Ode to Harlem Besties

Piggy back ride

transportation of love

with laughter as its fuel

It never tires, 

not for a sister 

or a bestie...

it rages on like fire.

Our friendship

fits like a glove;

passion- burning warmth

on the coldest days

and darkest nights

moved beyond the depths

of all that inspires,

the joy of which takes form

of these words I write. 

A moment in precious time

In the face of a neighborhood 

and a world

in transition

--Uncertainty--

thick like African musk oil

Vaporizes in the heat of a 

Harlem summer

and joins the breeze

as together, we take flight.

And while all things inevitably change

my love for you stands 

the test of time

and soars 

like an iridescent kite.

"Harlem" by Langston Hughes

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up

like a raisin in the sun?

Or fester like a sore--

And then run?

Does it stink like rotten meat?

Or crust and sugar over--

like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags

like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

(Photo copyright Ocean Morisset)

Message to me and you

To give, receive.
be the wet, fertile valley
That rivers of life flow through.
The full will be emptied
The empty, filled.
So be empty, that you may be filled.

The greatest healer shares all
And becomes yet greater.
One who wants to be healed
Must become a healer.
And one who wants to be a healer
Must first seek healing;
Suffering gains meaning only when
healed
And healing is meaningless
Until it is shared.

To receive, give.

--Haven Trevino, The Tao of Healing

Untitled

In the morning after,
In between dark and light,
In the space between
here and now,
when yesterday never ended,
And today is just born,

I awaken to life,
as best as I can live it,
as long as I can will it,
embraced by the notion that
"this is it".

I wait as the drape,
crumpled to perfection,
resists all temptation
to change the course
of a mid-summer dream.

--Ocean Morisset
8/12/10

Fear not! Today is a new day!

Dusk
set upon the shoulders
of a distant past,
Bringing forth
the truth of yesterday,
Bearing the weight
of the not-so-real,
And imagined fear.
What once happened in the night
is revealed in the day,
But you still don't know your name,
--Only your sex--
And that's because someone had to tell you.

Too far gone for a lesson in trust,
I'm afraid that where I stand
Is where you lay,
Immobile
to the light of day.



--Ocean Morisset

In a perfect light...

in a perfect light,
there would be no fear
only a dedication to
living one's own truth

in a perfect light,
there would be no me
or you
just us
--Together as a One-- (which is what Sibanye means in Xhosa)
a true brotherhood
who speak in the name
of our fallen soldiers

in a perfect light,
there would be no shame
nor shadow
just the continuous glow of
pride and self-respect

in a perfect light,
we would see each other
and know each other's names

in a perfect light,
there would be life
beyond the box.
























Dedicated to the life and memory of Sibanye Crimes who transitioned to another place on Tuesday September 29th, 2009.


Note: I hardly knew Sibanye apart from the occasional Adodi-NY gatherings I've attended, but the loss of yet another Adodi brother is what inspired me to take the still life photographs and write this piece. I'll always remember him smiling broadly and for his dedication he showed to the African American Community by organizing various activities including book club meetings at Hue Man Bookstore in Harlem.

RIP, Sibanye...



View another moving tribute to Sibanye here at the Center of Inquiry:
http://www.centerforinquiry.net/blog/harlem_cfi_loses_vibrant_leader/

Chasing Certainty

you will never find your way
for as long as you run sideways
in the dark

you will never know the truth
until you live your truth

you cannot recognize the moment
the NOW
as long as your heart is left behind
stuck in a hurt-filled rut



you will get there though
because your spirit demands it

LET GO

you're not alone
but your demons should be

when u are finally free
you will know it

because nothing else will matter.

Look, now...

seperated at birth
that part of me remains
hidden from you
searching for me
and all that i could be
if it were true
that i couldnt love you
despite your clenched fist
and my open heart.

do u know who i am?
not like Will
but the way of the light
that illuminates the path
and connects ur dots
that eventually lead to me.

what has gone missing
for far too long
i try 2 complete
without competing
with the demons and dragons
of your fiery past.

look at me now!
who do you see?
or can u describe
how i came 2 be?

(I didn't think so...)

I miss my mama.

Tuneday the boy-gay

Tuneday
is here
Wednesday
where he can be gay
till Friday
all day
and on the seventh day
some will say
act like you did
on Monday.

Not because...but...

not because I AM
but because you were

not because i live
but because you fear

not because i fly
but because u creep
(or crept)

not because i see
but because you can't
(or won't)

not because of reality
but because of perception

not because of my light
but because of your shadow

not because i'm free
but because ur not

not because i live
but because u exist

not because my life is dictated by people who mean nothing to me
but because yours is

not because i've seen
but because you remembered

not because i'm "right"
but because I'm honest

not because i'm told
but because I believe

not because of you
but because of me.