i was instantly transported to the time when i was green and innocent and full of vigor and passion about every child having a chance and providing a chance for every child. not much has changed for me on that note since then other than the names of the demons and other things that go bump in the night that i fight.
Tag: Children
why clean underwear takes precedence over the colin kaepernick ‘controversy’
i had a real conversation with a true to life white woman who votes republican. and we talking ‘i may not like trump but i’m going to vote for him because i’m a republican’ republican. it was an out-of-body experience and i realized during the conversation that i primarily only have conversations with people who…
i may hate back to school shopping but i so love my kid
i’m going to preface this story by stating: black mothers are historically known for complete intolerance of public foolishness as displayed by their children. like if you ever happen to happen upon a black children in full tantrum you will notice other black children collectively holding their breath and clinching their teeth silently praying for…
grief, community organizing, and why a clean garage can literally save the day
the fourth of july weekend of 2016 sent me through a soul searching roller coaster ride. i was more 700 miles from my home, driving with my parents and young son after having spent a weekend with my aunts and cousins in hot springs, arkansas, when i learned that 2 men more than 1,000 miles…
on holding space for single mothers at the end of their rope
“ms. o, get your boy! cause i’m three minutes off his ass!” she came huffing and puffing into my office not because she had just walked up three flights of stairs but because she had just chased her 15 year old from out of the bathroom and into his classroom. “i’m gon kill him! i swear…
i can see the elephants from here
i love the circus. and when i say i love the circus i mean i love it! i love the clowns i love the acrobats. i love the tight rope walkers. i love Love LOVE the ringmaster. I LOVE THE CIRCUS! whenever the circus is in town i’d go. i’d get ‘not quite front row’…
a woman is a human, no matter her status or post or tweet or whatever
when you are born female you learn real early on that people are waaaaay too comfortable talking to you under your clothes. it starts with comments about how cute you are or how much they like your dress. but slowly the comments turn to weight and height and whether or not you’ve started your menses….
His Mama Said, “You Don’t Have to Run. But You Do Have to Finish.”
Sprawled across a stranger’s lawn he yelled at me, “This was the worst idea you’ve ever had!” I would have slung him over my shoulders if my feet and back hadn’t been hurting and I didn’t have to go to the bathroom. There was also the fact that I pretty much agreed with everything he’d…
a tritina lullaby for mama
wide eyes take up doorways, begging me not to leave it’s not forever i chime but only goodnight near forgiveness, he is unconvinced but for his mother’s kiss this chair a portal and sleep’s sweet lingering kiss rest upon my eyes now panhandlers taking their leave a sleepless slumber my true reprieve on this goodnight…
louisiana long green (a high yielding southern heirloom)
red and yellow, pink and green purple and orange and blue at 3 they sing of rainbows mimicking each verse like a small chorus of sparrows seeking approval, fruit treats doled out delicacies before an early afternoon nap vermillion is a casualty, tossed aside orange the pronounced star of this singular masterpiece, brushed across too much…
fearfree living 