True Imposter


She sings the Church songs on Sunday
and tries to emulate the feeling the singer had
In its absence, she taps those soon-to-be
manicured nails on the table
and taps those eight years old Shirleys
that even God would question on the floor
She bows her head and damn near speaks
in tongues that even the tongue can’t decipher
She taps the mind to make it believe, like she does, that She is doing all the right things to make it into Heaven’s God’s grace
She can’t wait ’til Church is over
So She can resume how others see her
All along, She was planning her day

If I could bring God back today


If I could bring God back today,
I would say,
“What took You so long
to make me call out your name?”
Nothing has happened to Me
that You couldn’t see
But others wondered,
Where can He be?

If I could bring God back today,
would anything really change?
Without His Father raising Him up,
just how far could He extend His range?

If I could bring God back today,
would I praise Him like they did
back in the day?
I see signs in the World
that only He could cause
Heads bowed, people speaking in tongues
Everyone looking side-to-side
giving reason to pause

If I could bring God back today,
would He even want to stay?
While they have folded hands and arms,
He could stretch His out
and create a brand new Day

Where would I be,
If I could bring God back today?


Would the Devil make me see

that there is only One way?

When I let it all go…


When I let it all go,
I feel myself
No adjectives necessary
  I feel how I am supposed
to feel
I release all the baggage
I collected over time
and I had to let it all go
I’m sure I’ll keep a few reminders
and over time,
  it will all be a wiped memory
When I let it all go,
I want to remember what got me
to that place
like being my own life jacket
trying to stay afloat
And I float to stay alive
and keep moving to ease
the discomfort I feel over time

Black as a Cowboy


Ride ’em!
Until they call You, “Cowboy.”
Take hold of the reins
and raise your arm and fist
up high to show you mean business.
And, when that one tires,
raise the other one
Steady and balance yourself
to avoid being knocked off
the merry-go-round.
There’s no need to raise your voice
to be taken seriously.
Remember, you don’t have to lower
your head to know where you’re going

Difference. Indifference.


Difference. Indifference.

A man I know

was diagnosed with high blood pressure

He found a doctor who listened to him

Now, he’s under control and loves beets and smoothies

A woman I know

found a cure for her type of cancer

Her doctor referred her to a Specialist

Talk about dumb luck, huh?

A Black man I know

was diagnosed with high blood pressure

He was given a vial of pink pills

The pill bottle never asked him if he could read

A Black woman I know

was rushed to the hospital because of her acid reflux

The x-ray she finally had showed something else

Now, she’s too weak to take that vacation trip

When voices are not heard

assumption are made

For no one should dispute the spoken word

until a head is forever laid

In our final resting place

We all look the same

only then, can we all be looked in the face

instead of pointing fingers towards the one to blame

The Sell-Out at the Citizens Academy


A really good person thinks that he was a sell-out at a meeting or class he attended at the Citizens Academy, in Syracuse, New York. ,

The Class offered many students the opportunity to learn more about the government and/or how the city of Syracuse and its surrounding counties operated. Each week, a panel is involved as each person who is incharge of their department in Syracuse discusses what they do to make the city of Syracuse a better place to live. Apparently, no one has the courage to challenge its panelists on how non-diverse Syracuse really is. There seems to be monies available for revitalization and getrification in the city but not for much else. The poor in the city stay poor. Crime is rampant and rising as talks about the I-81 infrastructure takes true precedence. The area affected would be the poorest in the city and is the most dire for a makeover. Being that it would be considered a makeover, something or someone would have to go.

Back when Black people were forced out of the 15th Ward to make way for a new highway, those in higher positions turned a deaf ear to the people of that community. Today, with all of the meetings and forums created to supposedly invite voices to be heard about the I-81 viaduct, it seems those souls are being placated and patronized. A decision has already been made to tear down the eyesore known as Pioneer Homes. Although there are those meek souls and gophers who work for Blue Print 15, a company brought in to smooth-over the tempered voices of the soon-to-be decimated area, they steadily expect their check to arrive weekly. The Workers in the House quells those working in the fields. Visions of sugarplums dance in the heads of those truly expecting to move back into their old neighborhoods in a new dwelling alongside the middle and higher income level residents. Does this really seem realistic? Who would or could tolerate such? Why should they tolerate living next to a family that crime follows? Then again, Blue Print 15 was incharge of like communities in Atlanta, GA. Go figure.

But there is also the issue of diversity in Syracuse where it is perceived that persons of color don’t have the proper skill set to hold mid-level positions in companies. As an incentive to bring new companies into the Syracuse area, tax deferments or tax breaks (spread out of years) are offered. Do those companies hold the proper skill set to maintain employees of color. Of course, there are those who would say, “But at least they could have a job making a decent wage.” Is it really a wage that would allow them the luxury of living comfortably without having to secure a second or third job? And, what if the person of color is held to a different set of matrixes, a higher set, that could see them walked out the door of that job before they have met their probationary period?

Aside from and in lieu of all that, the person tried to incorporate Atlanta, GA into a question he asked: What does Syracuse have to offer me? The real question, as the reason he felt he sold-out, should have been, “What does Syracuse have to offer a Black man like myself?” I told him that I’m sure some people understood where he was going with the question, but everybody should have gotten it. Each panelist spoke on the wonderful qualities Syracuse has to offer. It’s just that each panelist, including Deputy Mayor Sharon Owens, knew that there was only one real race, genre, and nationality that mattered. White. A new proposed Aquarium, new downtown loft apartments, all the non-inclusive eateries and clubs that frowned upon the thought of intimidation or fear that accompanied a single or group of persons that did not include at least one white person were just a few joys of one moving to Syracuse.

What does Syracuse have to offer a Black Man? More crime, harassment, discrimination, discouragement, complacency, static. Just how would the panelists have answered that question? Isn’t the Black Man, and even the Black Woman, part of the economy they spoke about? Even the Deputy Mayor wouldn’t be able to answer that question with a stragiht face, since she was trying to save face. Yes, the gentleman could have been a Maverick from seeking an answer to that question. Would it have been worth it? Probably so. Were those waves that should have been ruffled? Yes and No. More Yes.

The Wisdom Keepers


Be quick
Be nimble
Don’t get so sick
Where You can’t use a thimble

Pray often
But keep it moving
Don’t let your brainwaves soften
‘Cause there’s a lot to be proving

You’re expected to sit still
Stay in your place
Just take your blue, pink or white pill
And put a smile on your face

Why should You wear your heart on your sleeve?
You paid a lot for those achy bones and laugh lines
Old Age tries its best to deceive
With hefty penalties and fines


So, let’s call out those who say, “You Can’t”
and those who say, “No”
Your body, mind, and soul is like a Plant
It also needs a little nourishment to grow, and grow, and go

Intimidation vs. Peer Pressure (Discussion)


A lady told me that her son was going through something in school. It was made apparent that her son was “sweet” on a young girl in his class. And she was “sweet” on him, too!

Well, other young boys, in the class, knew that her son was fond of the young girl as well. Their mission: to turn the young girl against the boy with good grades. “He ain’t all that!,” was what had flowed in the class. The young boy wanted to fit in.

He comes home one day and exclaimed, “I don’t like her anymore!” It didn’t seem like she spent too much time in getting him to explain the sudden change. But yet, she knew of the boys intention to pretty much disown him because of his prestine reputation in the class. She shrugged it off.

So then, I said, “That’s intimidation.” No, it’s not!,” she said. Intimidation is when somebody has an ultimatum to fulfill. He didn’t feel as though he had to do anything.”

I said, “You’re wrong. So wrong. And I don’t even have kids.”