
you multi-lingual.

You`ve considered stabbing someone just for saying "The Big Apple".

The most frequently used part of your car is the horn.

You call an 8` x 10` plot of patchy grass a yard.

You consider Westchester "upstate".

You think Central Park is "nature."

You see nothing odd about the speed of an auctioneer`s speaking.

You`re paying $1,200 for a studio the size of a walk-in closet and you think
it’s a "steal."

You`ve been to New Jersey twice and got hopelessly lost both times.

You pay more each month to park your car than most people in the U.S. pay in
rent.

Youhaven`t seen more than twelve stars in the night sky since you went away
to camp as a kid.

You go to dinner at 9 and head out to the clubs when most Americans are
heading to bed.

Your closet is filled with black clothes.

You haven`t heard the sound of true absolute silence since the 80s, and when
you did, it terrified you.

You pay $5 without blinking for a beer that cost the bar 28 cents.

You take fashion seriously.

Being truly alone makes you nervous.

You have 27 different menus next to your telephone.

Going to Brooklyn is considered a "road trip."

America west of the Hudson is still theoretical to you.

You`ve gotten jaywalking down to an art form.

You take a taxi to get to your health club to exercise.

Your idea of personal space is no one actually standing on your toes.

$50 worth of groceries fit in one paper bag.

You have a minimum of five "worst cab ride ever" stories.

You don`t notice sirens anymore.

You live in a building with a larger population than most American towns.

Your doorman is Russian, your grocer is Korean your deli man is Israeli, your
building super is Italian, your laundry guy is Chinese, your favorite
bartender is Irish, your favorite diner owner is Greek, the watchseller on your
corner is Senegalese, your last cabbie was Pakistani, your newsstand guy is Indian
and your favorite falafel guy is Egyptian.

You`re suspicious of strangers who are actually nice to you.

You secretly envy cabbies for their driving skills.

You think $7.00 to cross a bridge is a fair price.

Your door has more than three locks.

Your favorite movie has DeNiro in it.

You consider eye contact an act of overt aggression.

You run when you see a flashing "Do Not Walk" sign at the intersection.

You`re 35 years old and don`t have a driver`s license.

You ride in a subway car with no air conditioning just because there are
seats available.

You`re willing to take in strange people as roommates simply to help pay the
rent.

There is no North and South. It`s uptown or downtown.

When you`re away from home, you miss "real" pizza and "real" bagels.

You know the differences between all the different Ray`s Pizzas.

You`re not in the least bit interested in going to Times Square on New Year`s
Eve.

Your internal clock is permanently set to know when Alternate Side of the
Street parking regulations are in effect.

You know what a bodega is.

You know how to fold the New York Times in half, vertically, so that you can
read it on the subway or bus without knocking off other passenger`s hats.

Someone bumps into you, and you check for your wallet.....

You cringe at hearing people pronounce Houston St. like the city in Texas

Film crews on your block annoy you, not excite you.

You actually get these jokes and pass them on to other friends from NYC.

how stella lost her damn groove!

so, i can't lie. i love angela bassett but i hated that damn movie "how stella got her groove back". but i didn't hate the movie enough to wish this on the sista. read the story below.

In a tale rich in lost love, closeted secrets and acrimonious divorce, it
turns out that famed local writer Terry McMillan -- whose celebrated romance
and subsequent marriage to a man 23 years her junior became the subject of
her fictionized best-seller "How Stella Got Her Groove Back" --
actually got her groove back with a man who now says he's gay.
The story is spilling out in made-for-Hollywood detail in Contra Costa
County Superior Court, where McMillan has filed for divorce from her
Jamaican- born husband of six years, Jonathan Plummer.
McMillan, 53, said in court documents that the marriage was based on a
"fraud'' because Plummer lied about his sexual orientation -- and married
her only to gain U.S. citizenship.
"It was devastating to discover that a relationship I had publicized to the
world as life-affirming and built on mutual love was actually based on
deceit,'' she wrote in her declaration. "I was humiliated."
Plummer, 30, countered in court papers of his own that McMillan has turned
on him with a "homophobic'' vengeance and is trying to force his return to
an uncertain future in Jamaica. He wants to void the couple's prenuptial
agreement that would keep from him most of the millions she's earned as a
writer.
He also claims he was denied his full share of royalties, as spelled out in
the prenup, from "How Stella Got Her Groove Back," the fictionalized account
of a single mother's torrid relationship with a Jamaican young enough to be
her son that very much parallels the lives of McMillan and Plummer.
Plummer's attorney, Dolores Sargent, said her client has no interest in
embarrassing McMillan or extorting money from her.
"All I want to do is settle the case in a way that's fair to both parties
... and that allows Jonathan sufficient funds to re-establish himself,''
Sargent said. "And we have been blocked.''
In court papers, however, McMillan leaves little doubt that she believes
Plummer was always motivated by money.
"Jonathan has manipulated me from the very beginning in his scheme to come
to the United States, become a citizen and get rich through someone else's
effort,'' McMillan wrote in one of her filings.
In fact, McMillan says Plummer zeroed in on her precisely because of her
celebrity status as an author whose earlier books included "Waiting to
Exhale, '' which sold some 4 million copies and was made into a movie.
In an interview, Plummer insisted that he didn't know he was gay when he met
McMillan in June 1995 at a Jamaican resort. Nor, he says, did he seize on
the author's fame.
"I was a 20-year-old kid when I met her and had no idea that she was anybody
other than an attractive, older woman,'' he said in court papers.
For her part, McMillan, who was then 42, said she worried when she first met
Plummer that he was interested only in her money. "But Jonathan was very
charming and made me believe that he was crazy about me,'' she told the
court.
The two eventually married in Maui on Sept. 8, 1998 -- but not before
Plummer signed a prenup that waived his rights to everything should they
ever part, including "temporary and permanent spousal support and attorney's
fees, '' according to court papers filed by McMillan.
The couple settled in McMillan's $4 million Danville home and, at least
according to Plummer, enjoyed a happy life -- until the last few years when
the marriage started coming undone.
"He became less attentive, less charming, more distracted and absent from
the home,'' McMillan wrote in her declaration.
Plummer said he was spending long hours with a dog-grooming business in
Danville that McMillan had set up for him a couple of years ago in apparent
anticipation of a split.
It wasn't until just before last Christmas, Plummer says, that the two
finally split -- after he revealed he was gay.
"I was kicked out of the house in December right after I told her,'' he said
in the interview.
In court records, however, McMillan says Plummer confessed to being gay only
after she confronted him about all his hours of phone calls to a male friend
living in Jamaica. She also says she later learned that Plummer was
participating in online gay chat sites.
In any event, judging from the court filings, the disclosure quickly turned
ugly. McMillan obtained a restraining order to keep Plummer from their
house, and she claimed she recently discovered that Plummer had embezzled at
least $200,000 from her bank accounts before and during their marriage. (He
admits in court papers "a gross error of judgment" in taking $62,000 without
her knowledge, but said that he was financially dependent on her during the
marriage and that he intends to pay it back.)
Plummer obtained his own restraining order against the author, alleging that
McMillan constantly harassed him for coming out of the closet, and at one
point walked into his dog-grooming business and tossed a ceramic object
across the room.
"She kept calling me, saying nasty things about me being gay, calling me a
fag,'' Plummer said in an interview.
In a Jan. 14 letter written by McMillan and filed with the court, the author
told Plummer, "The reason you're going to make a great fag is that most of
you guys are just like dogs anyway. ... You do whatever with whomever
pleases you and don't seem to care about the consequences."
Plummer also says McMillan came into the dog-grooming shop and left him a
bottle of Jamaican hot pepper sauce on which she wrote, "Fag Juice Burn Baby
Burn,'' and that she also scrawled "Jonathan's Fag boyfriend Fag'' on a
photo of a friend.
"She is an extremely angry woman who is homophobic and is lashing out at me
because I have learned I am gay,'' Plummer declared in a court filing last
month.
McMillan's attorney, Jill Hersh -- a divorce lawyer who has handled civil
rights cases involving gay couples and their children -- says her client "is
anything but homophobic.''
"However, she feels betrayed and disappointed ... that her husband is gay,
'' Hersh said. "And anything you have seen in the pleadings emanates from
how she is experiencing the end of her marriage, and it doesn't have to do
with anything else.''
Hersh also disputes Plummer's contention that McMillan was seeking an
annulment as a way to get him deported, as he alleges. In pressing her claim
of fraud, however, McMillan told the court that Plummer waited to tell her
he was gay until he knew his application for citizenship was going to be
approved.
Plummer says he understands that McMillan felt betrayed by his coming out.
"But I was being truthful to myself, and didn't want to hurt her anymore,''
he said.
On June 17, a Superior Court judge handed Plummer a minor victory --
ordering McMillan to pay him $2,000 a month in spousal support, plus $25,000
in attorney's fees -- until a full trial on the validity of the prenuptial
agreement and the annulment request is heard in October.

Monday, June 27, 2005

monday rainin'

its rainy. j and i were gonna head to dc for the week. an impromptu outing. i love his spontaniety. but its raining and we slept in. just like a poet! maybe tomorrow. side's we got's to finish pre-production for aug 6th show (JAM ON IT!)... will have a special contest for my readers & friends! the best answer can get a pair of tickets! how bout that?

brooklyn showers

Sunday, June 26, 2005

nerd or geek

he says im a nerd because i am in utter awe of the 78th national spelling bee. that's just the hate spewing, since he can't spell so well

quiz part II -- addicted? me...?

my sexual style...
i don't know think i needed a test for this info - but hey!?

Violent

88%

Hot

75%

Exciting

56%

Wet

44%

Sweet

44%

Soft

31%

Awkward

19%

Shy

19%

What is your sexual style?
created with QuizFarm.com

sat backwash

wierd day. tried to finish my milwaukee run.
got pics and the whole nine. just gotta finish
this thing. it's funky ya'll. gimme a minute

brooklyn

Friday, June 24, 2005

do's and don'ts

do:
give a hug to someone you love everyday

don't:
slap the shytta outta EVERYONE...just someone who really deserves it

do:
cultivate your craft. if you are a painter - paint. if you are a plumber - plung!

don't:
wait for the world to come to you -- it's almost always late

do:
build mountains with those likeminded individuals

don't:
build mountains with those stalkers that want to be you

do:
love yourself. love life. love the make up of this ugly world

don't:
complain about this ugly world, unless you are willing to try and change it

Thursday, June 23, 2005

JAM ON IT... ONE MO GIN!

WE PUT POETRY BACK ON BROADWAY! COME CHECK OUT THE SLAM CHAMPIONS OF OUR TIME:


JAM ON IT

featuring:
international slam champ: taalam acey (Batlimore)
nps indie slam champ: sonya renee (DC)
southern fried indie slam champ: paul d (miami)

producers club
358 W. 44th St. (@8th Ave)
doors open @ 10pm
showtime @ 11pm
tickets $15 (group rates available)

reservations encouraged
info@mobrowne.com

Wednesday, June 22, 2005

my lil american idol

amari is phenomenal! she had her play. and she was dope. and the play was as ghetto as possible. but it was beautiful. they had an african dance exhibit, they had a drumline exhibit. and it was really great. she heads to cali tomorrow. i will show you the pictures and tell you all about milwaukee after i finish her hair and packing.

live from BK

Monday, June 20, 2005

quiz it - thx know13

people rarely offer tests that say they are shyt... but not me... not mahogany l. browne. here is the test i took after checking out my girl know13's... and the first one was sorta close -- but after that i just felt offended! but i'm not complaining... no siree bob. misunderstood is only the beginning of my days as a writer. enjoy my pain.

m


Your Existing Situation
Unable to exert the efforts to achieve her objectives. Feels neglected, desiring greater security, warm affection, and fewer problems.

Your Stress Sources
Eager to make a good impression, but worried and doubtful about the likelihoodof succeeding. Feels that she has a right to anything she might hope for, and becomes helpless and distressed when circumstances go against her. Finds the mere possibility of failure most upsetting and this can even lead to nervous prostration. Sees herself as a 'victim' who has been misled and abused, mistakes this dramatization for reality and tries to convince herself that her failure to achieve standing and recognition is the fault of others.


Your Restrained Characteristics
Believes that she is not receiving her share--that she is neither properly understood nor adequately appreciated. Feels that she is being compelled to conform, and close relationships leave her without any sense of emotional involvement.


Your Desired Objective
Demands that ideas and emotions shall merge and blend perfectly. Refuses to make any concessions or to accept any compromises.


Your Actual Problem
Disappointment and the fear that there is no point in formulating fresh goalshave led to anxiety, emptiness, and an unadmitted self-contempt. Her refusal to admit this leads to her adopting a headstrong and defiant attitude.


Your Actual Problem #2
Depleted vitality has created an intolerance for any further stimulation, or demands on her resources. This feeling of powerlessness subjects her to agitation and acute distress. She reacts by considering that she has been victimized, and insists--with indignation, resentment, and defiance--on being given her own way.

free - dom...

free concerts in bklyn & the bronx...
roy ayers and big daddy kane, to john legend and lyfe jemmings...
who say the meltin' pot ain't got free ish?

Sunday, June 19, 2005

wisonsin got more than cheese...

went to the all nite diner and almost keeled ova from eating SOOO much! dasha holds it down out here. they truly know how to treat artists!

so yea, im still here in milwaukee... recently returned from madison, wi. and i'm in awe. though i was supposed to go to chicago last nite and check out my girl deana dean and taalam -- but i missed the last train. so whateva. i hung out with the milwaukee cats...

everyone is just incredible people! its beautiful!
i will give you the rundown on the entire tour when i get back to brooklyn...
just trying out the wireless affect on my new laptop... u hear me gloating?

im sorry... this was just long and overdue.

live from the cheese factory

Friday, June 17, 2005

i did it

got a new computer. just now. i swear!
got off the plane in milwaukee, went to get copies @ office depot
(the touring poets mantra) and i saw a laptop on sale.
it was a really good one for a cheap price.
and because im tired of my computer kicking me off... i did it!
i bought it - with my last little bit of cash. but i just kept say'n
"its an investment"
and it is. my art depends on this.

live from milwaukee

ps - much love to my sis. who just called with the great news and a free ticket to new orleans for 4th of July weekend!

Thursday, June 16, 2005

problematic

he says i have a problem
that i should never wish anyone dead
but i do

- so die already...

Wednesday, June 15, 2005

why you are crazy if you should ever date a poet!

I - poets are always working on their next poem... hence - the poetic gestures in your excxhange!

II - poets never say what they mean. there are always several meanings waiting in the wings!

III - poets have TOO many groupies. and if they are good they may have countries full! while this may not mean anything to the confident partner - but after truck loads of love letters, songs, and sex offers the rejection process can become a tiring, tedious & overwhelming.

IV - poets are workaholic. if they aren't at a venue stuck under some spotlight, they are buried in the bat cave writing a masterpiece.

V - poets are crazy. just plain ole' outta their nutshell!


now if you must DATE one of these maniacs. here are a couple of really great things about these artist.

i. poets are in touch with words. they have a way of manipulating them so well that you feel like you are walking on fluffy word clouds whenever they are around (see what i just did?! dats what im talking about!)

ii. poets more than likely will immortalize your shyt! having a poem written about you (not no eminem ish either!) is the biggest turn on (when you are a woman) so to hear a poem written in your likeness, is like a painter winning a prize after sketching a portrait of you.

iii. even if they are dense. they usually have some really intense emotions. you can feel it in their speech. their kiss. their hold. if they are passionate about writing, just compare that to their passion behind closed doors!

iv. if you are a loner, your poet mate will be out working -- alot! and if you need to be reminded that your mate is hot -- there will be more than enough admirers milling around, waiting for you to leave this hunka hunka mountain of words. all a pleasant reminder that you have a good catch!

v. poets are crazy. what can i say - some people like drama! lol

Tuesday, June 14, 2005

my battle rap!

Shy-putter waitin’ for the world to give you a break
Make it happen like blueprints
And build that shyt if you got too
Many times I’m asked the answer
To questions that have escaped me like memories
And I know the next bus is coming
So I’ve decided not to run
Where’s the fun in chasing something
That ain’t yours to hold?

Only a rock star knows this hustle
Breathes the break beats like a soldier
Checks the tail for the hang gliders –
But I can’t let you shine off’a my name
So I’ll ignore ya
Shake my shoulder and pop collars
Laugh at the immaturity brimming over
I’ll take another hit of C.R.E.A.M please
won’t let it faze me
Like I won’t let you see me coming
Surface when you least expect it
Like the boogeyman I haunt the weak
Watch ‘em shudder when it’s my turn to wreck shyt
Cause they ain’t eating if I’m rocking
And I’m rocking cause it’s my birth rite
You mad cause you want the light
Understandably weak of you
Just trust the night
Slip into the shadows and dream bigger
Birth a new day
And swim quickerTurn faster
Writer harder
And try to live longer
Chasing my dust will on make you choke
On the hate
Shifting envy like that’s what its gonna take to make you betta
It wont
trust me
There are 4 more like you in the side wings
Practicing their cameo appearance in this Life
and the next
Romancing a life that ain’t yours
is seriously detrimental to your health

so what///

whiners suck. myself included! lol
it is sooooo hot, i can't stand it.
im taking myself to a movie. dammit
after my performance with the pregnant
teens -- imma come talk to you about the truth

cause i gots to get dis' off my brain

brooklyn live wire

Monday, June 13, 2005

a week's worth

wed
11pm
here i am. sitting at blvd located in the LES of NYC.
naked booties and breasts EVERYWHERE
hush magazine is an adult magazine (see: black playboy)
and i dig the fact that the owner is a woman
so yea, im down...
i perform BLACK P*SSY before the fashion show
which starts late (about 45 minutes late)
head to the door with my cane, smiling at the red carpet that i walked down
before heading to my broken down SATURN
i still have to pick up amari and j so we can head to Jersey before leaving for Charlotte(breathe)

thurs
3pm
we have passed a car rolling backwards without a driver, several cars flipped over, and atleast 3 other
fender benders. if anyone knows north carolina -- u know that the driving is ridiculous
we finally get to registration (about 1 hour late) just to find out we have a bout in less than 2 hours!
we still havent checked into our hotel (which is 8 miles away) showered, crapped. and we all smell
like car... we get to our bout - lose by 5 points (the southern fried fiasco is outlined on the OTHER weblog). whateva
we eat steak and shrimp anyway. regroup. practice and pass out.

fri
10
slammaster's meeting (outlined in the other weblog as well).
we gather everyone together, eat at joe's crab shack - it's not as good
as the sign said it would be. kas pays 30 bucks for a chicken salad!
i liberate a t-shirt in honor of it all...we slam that nite against DC & Columbia
we win. i got my coffee. we stay to support newark vs New orleans. they lose by half a point.
amari falls asleep -- however, she has written her best poem yet. called the twin towers
in this masterpiece, she says: don't vote for george shush. (as in be quiet!) yes. my baby gets a
standing ovation! head back to the hotel. nothing but mickey d's open (and after 100 dolla's worth of eating the nite before
that's all we eating)... we sleep

sat
10am
im sick. really sick. i cant sit down without having to run to the bathroom and every other minute
we all have breakfast at the hotel cafe. i take amari swimming after i pray to the porcelain god once more.
we head to the bout - we have to slam @ 3pm. we get there, the slam gets full, starts late (as usual). tally black on black and flint, michigan are in our bout. we win. i got the only 30 of the bout! likwid got a 29.9 jive and kas got a 29.7 - its kinda bittersweet.
cause now we have to wait to see which teams won or lose to see if we are in (see southern fried scandal for that story!)
we are shafted for our spot in the finals. when i say shafted i mean STICK UP THE A-HOLE FOR US YANKS!
whateva, we support the teams that made it cause they are firstly our friends!
ches kanno, asia, will da real one & paul d rep for miami with a cat named Khaleed (sp?). charlotte reps with sheba, mekkah, bluz, Q, and maze. newark reps with flow, big mike, myra and another systa...dont remember her name. and new orleans rocked as the 4th team. charlotte won, miami 2nd, nj 3rd. cant wait to get home.

sun
3am
we left as quickly as possible. got home after a lot of sleeping with numb hands and legs and stiff neck
finally pulled into nj - but j, amari and i still have 45 minutes to get home in bklyn
we do
eat jamaican food from golden krusts
feed the cats, clean up their crap
wash the car off of us again and sleep
hard

Wednesday, June 08, 2005

re-affirm...life lessons III

...keep your enemies closer --

i can't say that has worked well for me. i don't have it in me to front for the sake of it. sitting in someone's face like i really dig them -- it ain't in me to lie to myself! lol even though its one of those 48 laws of power. i have tried to separate friends from business. that makes it easier to deal... like my man says "you don't have to like everyone you work with."

i think my experience has proven the fable about the mouse, lion and bird are closer. "those that shyt aren't necessarily your friends & those that help you out of the shyt aren't necessarily your friends".



action speak louder than words--

this is definitely true. i can't knock it and i have to remind myself to pay attention to what is happening, rather than what someone says. words are pretty and ugly and necessary - but action is the entire reflection of their soul. tormented or not.



treat ever day as if its your last --

word up! i realized, i start going haywire if i sit in the house *now that i'm off of bed rest!* and just watch tv. my body was built for moving mountains. 'sides, i want to teach amari that nothing is given to you. nothing except grief. you have to work for your happiness - but you also should enjoy the hard work. i don't believe in just working and working and never looking around me. this world is too gorgeous for that crap. take in the scene. i promise you - it's worth it.



working hard, loving hard, playing hard...

i can't help it. i still do these things. i mean what i say. and if i don't mean what i say (i.e., FUK YOU) then i will soon enough. i act in haste, but the emotions are pure. i work like any single mother. i have nothing from amari's father. only thing i can thank him are her eyes. she is definitely the best little girl on the earth.

yesterday i told her, AMARI means "lovely immortal girl" in hebrew and "god is highest" in swahilli.

she asked why i named her that and "what does immortal mean?"

i told her "it means living forever."

she said "i can't live forever, mommy."

i said "i know. but the good you do on this earth will last forever. look at malcom x. look at martin luther king. ida b wells. rosa parks. do you understand?"

she said, "yes."

and replied "thanks mom. thanks for thinkin' i'm immortal. i think you will help alot of people too."


i hope so 'mari... i hope so

Tuesday, June 07, 2005

here we go again

going thru the same thangs... here we go again! ya'll remember that song? those cats actually came to my high school and performed in the quad. does anyone remember their name? hmmm

today was surprisingly great. my girls at the pregnant school in Queens had their last performance/workshop - it was dope. i brought in books from christa bell, queen sheba, doreen baidoo, rac mckibbens, staceyann chin, marie malette, mayda devalle, katie o'loughlin, sydnee stewart, jade d banks, phyastartah, slam queens of buffalo ny, uche and so many more talented contemporary women poets on the scene. the girls LOVED them!

i have to get ready for my cave canem workshop tonite. im so proud of my girl amanda! she got accepted into the cave canem summer retreat. which we will be attending next year! it's a blast. nights full of writing, partying, building with other artists NON STOP! can you imagine that? i can hear the writer in you shivering! lol

anyway, the sun is shinin' bright and i gotta print out papers, wash clothes and get ready for my show at HUSH tomorrow and then we all leave for Southern Fried around 3am tomorrow (as in thursday) morning... get at you in a minute.

bklyn sun'n

Monday, June 06, 2005

got my back...

thank you for the emails to whoop asses on my account. i love the thug in all of you!
thanks for the support and the love and the ear...it makes working thru the bull so much easier.

today is the official beginning of summer. crazee hot at 8 in the morning. dat's right - it was 75 before i even took amari to school! argh!

working on the book with my london gal pal - one of britan's illest writers! trust. the shyt just got snatched by an incredible publisher - look out for the drop in October. which is when her and i will travel -- she's coming to NYC then i will be in Europe for an entire month... nice

also gotta work on my article for the magz, my group piece with the team and my workshop write up for tomorrow's meeting... to say the least - carpel tunel will soon be in affect! but the creativity is worth it. yes!

so -- i listed my schedule below. i wants to see ya'll. let's catch up on good books, good books. good living. tell me what does your day smell like so far? mines smells like:

white chocolate
soap
sweat
flurried kisses
and sun

bklyn livewire


JUNE:
8 - HUSH ADULT MAGAZINE RELEASE PARTY, BLVD NYC
9 - 11 Southern Fried Regionals Charlotte, NC
13 - BAR 13 (COVER SLAM)
17 - 22 MILWAUKEE
24 - SLAM FUNDRAISER - NEWARK, NJ
27 - BAR 13 (FORM SLAM)

JULY
1 - BKLYN VS NJ SCRIMMAGE
14 - URBANA REMATCH nyc
15 - NUBIAN HERITAGE BKLYN, NY
16 - WORD 4 WORD NYC
17 - 19 SEATTLE
22 - 24 SAY WORD LITERARY FESTIVAL DENVER, CO
25 - CORPUS CHRISTI SLAM, TX
27 - SUBSTANCE ABUSE CONFERENCE - AUSTIN, TX

AUGUST
10 - 13 NATIONAL POETRY SLAM ALBEQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO
27 - ARKANSAS WORLD SLAM, FAYETTEVILLE, AK

allow me to reintroduce myself

my name is MO... otherwise known as Mahogany.
got big things this week, my friends.
i have two shows for my pregnant mother's class.
and i will be performing at HUSH MAGAZINE Release Party
it's an adult magazine -- like a Black PLAYBOY. well
see...

had our team meeting today. it was fanTABulous! shadowkat did his
thang, Likwid just might get offa HOUSE punishment in time
for the nationals (fingers crossed). Kasim flipped his Wacko
Jacko poem. but we had to reconsider our audience and voted against it.

i did my new piece word life and meltdown (my icarus) -- so i'm
really lookin' forward to this summer. we leave for southern fried
in charlotte, nc on thurday morning and im getting prepared
for amari's cali departure. my sis is coming to get her for the summer
with my neice and nephew...

i still have a couple of group pieces to write. about what? well you will have
to join us in new mexico aug 10 - 13 for that surprise!

Saturday, June 04, 2005

days missed

sorry ya'll. the work is overwhelming. i'm gonna sit my ass down and talk to you fa real. give me til' sunday evening...

myself when i am tired in bklyn

m

Thursday, June 02, 2005

how it all begins (ideas, rants & artistic love)

and then it was def.
before it was every considered valuable by the masses
which turn fickle over music and pop stars, pop culture
and pop icons

this poetry thing became big over night
and surpassed the predecessors attempt
for freedom of step n fetch-it routines

how we make it from now
will be how it is marked in history
and how it will be marked in the books
is how it will be preserved
and how it is remembered will be what
our children, and their children, and our
great great grandchildren will revisit
to feel for themselves
under their toes
and between their palms
grasped in their fists
and against their back
winding wind this thing
called poetry -- how it began

this was actually just some thoughts. i want us to be better poets. i do. i want to leave the earth with the trail scorched by US. the artists whose tears have dried into the earth. by us. artists whose blood has been bleached by sun after staining concrete. by us. poets who believe in the power of the word. not by the corporate machine that aims to exploit us for everything we got and can get. i pray for you. the you that is starving, hungry, underpaid, undiscovered, raw talent, no image -- artists! you make them see us for who we are - not who they want us to be. we are fierce.

live from queens headed back to bklyn for a root canal...

Wednesday, June 01, 2005

PS - KIM

you have got to change dat damn site! how am i to write how much i love everything on the page -- all the new voices, all the new images... but that ish is to hi tech for me! :(
i'm crazy tired. no introspections this morning. i just want coffee (shout out to my girl 'manda!). there are so many things happening this week as we get ready for southern fried and the nationals. so just wish me luck and godspeed.

going back to bed in bklyn