" Three Things cannot be long hidden: the Sun, the Moon & the Truth"~ Buddha
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Too Many Fishes in the Sea! Black History Month 2013
Walk to That Power
By Jacquelyn Hughes Mooney©13
“We do not become storytellers…
We came to tell the stories
We & our ancestors who actually live...
Some of us are still catching up to our stories.
We do not become artists we came as artists…
We are.
Some of us are still catching up to what we are.
We do not become writers…
Dancers…
Helpers…
Peacemakers…
We came as such…
We are”
Clarissa Pinkola Estes
Bricklayers, masons, housekeepers, ditch diggers, bakers, homemakers, movers & shakers, janitors carpenters, plumbers, caretakers, sanitation workers, cooks, waitress, dishwashers, bell hops, taxi drivers, teachers, doctors, lawyers, Indian chiefs, entrepreneurs, professors, visionaries…
Yes even a President.
Walk to our power….
There is still enough largeness in us…
That knows/believes/aspired/can/did/will rock the world.
Who still sees a rainbow as a promise...?
A hope for…That will not be broken.
Walk to that power.
There’s still enough of the bigness in us...
To know there is so much more we can do.
Even the ones who others say we’re invisible…
The grey hairs, troubled knees, canes, bad feet hardly hear, vision blurring…
To the rest of the who let me tell you something…
We are.
There’s still enough of the vibe in us
Those who can Harlem Shake and Harlem Shuffle with a Beyonce
Dine on the Black eye Peas/Mills Brothers/Jimi Hendrix all in the same breath
And still walk in our power
With nothing to prove, speaking truth to peace.
We have so many that flooded the gates
That implored…
Explore
And floored you with their fierceness…
Their determination…
And while some of them did not live to see the fruits of their efforts.
Those of us who are the storytellers…
The dream catchers…
The visionaries…
Have kept your deeds alive, recording & stored it
Right beyond their left eye
It is easy to remember if you never forgot
And will sing those songs even when no one I paying attention
Singing your name in to the stratosphere...
That will carry your name far beyond the galaxies...
Black my story
Not his story
But my story
The Langston Hughes, Duke Ellington’s, Benjamin Hooks, Paul Roberson, Serena Williams, Condoleezza Rice, Martin, Malcolm & John
Drs, Ben Carson, Maya Angelou, Johnnetta B. Cole, Linda Brown
Oprah,
Hannibal, Kunta Kinte and Shaka Zulu...
A Woman called Moses,
And speaking words to truth while on her Sojourner (ain’t I a woman)?
Yes, George Benson, George Foreman, Chicken George, his mama Kizzy…
And George Fraser because success runs in our race!
Beverly Guy Shetfall, Frankie Beverly
MahaliaJackson, Harriet Powers, the Greensboro 4 and the Bennett Belles!
Rear Admiral Michelle Hawkins and General Colin Powell...
The Buffalo soldiers & the Tuskegee Airmen
We will not forget Rosewood, Tulsa, Chicago, the Jena 6 Emmett Till or Trayvon Martin
Thurgood Marshall, Anita Hill or even Clarence Thomas
(Hoping that he’ll find his way)…
Ruby Dee, Ruby Bridges and Tina Turner (rolling down the river)
Before the was Beyonce’ there was Eartha Kitt
Josephine Baker,
Etta, James, Katherine Dunham, Pearl Bailey thrown in for good measure.
Denzel Washington, Booker T Washington, Cory Booker
And yes Booker T & the MG’s.
Bill Withers, Bill Bojangles Robinson, Bill Cosby, Billy Eckstine, Billy Dee, Bill Stewart…
Billye Holiday singing of Strange Fruits
Nat King Cole & Nat Turner
Carol Bebelle, Patti Labelle & the Shirelles
Queenie, the Queen of Sheba and Queen Latifah
The Kings’ B.B, Martin Luther, Arianne King-Corner along with a Prince
In all his purple reign.
Michael Jordan, Michael Jackson, Mike Tyson
Alice Walker, Toni Morrison Nikki Giovanni, Sonia Sanchez…
Phyllis Montana-LeBlanc, Phyllis Yvonne Stickney & Phyllis Wheatley
“We hold these truths to be self-evident…
That all men (and women) are created equal…
And they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights.
Those among these rights are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness”
Oui nous pouvons…
( Oh yes we can) …
Barack Hussein Obama, the 44th Potus…
They said it couldn’t be done…
But did it anyway
We walk to a power that defies all logic…
On so many, so, so many that they cannot all be named…
Yes some of us are still catching up to what we are.
But the storytellers know we are truly a wonderful work in progress
As we stand up to our power.
All rights reservedJHM2-22-13©
To the Ribber
I discovered a long forgotten poem:
Going To the River
By Jacquelyn Hughes Mooney ©08
When I am in a way where words refuse to suffice...
Or the tides cannot soothe my ears with a melodic rhythm
And the gentle rustle of the sycamore tree sounds more like Beethoven's Fifth
Or cleansing raindrops feels more like crashing boulders surrounding my soul.
And the 12th of Never seems ever, ever more then one should bear.
Or the blossom that fell echoed so loud that even Nat's own velvet voice failed to quiet...
As far away as the Serengeti is for me to stroll over
And the hope that the Middle Passage was a cruel, cruel joke.
That was not absolutely not funny.
I have to seek a place to replenish myself to go on another day.
So for me...
I am going to the river...
To sit & just be.
All rights reservedJHM 4-27-08©
Going To the River
By Jacquelyn Hughes Mooney ©08
When I am in a way where words refuse to suffice...
Or the tides cannot soothe my ears with a melodic rhythm
And the gentle rustle of the sycamore tree sounds more like Beethoven's Fifth
Or cleansing raindrops feels more like crashing boulders surrounding my soul.
And the 12th of Never seems ever, ever more then one should bear.
Or the blossom that fell echoed so loud that even Nat's own velvet voice failed to quiet...
As far away as the Serengeti is for me to stroll over
And the hope that the Middle Passage was a cruel, cruel joke.
That was not absolutely not funny.
I have to seek a place to replenish myself to go on another day.
So for me...
I am going to the river...
To sit & just be.
All rights reservedJHM 4-27-08©
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Sitting under my Own Fig Tree...My DIY not dreaming any longer!
As of Thursday, December 27th, 2012 a nightmare ends and a new chapter begins when I get to move into an apartment. My own fig tree...end a rough time that did not break me. While not a fan of apartments & this is really pretty decent, it stops a decline, my roller skates so to speak of a slippery slope.
Most of my home belongings are gone, most damaged after Hurricane Issac. It shouldn't had happened; the storm directly did not do it. It did indeed come about by black mold, but the responsible entity, was the negligence on the part of the (at that time) the property managers and owners.
Right now, I do not want to give them the energy or time as right now it is more about celebration!
The phrase" fig tree" I've used a lot to symbolize having one's on abode. Everyone, everything deserves shelter & dignity no matter what anyone say or do.
"Fig Tree is significant to me as I've been without a home for awhile It is also important to me from Micah 4:4 (different translations shown):
New International Version (©1984)
"Every man will sit under his own vine and under his own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the LORD Almighty has spoken".
New Living Translation (©2007)
"Everyone will live in peace and prosperity, enjoying their own grapevines and fig trees, for there will be nothing to fear. The LORD of Heaven's Armies has made this promise!
English Standard Version (©2001)
"but they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid, for the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken".
New American Standard Bible (©1995)
"Each of them will sit under his vine And under his fig tree, With no one to make them afraid, For the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken".
And shown at Isaiah 65:21-22:."They will build houses and dwell in them;they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. No longer will they build houses and others live in them,or plant and others eat. For as the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people";
It will be simple, for the time being, my new fig tree, but well presented. I have other furniture, but I cannot afford to nor can I afford not to, bring the remaining of my belongings here from North Carolina. Getting them here will make a huge, quantum leap into my life being settled & my being able to provide for myself.
But for now, I will manage. There's always a way even out of no way!
I have to replace things now that I lost, so I've been looking around for things that are affordable, durable and appealing. There are several designs from West Elm I love. And I really love the idea of monogramming...and using words on it significant.
Yes they are only towels, the words matter more that I want to be a reminder for me. These are from www.westelm.com
My favorites are "Fig Tree" & "Paradise"...
My favorite shower curtain also from West Elm "Butterfly" we know butterflies represent metamorphosis, transformation
While this is not my rugs I lost in Hurricane Issac, I like this design as I rebuild... (at least in my head) also from West Elm:
This chair of which there are 3, I got from a neighbor that was rusting in the yard. My plan originally was to sand, paint & used them in my garden. This was before I started "wandering in the wilderness" May 25th,2012. A friend stored them in their yard. Now this week, Friday to be exact, I will be using them in my new apartment for dining room chairs. They still need sanding & painting and I still have to make the cushions, but they will now be done.
Tommorrow is the beginning of reconstruction, of a new time. Its rather appropiate, don't you think, that it starts at the close of one year, that I do not want to repeat & the beginning of a fresh new one that lies wide open waiting for me to put my print on, my design, my hope, my peace.
I am not looking for my old life, that ship has sailed, that bell has rung. But I will have my new life that will begin. Tomorrow.
Most of my home belongings are gone, most damaged after Hurricane Issac. It shouldn't had happened; the storm directly did not do it. It did indeed come about by black mold, but the responsible entity, was the negligence on the part of the (at that time) the property managers and owners.
Right now, I do not want to give them the energy or time as right now it is more about celebration!
The phrase" fig tree" I've used a lot to symbolize having one's on abode. Everyone, everything deserves shelter & dignity no matter what anyone say or do.
"Fig Tree is significant to me as I've been without a home for awhile It is also important to me from Micah 4:4 (different translations shown):
New International Version (©1984)
"Every man will sit under his own vine and under his own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the LORD Almighty has spoken".
New Living Translation (©2007)
"Everyone will live in peace and prosperity, enjoying their own grapevines and fig trees, for there will be nothing to fear. The LORD of Heaven's Armies has made this promise!
English Standard Version (©2001)
"but they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid, for the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken".
New American Standard Bible (©1995)
"Each of them will sit under his vine And under his fig tree, With no one to make them afraid, For the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken".
And shown at Isaiah 65:21-22:."They will build houses and dwell in them;they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. No longer will they build houses and others live in them,or plant and others eat. For as the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people";
It will be simple, for the time being, my new fig tree, but well presented. I have other furniture, but I cannot afford to nor can I afford not to, bring the remaining of my belongings here from North Carolina. Getting them here will make a huge, quantum leap into my life being settled & my being able to provide for myself.
But for now, I will manage. There's always a way even out of no way!
I have to replace things now that I lost, so I've been looking around for things that are affordable, durable and appealing. There are several designs from West Elm I love. And I really love the idea of monogramming...and using words on it significant.
Yes they are only towels, the words matter more that I want to be a reminder for me. These are from www.westelm.com
My favorites are "Fig Tree" & "Paradise"...
My favorite shower curtain also from West Elm "Butterfly" we know butterflies represent metamorphosis, transformation
While this is not my rugs I lost in Hurricane Issac, I like this design as I rebuild... (at least in my head) also from West Elm:
This chair of which there are 3, I got from a neighbor that was rusting in the yard. My plan originally was to sand, paint & used them in my garden. This was before I started "wandering in the wilderness" May 25th,2012. A friend stored them in their yard. Now this week, Friday to be exact, I will be using them in my new apartment for dining room chairs. They still need sanding & painting and I still have to make the cushions, but they will now be done.
Monday, December 24, 2012
Amour: Falling in Love at a Farmer's Market
I was inspired but not in the way you think. I walked up to a Saturday Marketplace operated in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans. I did not think they were going to be opened so close to the holidays, but there they were!
The first thing I heard as I came around the corner was the sounds of The Neo Collective trio www.neojazz.net
this was before I saw the produce. Today was a gorgeous almost spring day, great skies right temperature & organic foods.
I purchased pumpkin bread, curried couscous & blackeye peas salad from one vendor. Then 3 types of pepper jelly, chow chow (a Louisiana relish) pickled green tomatoes that were to die for and organic,free range eggs from Mr. Cal Crops from chicken he raises.
And then I headed home but before I got to the corner the first line of a poem popped in my head. The thought startled me as I've not been that terribly inspire to write any poetry this year sans one back a several months ago.
It happened because I watched the bass guitarist who happened to be a woman deeply immersed in creating sounds in her head, lost in her own world of sounds.
The last time I wrote something from my If Jazz was a Color series was a poem called the "Sounds of the Men" in 2000 watch a jazz brunch. In fact I paid a nod to it in this poem.
Amazing what healthy food, good weather and change can do!
Until I Saw That Face
By Jacquelyn Hughes Mooney (c)12
Until I saw that face
I always thought that deep
powerful
engrossing...
mesmerizing can't get enough of that feeling that comes from jazz
was relegated from that place...
that place
that secret society that held the sounds of the men.
It made me fall in love again
for that 100 thousandth time
with the face of New Orleans.
Just when I had enough
Really enough of
that dark side
that black hole
that keeps springing up at the most inopportune tie
From the gut cramping of near shattered souls that can ever seem to come clean
not unlike that blackened mold & stench out of the intestines of Katrina winds.
My patience had worn thin..
I wanted to run until that highway ran out
just to get away from that surreal vibe.
But then...
like the taste of calamondian oranges made into marmalade
the sweetness and the the sour-ness
I saw in that face
I saw in that face
that face...
that face...
And I fell in love all over again
for the zillionth time...
For the very last time
So I say..
With the face of New Orleans
All rights reservedJHM12-21-12(c)
The first thing I heard as I came around the corner was the sounds of The Neo Collective trio www.neojazz.net
this was before I saw the produce. Today was a gorgeous almost spring day, great skies right temperature & organic foods.
I purchased pumpkin bread, curried couscous & blackeye peas salad from one vendor. Then 3 types of pepper jelly, chow chow (a Louisiana relish) pickled green tomatoes that were to die for and organic,free range eggs from Mr. Cal Crops from chicken he raises.
And then I headed home but before I got to the corner the first line of a poem popped in my head. The thought startled me as I've not been that terribly inspire to write any poetry this year sans one back a several months ago.
It happened because I watched the bass guitarist who happened to be a woman deeply immersed in creating sounds in her head, lost in her own world of sounds.
The last time I wrote something from my If Jazz was a Color series was a poem called the "Sounds of the Men" in 2000 watch a jazz brunch. In fact I paid a nod to it in this poem.
Amazing what healthy food, good weather and change can do!
Until I Saw That Face
By Jacquelyn Hughes Mooney (c)12
Until I saw that face
I always thought that deep
powerful
engrossing...
mesmerizing can't get enough of that feeling that comes from jazz
was relegated from that place...
that place
that secret society that held the sounds of the men.
It made me fall in love again
for that 100 thousandth time
with the face of New Orleans.
Just when I had enough
Really enough of
that dark side
that black hole
that keeps springing up at the most inopportune tie
From the gut cramping of near shattered souls that can ever seem to come clean
not unlike that blackened mold & stench out of the intestines of Katrina winds.
My patience had worn thin..
I wanted to run until that highway ran out
just to get away from that surreal vibe.
But then...
like the taste of calamondian oranges made into marmalade
the sweetness and the the sour-ness
I saw in that face
I saw in that face
that face...
that face...
And I fell in love all over again
for the zillionth time...
For the very last time
So I say..
With the face of New Orleans
All rights reservedJHM12-21-12(c)
Friday, November 23, 2012
Ablazed...Set that Spark.
I've been very silent writing this year.
Far too many things have served as a distraction that not just diverted my attentions, but silenced me.
I'm hoping now the silence is over.
Tonight I just leave a thought:
"You think that it just can't get any worse, but sometimes it does. Life can sure shove you down pretty low at times. But no matter how low, it cannot stop you from looking up.
It may sound small,but that exercise in defiance is the spark that can set a destiny ablaze even in the darkest of circumstances"~ Cory Booker
Tonight there was a spark...
Sunday, August 26, 2012
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