So far 2022 feels like a poorly written science fiction reality show racing toward a season finale with a cliff-hanger that has us scratching our heads and asking what the hell just happened! It's already June and according to the celestial calendars, the sun-kissed days and warm starry nights should be upon us. However in … Continue reading A Fractured Pride
I am a commodity sold and traded at will I am not seen as human, not seen as an equal I am devoid of feeling and emotion but a force of physical labor I am forced to have less than and work more to survive I have no wealth to build my legacy, no 40 … Continue reading Less Than
Thank You Daniel Quasar A diverse spectrum of "family", bound by blood and not, representing all shades of color in celebration and unity; 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, and 7 days a week; We are here; Forces old and clad in angry habits of righteousness, condemn my life, and who I choose … Continue reading We Are Here
At first I felt naked, exposed with all my flaws visible for all to see. Some people around me sneered in jealousy and others didn’t mind at all seeing all of me. That’s what it felt like when I dared workout without my mask on for the first time at the gym. In Oregon, fully … Continue reading COVID Confidential: Vol #9 – Face Value
As an adult, I'm truly embarrassed by the naivety of my juvenile thoughts as a young child. I was a Black boy raised and taught to respect the authority of the police and that they only took away the “bad” people. In my little head, I didn’t understand the deeper complexity around my misconception of … Continue reading A Cycle of Pain
It's not a game anymore, it's real life! The world has changed and it’s been a long time coming. An awakening has occurred; an amazing, loud, and unsettling awakening in the United States and in other parts of the world. The death of an unarmed Black man at the hands of a White police officer … Continue reading The Black Experience
Life as a African-American/Black man. Life as a African-American/Black woman. A life that can quickly and violently be taken away. Last night I finally broke down. My emotional shell just cracked and I started crying, something I don’t often do. I just reached a saturation point in my soul and couldn’t hold back the emotion … Continue reading See No Evil
Politics are not a favorite part of my regular diet. I don't crave the civic satisfaction some of my more enlightened friends and colleagues do. I actually never really have. When I do try and digest the platter of ballot measures, bond amendments, and candidate profiles, I feel nauseous and unsatisfied. Photo credit: Sommer Martin … Continue reading The Bitter Taste of Politics
The constructs of time have been debated by scholars for centuries. For me, these "constructs" are too cerebral for my little brain to comprehend. Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity stated, “time and space are not as constant as everyday life would suggest.'' I only know enough about time to prompt me to get me where … Continue reading Time Escapes Me (US)
Kids will say and do the darnedest things. I think the earliest memory of my first word was no. Not Mama or Dada. I was told that I was a cute child, and I was a tad mischievous too. When my Aunt Sally would visit, she would often catch me in an act of trickery … Continue reading Liar, Liar, Couch on Fire!
Judge Don't Judge...Much 