The Evolution of Paper

Happy International Human Rights Day AND Morgan Freeman

2009-12-10T08:52:00.001-05:00

You should know by now that I have some severely left-leaning tendencies. So, of course I would have to remind you that today is International Human Rights Day!! Yay! For those who haven't heard of this day, I've included a quick blurb below...but, it's more or less the Superbowl for part-time activists like myself:-)

If you're looking for a way to celebrate this 61st birthday of the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights, you should check out the new Clint Eastwood film Invictus. The biographical film on the life of Nelson Mandela is set to hit theatres tomorrow and stars the oh-so-bad-ass Morgan Freeman as Mr. Mandela. According to IMDB, the film is a "look at life for Nelson Mandela after the fall of apartheid in South Africa during his first term as president when campaigned to host the 1995 Rugby World Cup event as an opportunity to unite his countrymen."

Check out the Invictus trailer below and remember...human rights are not just the responsibility of the UN and organizations like Amnesty International. We must all work to uphold the rights of each individual and speak out for those who cannot.

What's IHR Day?
from the United Nations

The promotion and protection of human rights has been a major preoccupation for the United Nations since 1945, when the Organization's founding nations resolved that the horrors of The Second World War should never be allowed to recur.

Respect for human rights and human dignity "is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world", the General Assembly declared three years later in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In 1950, all States and interested organizations were invited by the General Assembly to observe 10 December as Human Rights Day (resolution 423(V)).

The Day marks the anniversary of the Assembly's adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. Over the years, a whole network of human rights instruments and mechanisms has been developed to ensure the p

rimacy of human rights and to confront human rights violations wherever they occur.

The Pen Truly is Mightier - Amnesty Global Write-a-thon

2009-12-04T16:22:00.001-05:00

So, I have to make a plug for one of my fav human rights associations ever - Amnesty International. I first got hip to this great organization in the den of liberal through and social deviance otherwise known as undergrad, and have been hooked ever since:-) Amnesty is organizing a Global Write-a-thon to raise awareness of human rights violations and pressure governments to release imprisoned human rights defenders across the globe. I've already signed up to write a few letters and you should too. The campaign starts tomorrow and runs through the 13th. Lots of time to write lots of letters to (passively) fight the powers that be.

Still not convinced? Check out what Amnesty has to say about the campaign below. "The pen truly is mightier than the sword!!"

Why Get Involved?
This global action marking International Human Rights Day on December 10 brings people together just about anywhere – in classrooms, churches, workplaces, homes, and more – to make a difference in the lives of prisoners of conscience, human rights defenders, victims of torture and other individuals at risk.

Using the proven power of writing letters, they will pressure authorities to release those who have been unjustly imprisoned and to stop the torture and abuse of others.

The pen truly is mightier than the sword. Millions of Amnesty International members around the world have taken up the pen to bring freedom and hope to prisoners of conscience, human rights defenders, victims of torture and other individuals at risk since 1961. They've acted on the words of imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who asked the world: "Please use your freedom to promote ours."

You can promote freedom and human rights by joining Amnesty International's annual Global Write-a-thon, a worldwide action marking International Human Rights Day on December 10. People around the world will gather in classrooms, churches, workplaces and homes to take action on behalf of prisoners of conscience, human rights defenders, victims of torture and other individuals at risk. Using the proven power of the pen, they will pressure authorities to release those who have been unjustly imprisoned and to stop the torture and abuse of others.
How to Get Involved:

It's easy! Follow these simple steps:
1. Sign up today! Then SPREAD the word and encourage your friends and family to register for the Write-a-thon by texting or emailing them the registration link: www.amnestyusa.org/writeathon Bookmark and Share
2. Get your resources in early November: Learn how to hold a successful write-a-thon and download case summaries, sample letters and other promotional materials for your event. If you would like hard copies of these items, please feel free to email us at writeathon@aiusa.org
3. WRITE and MAIL your letters from December 5-13!
(Feel free to start earlier than that and go through December.)
4. REPORT back to us letting us know how many letters you sent. Do this by filling out the on-line evaluation form or sending us an email at org@writeathon.aiusa.

Promoting human rights is serious business, but it can also be fun. Make the Global Write-a-thon a part of your holiday celebrations this year and show your support for human rights.

Quote of the WEEK,

2009-12-01T17:00:00.000-05:00

Even after all this time
The sun never says to the earth,
"You owe Me."

Look what happens with
A love like that,
It lights the Whole Sky.

- Hafiz

Listen Up!! The "Oldies" Have Something to Say

2009-11-27T08:40:00.000-05:00

I know you’ve heard the “uphill both ways in the freezing snow with no shoes on” stories more times than you can count, but please put that angst aside for just one day. There’s more to our parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles than all that. At least that’s what NPR’s Story Corps is saying. I guess you never know until you ask, right? In celebration of today's National Day of Listening, NPR is encouraging people across the country to grab their tape recorders, ask some tough questions of their loved ones, and listen to the answers. Easy enough.

Pass on the Black Friday craziness and spend some time with the "oldies but goodies" in your family. This is the second year that they’re doing this and I think it will bring a lot of families closer together (or at least help us understand where we inherited our crazy neuroses from). Either way, there’s nothing like communication to show us that we’re a lot more similar than we want to think.

I’m planning on grilling my mom today (check out the two of us below). I plan to ask all the tough questions. Like...ALL the tough questions – Stay tuned:-)

Not totally sold, check out the USA Today article. If the media's covering it, it must be legit!!

National Day of Listening promotes oral history
BY Travis Loller, Associated Press Writer

NASHVILLE — A national oral history project is trying to start a new tradition for Black Friday. Instead of hunting for bargains, StoryCorps suggests families sit down together and talk about their lives on a National Day of Listening.

Amanda Rigell, a 30-year-old middle school teacher from Johnson City, Tenn., interviewed her grandmother, who was 89 at the time, for the first National Day of Listening last year.

"She was reluctant at first," Rigell said. "She doesn't really talk about herself." But then she talked for more than two and a half hours.

"She talked about her early education. She went to a tiny little school, I think there was only one other person there for a while. And she talked about drinking fresh milk from a cow. I guess that shouldn't have surprised me, but it did," Rigell said.

StoryCorps is a nonprofit project that seeks to preserve the stories of ordinary people. Rigell first learned about it when she heard some of those stories broadcast on public radio during her morning commute. She had already interviewed two people at StoryCorps recording booths when she and her father decided to interview her grandmother at home.

"I'm really glad we did it last year because her health has been declining," she said. "There was a while last month when she couldn't speak."

Rigell said her grandmother, who lives in Campbell County near the Kentucky border, was around for all the "big events" of her childhood. Some of her fondest memories of her grandmother involve home cooked meals and "amazing" buttermilk biscuits. But there were a lot of things Rigell didn't know about her.

Rigell recorded the interview on her computer and plans to give copies as Christmas presents.

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Quote of the WEEK,

2009-11-27T04:20:00.001-05:00

There is a great deal of poetry and fine sentiment in a chest of tea.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson, Letters and Social Aims

A Slice of Humble Pie with my Turkey

2009-11-27T03:10:00.005-05:00

Hello lovelies

After wiping away the stray bits of cranberry sauce and finally prying myself away from the desserts, I have finally emerged from my turkey-day food coma with a poem on my lips:-) This entire day of thanks has made me realize that I don't thank the big guy upstairs enough. In fact, I rarely give Him much attention when life is peachy. It's like I only come crying at his proverbial doorstep when its all crashing down around me...I guess, despite how far faith has brought me, I am still a work in progress. Let's remember to be thankful everyday...not just when the calendars and grocery stores command us to be.

Hope you all had a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving. Happy Black-Friday!

When I Pray
BY Susan Baba

Only when I'm hungry
only when
enough
is not really enough
you see, only when I'm hurting
only when the world crushes all of my dreams
only then do I look for you
wait on answers before I move
seek you
like those books say I should

hands clutching tightly
as it all just slips by
it's at those times I need you
and want you by my side

but when its -
sun
joy
laughter
and parties to go to
warm smells of delicious
and music to dance to
people to kiss
lovers to hold on to
endless
endless
endless

another year set aside for singing
when its -
arms flung open wide for loving
when dreams are all revealed to me
and destinies all fulfilled through me
when I have
enough
more than enough even

plenty of all the right things
none of all the wrong things
when it's all here
like I'd hoped for
I forget that you're still in it

and you,
in silence
or in thunder, if needed
jealous lover, you call me back
reminding me that you've never left my side

For those Who Love Talib

2009-11-24T01:52:00.000-05:00

Love his rap? well, you'll be happy to know that he can carry his own on the spoken word stage too! Really nice piece about religion.

I Like You Like Frat Boys and Pirates Like Booty!!

2009-11-21T09:17:00.001-05:00

You know I couldn't go more than a few days without a love poem:-)

Mike McGee's Like is another one of those oldie but goodies that really embody the slam movement. Engaging, well-delivered and, with the exception of the Muppets fisting line, very thoughtful. Yeah. He actually said "Like Muppets like fisting." LOL. That line still makes me blush, even after hearing it so many times. Good stuff, though. An all around fabulous piece.

For you know who:-)

"I like you a whole bunch of a lot.
you're a pocket full of awesome.
I like you similar to the way that frat boys and pirates like booty."

::Hilarity::

New to Me: Oscar Wilde Poem

2009-11-20T01:00:00.001-05:00

By now, you should know of my all around love for all things scandalous in the poetry world. So, it should come as no surprise that Oscar Wilde is one of my favorite authors of all time. Disciplined artist/ socialite/ political scapegoat. Sentenced to 2 years of hard labor after being accused of "homosexual acts" by his lovers father. Tragic death. ::sigh::

Mr. Wilde's life itself was a work of art.

My favorite line in this poem is "and ruin draws the curtains of my bed." Even in such sadness and despair, he took a moment to capture it with beautiful language. I probably would have just said, "Man, this sucks." :-)

If you want to read more of his stuff and learn about his life, read De Profundis. It's an absolutely gorgeous and delicate glimpse into heartache...if there is such a thing.

Enjoy!

My Voice
BY Oscar Wilde

Within this restless, hurried, modern world
We took our hearts' full pleasure - You and I,
And now the white sails of our ship are furled,
And spent the lading of our argosy.

Wherefore my cheeks before their time are wan,
For very weeping is my gladness fled,
Sorrow has paled my young mouth's vermilion,
And Ruin draws the curtains of my bed.

But all this crowded life has been to thee
No more than lyre, or lute, or subtle spell
Of viols, or the music of the sea
That sleeps, a mimic echo, in the shell.

Stuff I Like: Aaron Trumm "Blink"

2009-04-23T01:11:00.000-04:00

For some reason, I'm really, really feeling the love poems right now. Here's another really good one...

"I dance around the subject with
poems to be prepared
and songs that must be sung
and contacts to be made
and business to be done
there are dreams to be accomplished..."

Stuff I Like: Carlos Andres Gomez

2009-04-24T01:36:00.002-04:00

another great dance/ culture poem...so good!

"and they were called slave when the sun rose,
but those nights
belonged to them"

Loving, Langston Style

2009-05-19T20:54:00.004-04:00

Juke Box Love Song
By Langston Hughes

I could take the Harlem night
and wrap around you,
Take the neon lights and make a crown,
Take the Lenox Avenue busses,
Taxis, subways,
And for your love song tone their rumble down.
Take Harlem's heartbeat,
Make a drumbeat,
Put it on a record, let it whirl,
And while we listen to it play,
Dance with you till day--
Dance with you, my sweet brown Harlem girl.

Stuff I Like: Andrea Gibson

2009-05-19T11:41:00.000-04:00

Blue Blanket

still
there are days
when there is no way
not even a chance
that i'd dare for even a second
glance at the reflection of my body in the mirror
and she knows why
like i know why
she
only cries
when she feels like she's about to lose control
she knows how much control is worth
knows what a woman can lose
when her power to move
is taken away
by a grip so thick with hate
it could clip the wings of god
leave the next eight generations of your blood shaking
and tonight something inside me is breaking
my heart beating so deep beneath the sheets of her pain
i could give every tear she's crying
a year---a name
and a face i'd forever erase from her mind if i could
just like she would
for me
or you
but how much closer to free would any of us be
if even a few of us forgot
what too many women in this world cannot
and i'm thinking
what the hell would you tell your daughter
your someday daughter
when you'd have to hold her beautiful face
to the beat up face of this place
that hasn't learned the meaning of
stop

MoreFrom Andrea

Screw Fashion!! This is a Matter of Principle!

2009-09-07T15:50:00.005-04:00

WTF Friends!! Just found a BBC.com article about a woman in Sudan that has been jailed for wearing trousers. She refuses to plead guilty to their trumped up charges and refuses to pay a fine for what the government is calling "dressing indecently." Although the fine amounts to about $200, she says she's not going to give legitimacy to their ruling by giving them a single penny. This woman is fierce and the defintition of a real feminist!! But why oh why do we live in a world where women are still being jailed and fined for wearing trousers!??! Madness!

In the words of my home girl Suheir Hammad - "I will dance and resist and dance persist and dance!!" Not for the sake of fashion, but because there is no progress without struggle!

Read more below -

Sudanese 'trousers woman' jailed
A Sudanese woman has been jailed for a month after refusing to pay a fine for "dressing indecently" by wearing trousers, her lawyers say.

Lubna Ahmed Hussein did not want to "give the verdict any legitimacy" by paying the fine of about $200 (£122), her lawyer, Nabil Adib, told the BBC.

Ms Hussein, a journalist in her 30s, could have been given up to 40 lashes.

Before the verdict, she had said she wanted her trial to become a test case for women's rights, correspondents say.

Ms Hussein had resigned from her job at the UN, which would have given her immunity.

"She thinks she was unfairly tried and convicted and was not given a proper chance to put her defence case," Mr Adib said.

He said Ms Hussein would appeal to both the Court of Appeal and the Constitutional Court.

Kamal Omar, another of Ms Hussein's lawyers, told the AFP news agency his client had been taken to the women's prison in Omdurman.

The BBC's James Copnall, at the court in Khartoum, says that Ms Hussein had previously said she was determined not to pay the fine but her lawyers had been trying to convince her to do so.

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Hollywood Stands Up For Insurance Companies!!

2009-09-23T13:52:00.001-04:00

For those in need of some afternoon funny - here's a new PSA in support of the insurance companies.

"If my kid falls off his bike and breaks his leg, he should have to pay for that out of pocket...out of his allowance! How else is he going to learn not to fall off his bike?"

"Obama NOOOO!!!"

loves it!

Protect Insurance Companies PSA from Will Ferrell

POETRY > War

2009-10-22T11:24:00.007-04:00

So, I've been reading a lot about the mass rapes that happened in Guinea during last month's military crack down. Hundreds of women, peacefully protesting for democracy were ambushed and raped by military officers...in broad daylight!! I know...madness!! It made my soul hurt and more or less broke my tiny little heart into pieces all week. But, it also inspired me to search around the net for some good news.

AND, I FOUND some!! Poets Against The War. There's more than a bit of politicin' on here, so be forewarned...but it's an amazing celebration of self-expression in the face of war. The organization's mission is simple -

to continue the tradition of socially engaged poetry by creating venues for poetry as a voice against war, tyranny and oppression.

There is something so empowering and liberating about art:-) I was even inspired to write a bit myself.

Poetry > War
BY Susan Baba

She will never kill
for justice
and you cannot make her.
She will fight with all her might for you to see that we are all precious
from the smallest to the greatest among us
we all have worth.
She will fight
with words,
attack you when you are not looking
with the bullet of self-expression.
She will read and write and create and love until the wall breaks
and there's a crack big enough
for hope to slip through.
That is what a poet can do.

::love::peace::justice

Quote of the WEEK

2009-11-19T10:40:00.002-05:00

If you have come to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.
- Aboriginal activist, Lila Watson

Unfriend Beats out Sexting...and the Demise of the English Language

2009-11-17T21:06:00.007-05:00

Before I start, I must say, I am not a language snob. Yes, I love fine language and thoughtful poetry, but I can throw out the slang as well as anyone else. There is a place for causal conversation and there are words that are useful in casual settings.

But to elevate those words to rock star status by naming them the top words of 2009? Shameful. That's exactly what the Oxford American Dictionary did this year with their list of top words. These included the words un-friend, sexting, hashtag, and intexticated. What the heck is intexticated? I have never heard anyone say that stupid, made up word...in life! And, last year's list wasn't any better. The top word of 2008 was....wait for it...“Hypermiling.” It's when you try to maximize your gas mileage. I mean, it's a useful word, but the top word of the year?

I
think
not.

What is HAPPENING to the English language?

All I know is that if I start to see these words cropping up on standardized tests and junk, I'm going to scream...for real!

::sigh::

Check out the Reuters piece below on the demise of the English language...I mean the top words of 2009.

Enjoy!

"Unfriend" named word of 2009
BY Belinda Goldsmith, Editing by Miral Fahmy

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) – "Unfriend" has been named the word of the year by the New Oxford American Dictionary, chosen from a list of finalists with a tech-savvy bent.

Unfriend was defined as a verb that means to remove someone as a "friend" on a social networking site such as Facebook.

"It has both currency and potential longevity," said Christine Lindberg, senior lexicographer for Oxford's U.S. dictionary program, in a statement.

"In the online social networking context, its meaning is understood, so its adoption as a modern verb form makes this an interesting choice for Word of the Year."

Other words deemed finalists for 2009 by the dictionary's publisher, Britain's Oxford University Press, came from other technological trends, the economy, and political and current affairs.

In technology, there was "hashtag," which is the hash sign added to a word or phrase that lets Twitter users search for tweets similarly tagged; "intexticated" for when people are distracted by texting while driving, and "sexting," which is the sending of sexually explicit SMSes and pictures by cellphone.

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Confession Time

2009-11-17T14:27:00.001-05:00

Ok friends...I must confess that, despite all of my excitement about NaNoWriMo, I just couldn't do it this year. If I had been writing diligently, like over achievers all over the world, I would have 25,000 words down by now. I would be half way to my very first novel. But, I chose to spend all of my free time prowling Facebook and reading other people's words (almost done with Unaccustomed Earth). Oops.

So, yeah. I was technically out of the race before it even got started, but I still get the most fabulous pep emails from the NaNoWriMo staff. Yay!! Decided to share one from the first week with you all today. This pep email literally made my day:-) Witty, informative, and motivational. What more could a gal ask for!!!?

In case I'm ever brave enough to actually attempt a novel, there are some great nuggets of awesome in this letter to keep my chugging through. If any of you out there actually took the challenge to heart and are not total and compete slackers like me, happy writing:-)

Enjoy!

Dear NaNoWriMo-ers,

I'm not even the tortoise of writing. I'm the slug. And you are more than hares, you're cheetahs — writing at seventy miles an hour. I have to fictionalize even to talk to you.

So it's October 31st. I’m back from trick or treating in a robot costume, worn to honor Isaac Asimov, who wrote or edited more than 500 books in his lifetime. After removing my tin head mask and my metallic gloves, I pig out on candy corn and think about today's accomplishments.

I dug a shallow grave in the backyard and buried my print thesaurus (starting tomorrow, the first word I think of is good enough, even if I use it seven times on every page), dictionary (who cares how ophthalmologist is spelled anyway?), usage books (I can figure out the difference between lie and lay later), encyclopedia, atlas, and my beloved books about writing. I taped blackout curtains over my windows. My techy friend spent hours tinkering with my computer. She's assured me that it will combust if I try to reestablish connections to the internet and email. The single thing I'm keeping is my cell phone in case I start to go into cardiac arrest, but the keys are smeared with battery acid, except the 9, the 1, and send. My family and friends and Meals-on-Wheels have sworn to deliver food to my door, which will be kept closed to protect the world from my intensifying body odor.

Now I tape my list of rules and advice (culled from friends, my mom, the buried writing books, and, mostly, my own hyped-up imagination) to the wall next to my desk.

Now I tape my list of rules and advice (culled from friends, my mom, the buried writing books, and, mostly, my own hyped-up imagination) to the wall next to my desk.

1. Sleep at least once a week.

2. Eat at least once a day, but not constantly. Don't forget the essential fatty acids (Mom).

3. If my fingers freeze from carpal tunnel syndrome, I have ten perfectly good toes, a nose, and quite a few teeth.

4. When I'm not happy with how things are going, turn off the screen and keep typing. Don't turn it back on until the crisis is over.

5. Don't check my word count more often than every fifteen minutes.

6. Dream sequences can eat up a lot of pages, and they shouldn't be logical.

7. Short words count just as much as long ones.

8. The perfect is the enemy of the fast. The good is the enemy of the fast. The halfway decent is the enemy of the fast.

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Text for Taylor

2009-11-16T23:03:00.000-05:00

For those of you who prefer reading over listening, here's the text of yesterday's Taylor Mail piece. Literally, there are too many gems in here! Read carefully and enjoy!

:-)

How to Write a Political Poem
BY Taylor Mali

However it begins, it's gotta be loud
and then it's gotta get a little bit louder.
Because this is how you write a political poem
and how you deliver it with power.

Mix current events with platitudes of empowerment.
Wrap up in rhyme or rhyme it up in rap until it sounds true.

Glare until it sinks in.

Because somewhere in Florida, votes are still being counted.
I said somewhere in Florida, votes are still being counted!

See, that's the Hook, and you gotta' have a Hook.
More than the look, it's the hook that is the most important part.
The hook has to hit and the hook's gotta fit.
Hook's gotta hit hard in the heart.

Because somewhere in Florida, votes are still being counted.

And Dick Cheney is peeing all over himself in spasmodic delight.
Make fun of politicians, it's easy, especially with Republicans
like Rudy Giuliani, Colin Powell, and . . . Al Gore.
Create fatuous juxtapositions of personalities and political philosophies
as if communism were the opposite of democracy,
as if we needed Darth Vader, not Ralph Nader.

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How to Write a Political Poem - Oldie But Goodie

2009-11-15T13:48:00.000-05:00

Taylor Mali has so many great poems, but this is my absolute favorite.

It's one of those "funny because it's true" pieces that truthfully and comedically tells it like it really is. It seems like there's almost an un-spoken formula on how to write and speak a political poem that performance poets learn at birth. I know that I've committed my fair share of the things he describes in this piece...especially the last bit. Ouch! Guilty as charged:-)

Because all you have to do to end a political poem is
close your eyes,
lower your voice, and end by saying:

the same line three times,
the same line three times,
the same line three times.

hilarity!!

Quote of the WEEK

2009-11-13T10:39:00.000-05:00

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you've imagined. As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler."

- Henry David Thoreau

You're Not a Real Poet...Are You?

2009-11-12T13:37:00.001-05:00

There is a local poetry night that I absolutely love going to. It's inspiring to be around so many artistic and creative minds all at once. Sometimes, I even feel inspired to read some of my own work. A few weeks ago, after I had read a few new pieces, a young lady came up to me and said, "I really like your style. You're not a real performer. You're a poet." Her words struck me in the oddest way as I tried to determine if it was a disguised insult or a genuine compliment. I opted for the latter and smiled.

But, it got me thinking...what does it mean to be a "performance poet?" And what would our poetry greats think of all this? What would Langston Hughes think of the slam culture? What would Shakespeare or Robert Frost or E. E. Cummings think of the spoken word movement? These folks were poets in the most honorable and pure form. Yes, they sometimes read their work aloud, but their words stood alone on the page, unembellished by stage or intonation (except maybe Shakespeare and his plays). They focused on sentence structure and punctuation. They released anthologies and poetry books instead of performance cds, because they let the reader take from their words what they wanted.

This is not to bash performance poets. In fact, I love seeing people totally light the stage on fire with their words. I envy them for their skill and courage. But, for those of us who "only speak because the written word has all but gone out of style," it's an honor to be counted in the group of writers who wrote words that were fit to read - not just fit to speak.

Long story short, this inspired a poem about poetry...

Enjoy:-)

A Difference in Style
BY Susan Baba

I am not a spoken word artist
I am a poet
My words do not sit on display like plastic fruit
They are meant to be ingested
To roll around in your mouth until you’ve sucked all of the juice from them
To make you feel something in your stomach
Sometimes unsettling
But something
To shake through you
To rumble through you
until they're done

My words come to you naked
Peering from behind the ripped out pages
and scribbled out lines of my poetry notebook
With nothing to clothe them at all

I am not a spoken word artist
I am a poet
I am of the tribe of soothsayers
A dying line of women who can read a single book more than once
whose bookshelves and libraries are filled with
underlines
and highlighter marks
and smiley faces
beside words that have moved them
The weird chick who dares to laugh
or tear up
as she turns the pages of a well worn book
Only to watch the words she once fell in love with
unfold before her again

I am not a spoken word artist
I only speak because the written word has all but gone out of style
because you can only hear me if my words sound like hip-hop
or have a rhythm that makes you want to tap your feet
You can only feel me when the drama of my delivery
catches you by surprise
and snatches the chair right from under you
But I am not a spoken word artist
I stand before you
with nothing to guard my words but this small page

My Girrrrrl Michelle Rocks Out on the Street

2009-11-11T18:00:00.002-05:00

When I watched Sesame Street as a kid, I couldn't have imagined ever seeing a Black president much less seeing our Black first lady on the freaking show!!

As if I needed another reason to love the Obamas, our beautiful first lady rocked it out on yesterday's Sesame Street and helped the show celebrate their 40th year!! ::sigh:: so many childhood memories.

Enjoy the article below from People magazine!

Michelle Obama Helps Sesame Street Mark the Big 4-0
By Stephen M. Silverman

Oscar the Grouch had better behave – and keep his political opinions to himself.

On Tuesday, to mark the 40th anniversary of the groundbreaking children's program Sesame Street, some very special guests pay a visit, including First Lady Michelle Obama. According to previews circulating the Net, she meets Big Bird – who observes that the two of them are tall.

Mrs. Obama also delivers a message that may not entirely sit well with Cookie Monster. Appearing with three kids and the show's fuzzy, red resident Elmo, she encourages them to plant seeds in the ground, water them and then expect them to sprout tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce and carrots.

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The Hardest Part of Breaking Up...Is Getting Back Your Stuff

2009-11-11T15:05:00.009-05:00

To steal a line from MTV's fictional boy band 2Ge+her, "The hardest part of breaking up, is getting back your stuff"...and, I would add, your sanity. Breakups are crazy for so many reasons. When they happen, they totally turn your world upside down and leave you with sadness, questions, a meteor-sized hole where your partner used to be. Even if you're the one who ended it, it's most definitely no walk in the park.

If you are lucky enough to survive those first post breakup months, though, you find out that there are some perks to breaking up. For one, you get the freedom to focus on new things that you love (especially the things that your boyfriend or girlfriend hated). It's also fertile ground for a budding poet. My breakup was many months ago, but I've finally gotten enough distance from it to be able to write some pretty introspective pieces about our time together and my thoughts on our breakup. I've included one of these below and will share a few more breakup-related poems throughout the coming weeks. Let me know what you think.

ps...actual names have been replaced with singular pronouns, to protect the innocent (and not so innocent)

Sorry
BY Susan Baba

We communicate in I’m sorrys.
Sorry for taking so long to text you back,
I wasn’t sure how to say it.
Sorry for never calling you back,
I didn’t think you would want to hear my voice.
Even across a crowded club,
My eyes say I’m sorry as I flirt with another.
And as we get a feel for what this “friends” thing is supposed to be,
We’re filled with I’m sorrys
For all that we choose to leave unsaid.
As you might have guessed, we were lovers once
And there is so much to be sorry for
Much too much to be sorry for
But I don’t regret ever loving him.
I don’t.