i wanna be rich

another week has gone by and i only have one new poem to speak of. so hard to share my writings lately. I think I am still entangled in some bitterness that is all too apparent in my current work. and in that sick way, still trying to protect the guilty, but also not let myself stand too naked or hemorrhage from my still open wounds on my new blog carpet.

on an inspired note… i hit the NeoSoul open mike last wednesday, for the 3rd time. my intention each visit was to come home and write about how kick ass it is but sleep always happens first. (considering it doesn’t let out til ‘round midnight.) it, like most open mikes, has a WIDE range of voices. What I LOVE about this mostly black/people of color weekly event is that it is like a family reunion… you know… all of your family comes together in love and is excited to share the joy, pain and dysfunction of our lives through word. NeoSoldier Love exquisitely described several representations of poets (“type-a-poets”) in a poem. (i want a “cotton picker” shirt.) the usual, charismatic host, brian, took a week off to perform in a montage with the rest of the NeoSouldiers. (off the chain. felt much like interactive theater.) notorious 13 hosted fabulously, threatening to take off her signature headscarf because it was hot up in there! she’s a natural. mahogany (mo) brown, in from the east coast, was the feature. i think i am the only one of most of the poets i know who hadn’t crossed paths with her prior. and to have heard so many great things about her (which she surpassed), i appreciated that she wasn’t just a “persona.” she was all “girlfriend” and completely accessible. a beautiful mix of politics and reality and song. hopefully we can coax her to move here. austin could use her voice among the chorus.

speaking of song, there was also a singer kevin sandbloom, in the house. i don’t think we realized what we really had going in there that night. i bought the (white) brotha’s cd “from a bird” and i haven’t taken it out of my player yet. (ok, not true. but only cuz my player only plays one at a time and only cuz i NEEDED to hear raul midon again. RECOMMENDATION, y’all! he’s an acoustic guitar playing throwback to real music like stevie and donnie. the brotha creates a trumpet accompaniment with his mouth! the brotha is bad! check him out at www.raulmidon.com.)
in his song "State of Mind," he sings...
"i wanna be rich
i wanna be happy
and live
inside a love that shines
bright enough to last a lifetime
i wanna be rich
more than a fantasy
ride the winds and climb
cuz it's all a state of mind..."

BAD i tell ya!

i hope sandbloom, who sang the shit outta sade’s “is it a crime,” croons his way to the kind of visibility his music deserves. (www.kevinsandbloom.com)

so i left that night with all of the merchandise any of the features had to sell. even the brotha whose name escapes m, probably because he bore a striking resemblance (even in mannerisms) to my ex. YIKES! anyway, i hadn’t been going to open mikes for a while but i have been making time for neo. LOVE them.

so this weekend, i spent most of my time packing. oh! i did catch hustle and flo and MAN! it was brilliantly acted. i appreciate craig brewer’s writing and direction of the film but terrance dashon howard unarguably MADE the film. i also bought a wind chime for my new apartment. one of the mahogany and chrome ones with the deeper chime. i wanted the bigger one that sounded more like a gong but i think i’ll get that one later, when my finances can handle the weight of it. i’ve always wanted one; something to listen to at every whisper or gust of wind. it’s gorgeous.

hopefully, from now on, i’ll be more timely. my paternal grandparents’ 60th, yes i said 60th, wedding anniversary is coming up on the 16th. we are having a celebration on the 13th in san diego. i am looking forward to it cuz i haven’t seen them since my children, who are now 6 and 8, were 3 and 5. the experience is sure to write itself into a poem or screenplay. that poem, i would most definitely share.