Who new that the divine drug of chocolate had its own day?! I'm a bit late but this sort of awesome occassion still needs to be celebrated with something equally sinful and succulent. (Granted this poem isn't about chocolate. But, it does have the word mentioned ... err ... once.)
What's for Dinner?
The smell of strawberry syrup
Drifts through the house as the cake cools
On the antique ebony table.
You are drawn by the sugary scents
(ones you haven't smelled in awhile).
Your Cool Water cologne enters first
Then I sense your heat from behind
As you fix your hands on my hips
In that familiar way
And run your overworked hands
Down the curves of my hips and thighs
That are hidden in the sheer
Wispy cloth of summertime.
I turn around, inhale in the
Exhilarating aromas
Then gently nibble your bottom lip
As I savor the taste and heat.
You pick me up by my waist
In that familiar way
(that men show their sensual strength)
And sit me on the table's edge.
My chocolate kissed legs wrap around you
And pull you in closer to me.
You slide a succulent strawberry,
Drenched with juices and cream,
From the cake as you carefully
Place it between my open lips
You pull me in near. Your lips are
so close that your breath trembles me
As you say, "What's for Dinner?"
I swear just when I've thought I've seen it all another crazy story crawls out of the woodwork. So, there I was browsing news stories when I find an article about a man that was arrested for an indecent exposure charge. Of course, my first thoughts were of some pimple faced loser lurking near a young girl's window or flashing ladies at the supermarket. But oh no, this man was in all places ... his own house.
Eric Williamson, the accused, claims that he was making coffee in the nude like he did most mornings and didn't even notice a woman and child cutting through his lawn. Apparently, the unnamed woman glances over to his window and goes, "ZOMFG ... sinful nakedness! Call the Police!!"
I mean I have been aware for a long time that the prudish conservative sect seem to find something intrisically sinister about the nude human body. God forbid someone take a non-sexual picture or make a painting of someone in the buff. Surely, the mere sight will spark craven lust and rape in the streets.
We all know the world is filled with drama llamas and alarmist. But the scary part of this story is that the cops actually arrested this man in his own home over such a flimsy claim. Perhaps, they should have suggested to the woman not to walk through other people's lawns and stare in their windows.
Perhaps, we should all start taking showers in our undies. You never know when your neighbor might walk by, hitch up a ladder to your window and claim they were scarred by witnessing your naughty nakediness.
So, the other day, I learned a new phrase - "Shopping While Black". I do love to learn but this one surely didn't bring sunshine to my morning. Of course, I (and most any other black person in America) know this phenomenon. The number one clue to its appearance is when store clerks magically appear out of the wood work with pinched faces and crossed arms waiting for the undesirables to steal a Dooney purse. Hardly inviting, eh? However, I was unware that the common racial incident had gotten a catchy name tag.
The inspiration for this post was watching ABC's 20/20 Shopping While Black - Social Experiment. Basically, the show took three actors, one black and two white, and set them up in a trendy Soho clothing store in New York. The white actors played a racist store clerk and security guard while the black actress played an abused shopper. As you can imagine, the experiment was to see how the actual shoppers in the store would react if they witnessed the "shopping while black" situation unfold before their very eyes.
The Negative News:
As I would have guessed, the vast majority of patrons said and did nothing. They went about their merry way shopping, chatting and giving an occasional awkward look over at the chaotic scene. Once out of the store and the show revealed itself, they could only offer the pathetic "it wasn't my business" excuse while still giving money to an abusive establishment (at least that was what they witnessed while in the store).
In one segement, the store clerk actress draws a male customer into the conversation. She pulls him aside and engages him in a chat about the black woman. After which, he drops the "race card" bomb. Despite him actually witnessing the clerk being obviously discriminatory, the first thing to comes to his mind is that the black woman was in the wrong.
Not surprisingly, once he was in front of the unhidden cameras. He pretends that he felt sorry for the black actress. Perhaps, he is schizophrenic? Doubtful. I tend to think that what he uttered while he "thought" he was hidden was his true feelings not what he regurgitated to sound politically correct in full view of the public.
The Positive News:
Oh yes, there is a bright side! There were some people that actually took a stand in defense of the black shopper under siege. Not only did they show a black patron confronting the clerk, two white women came to her aid and actually escorted the perceived victim out of the store. The beautiful part was that other shoppers followed suit. Thankfully, the show cleared up the matter after the people got outside and saved the store many sales.
Also, I have to mention the one woman that was so upset by the interaction of the actors that she started crying. Like they had done previously, the actors attempted to draw in a nearby customer into the situation. Yet, this woman found the idea of racism so disturbing that she became highly emotional. It was truly endearing to see someone that actually cared so deeply about an issue that didn't effect her directly.
What Did I Learn:
So, I have to ask myself what does this tell me about American society as it stands today. On one hand, I expected that no one would care about the plight of this woman being humiliated and insulted in public simply because of the color of her skin. I mean apathy is a national disease in general. "It's not my problem" should be the national slogan.
However, it warmed my spirit to see those that did take a stand for what was right. They didn't sit by and pretend that it wasn't happening while rewarding the store with their purchases. I was left with the feeling that there is still some hope for humanity.
Don't get me wrong. I don't think that the vast majority of people that did nothing are racist. But, by keeping silent and continuing to shop, they enable racism and discrimination in all its forms. As Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it."
We stared across the barbed wire
Where the massive trains
Whistled and whirled
Across those tracks
Leading to someplace-
Somewhere north of monotony.
It started as the thought,
became the dream
then the reality.
The Thought
On the other side of the fence,
Grew the bluest berries
This side of the Mason-Dixon.
Held just beyond
The grasp of our tiny fingers.
The Dream
Capture the elusive berry.
Bypass the "Keep Out" sign.
For these berries MUST be
The sweetest of them all.
After all...
They are on the other side of the fence.
The Reality
We scaled the fence,
Bloody hands and all,
Savored our treasure.
Salvation was at hand.
We tasted of the bounty.
But to our surprise,
There was no treasure or mystery
Only a plain blueberry covered in blood.
A couple of recent incidents have brought the issue of nudity and the American mindset to my thoughts lately. Of course, there is the controversy and apparent upset about the nudity in ESPN's Body Issue that came out October 9, 2009. According to various sources, some Christian groups are disappointed with ESPN (which is owned by Disney) because they perceive this issue as using sex to sale. However, I see one glaring flaw in this theory. There is no "sex" in the ESPN special issue.
Frankly, I would venture to say that most men that stroll to the bathroom with Playboy and Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Issue would not pick up Body Issue from the magazine rack for their extra curricular purposes. The photo spread includes athletes such as Sara Reinertsen, a female amputee that completed the Ironman competition, Byambajav Ulambayar, a 341 lb. sumo wrestler and Michelle Carter, a quite muscular Olympic shot putter. Needless to say, these are not the figures gracing skin magazines. But beyond that, it is obvious that ESPN is highlighting sport physique not sex.
The tragedy is how some people take the beauty of nudity and instantly associate it with sexuality. What exactly is base, lewd or profane about the human body? Why exactly is it ok for children to watch a violent sport like football or hockey but a travesty for them to see a woman's nipple? The answers to these questions aren't black and white. But, I do think it represents a strange sickness in American culture fueled by the fundamentalist religious crowd.
Perhaps, these people should ask themselves why they feel this magazine is obscene. After all, God molded the beautiful and amazing forms that grace the covers of these pages.
Ever since ESPN released their first ever Body Issue magazine on October 9th, the Net has been abuzz with criticism of Serena Williams going the full monty on the cover. I admit that after first hearing about this I was pretty shocked. Since she is my second favorite tennis player(Venus Williams is my favorite), I've always had a tremendous amount of respect for her and her accomplishments. I'd never imagine her stooping low like many celebrity females and trading their bodies for stacks of cash and fame.
So, of course, I searched for these supposed outrageous pictures in fear of having my ideals of a strong woman dashed into the pavement. Low and behold, when I actually viewed the photographs, I found very tasteful and beautiful images of a fit athlete. There was nothing at all sordid, trashy or disgraceful about them. Consequently, this lead me to my next meandering thought.
Why is it that Williams was singled out when there are several other female athletes in the same magazine nude? Is it because the visage of such a proud, fierce and voluptuous black woman is too much heat for the American public to handle? Is it more racist backlash from those who despise her for residing at the top of women's tennis? Is it the haters from her own race that can't breath if another sister succeeds? I really don't have the answer, but it surely seems fishy to me.
Side Note: egyptsaidso.com reported that Williams could possible be banned from tennis and receive a fine for participating in this nude magazine issue. However, I could find no other report to substantiate the claim. So, I won't comment on the insanity of that prospect and treat it as a rumor until I see otherwise.
Since yesterday was National Coming Out Day in the United States, I decided it would be a good time to take a look at what President Obama's take is on the issue. Consequently, President Obama made a speech Saturday that expressed his views on equality for homosexuals and transgendered people. I, for one, was happy to hear that he takes the issue of discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identification seriously.
Many politicians take the easy and cowardly path by avoiding this issue to appease the fundamentalist religious ilk that would be more than happy to continue living in the dark ages and oppressing those different from themselves. I think that President Obama clearly realizes that you can't be the land of the free and equality while still actively oppressing a group of people. Why can't other seemingly intelligent people comprehend this simple concept?
In the speech, President Obama made it clear that he would use the power of the Presidency to try and make change happen when it comes to this controversial issue. He went on to explain that he wants to pass an inclusive hate crime bill that will be named after Matthew Shepard, the University of Wyoming student slain because he was gay in 1998. The bill has already passed in the House and is expected to pass in the Senate. Likewise, he plans to address the shady "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" military policy that has only managed to be a hapless band-aid on the gays in the military issue.
Obviously, it will take time to truly make lasting change in the area of homosexual equality. Hatred and ignorance towards gays goes even farther back than racism. It is tangled in the very fabric of many societies across the world. Yet, this is one of the many steps in the fight for equality, and I hope President Obama stays courageous and follows it through to the end.
Last night as I was watching the newest episode of Diddy's Starmaker show, I was stunned to see that MTV had a Hottest MC's in the Game top 10 list. After the show, they performed the big reveal of the top 4 MCs according to the Brain Trust. Who are these guys anyway?? (However, I must note that there was also an audience poll involved as well.)
I couldn't help but laugh at the string of sucker MCs in the list. It never ceases to amaze me how the truly talented rappers waste away in the obscurity of the underground while talentless hacks flourish in the light. Clearly, Gift of Gab from Blackalicious could school over half that list of booty poppin', tired rhyme spittin' MCs with only half his brain functioning.
But I digress ...
The real shock of the night to my mind was the 4th place position of Kanye West. I can only imagine that hardcore rap fans had an insatiable need to scratch their own eyes out or at the least storm MTV's studios with pick axes and torches. Although, I personally think that some of West's rhymes have an incredible depth, social significance and good flow, I like most everyone else in the world find the guy ... annoying.
Often, I've wondered what it is exactly. Is it the hint of punkassness, the propensity to whine like an infant during a diaper change or the outlandish ego? I'm not sure, but I do know that he's had to scratch and claw for the golden fleece of street cred. Perhaps this MTV ranking will finally give him a tiny measure of respect among the masses of hip hop fans. So in that, I suppose the list isn't completely useless.
Who new that the divine drug of chocolate had its own day?! I'm a bit late but this sort of awesome occassion still needs to be celebrated with something equally sinful and succulent. (Granted this poem isn't about chocolate. But, it does have the word mentioned ... err ... once.)
