To Know A Poet is To Love ArtistCG

COLETTE aka ARTISTCG


Colette aka ArtistCG--- Poet Interview with The Golden Goddess


When did you know you were a poet?


I remember writing poetry as a teenager. I think it was probably crappy love junk. I remember doing drawings from the back view of a couple standing, holding hands, wearing Levi’s. haha I think the crappy poems accompanied these crappy drawings.

As far as when did I know? I would say perhaps in the past year. Some of my poetry has been published several years ago, but I don’t think I ever saw my poetry as being something truly worthy until recently. Now, I’m like Yeah, write on! I’m a poet and I know it! LOL


Who influences you as a poet?


Writers from before my time (living or not) who influence me and why:

• Charles Bukowski (raw truth)
• Pablo Neruda (metaphorically delicious love)
• Anais Nin (love knowing no boundaries)
• Colette (I think I’m tied to her somehow)
• Marguerite Duras (The Lover.)
• Maya Angelou (endured a harsh past and still appreciates the bird’s song)

Man...looking at that list, I wish I could arrange a face off with those peeps and have them compete for the top spot! There are singer/songwriters that I could add to that list too. I have a sense of nostalgia for the past, and I feel a connection to them when I read how they approached situations during their time. Times change, but certain things are a constant—like struggles, desires, and the emotions that are attached to both.


Writers who currently inspire me are:

• Claudia Moss (lively spirit who gives all her characters great voice!)
• Joyce Conley Williams (knows a woman’s hardships, and certainly knows her worth)
• Kumasi Mack (a modern day romantic, but he calls himself Abstract due to his flavorful metaphorical word choices)



How do you contribute to the love of poetry in the world?

I began posting my poetry online at theStarliteCafe.com in 2002. A man named Albert used to run it, and it was a pleasant place to share, get feedback, and bond with other poets. Since he has passed, various changes have occurred on the site, and there are a lot of glitches. I later started posting on WritersCafe.org. I’ve had some poetry published in India through the Taj Mahal Review, and various other small journals.



Almost Dead Poets Society    We are the Almost Dead Poets Society. If you are interested in poetry...whether you read it, write it, or enjoy listening to and watching spoken word performances then this group is for you.


About a year and a half ago, I formed the group the Almost Dead Poets Society. I had renovated my studio/living space to showcase my art, and I had a vision of this place I call the Avant Garde 2434 becoming a comfortable hangout for artists, musicians and writers to share their passion and inspire each other. I hosted the Sunday Nite Poetry Chill n Thrill for a year here, and took a few month hiatus recently. We will resume on Saint Patty’s Day with an Afternoon Delight potluck, and perhaps get back to our Sunday night routine from there on. I created a Facebook group for the Almost Dead Poets Society not long after our physical group formed, so that I could post the challenges, and we could also read the words we heard spoken. I have been delighted with its reach to those in other locales—including other countries.







Kumasi Mack, photo taken at the Avant Garde 2434
Poetry Chill & Thrill 2011





Joyce Williams, photo taken at the Avant Garde 2434
Poetry Chill & Thrill 2011


Last year, I created an art exhibit I titled Hung Out to Dry. I hung photographs I had taken of some of the poets from our group, and poetry from these poets and some from afar who participate in our online group. It was a one-day event that included several segments of spoken word. I’d love to take something like this on the road. Ahh one day! You know...Wishing Thinking of the Urban Mind! ;)






HUNG OUT TO DRY...Poets from the Almost Dead Poets Society



I have plans to put my poetry in print and eBook form soon. The means to self publish and reach an International audience is amazing thanks to online sites such as Blurb.com, and Apple iBooks. Besides having a few of my own collections I wish to publish, I want to compile a collection of poems from our Almost Dead Poets Society. Quite possibly, I will tackle that before my own, because I’m eager to share these amazing poets with the world!


Describe your writing process?

Free flow.

I’d like to stop there, but then you’ll yearn for deeper explanation—right? I write when my mind is pushing it out of me. Pushing it from my mind to my fingers to any pen, paper, keyboard I can get into contact with. Often I have words—more importantly thoughts—running around in my mind, and sometimes I’ll get them down if I have paper and pen in reach. Sometimes, I don’t. And, sometimes they are lost or changed by the time they do meet the page. It’s more of a burden of thoughts...things that trouble me. Sometimes, it’s things that elate me. I just let it out. And, sometimes, maybe later, I’ll go back and tidy up the thoughts and words a bit and shape it into a more coherent poem. Sometimes.



Describe a time when language mesmerized you.

Honey, when hasn’t it? The womb? I don’t know...I think that my collective unconscious is tied to some former writers and artists, so it’s part of my DNA. I’ve been mesmerized since before my flesh encased my spirit.

ArtistCG's Poetry

Day of the Dead / Night of the Devil
A Poem by Colette
"a Halloween experience"


I fuck everything up / the pie
no brown sugar / for my brown sugar
no crust / wrong shell
hell
More time cleaning up / than clearing up
the energy
that pulled him here / that pushes him away

I want to impress / to decompress
to touch soft / love mellow
yellow / everywhere / to symbolize


Happiness


What is it?
No one ever knows 'til it's too late / so I wait
to no avail / jail / feels like what I'm in
because I did find out / what "it" is
but, I can't obtain it / fully

Slivers of my piece of the pie
not even satisfactory
though I try

I'm a ghost in this land of the unknowing
Even when I blurt it out / paint it / create it
demonstrate it
I'm unheard / unseen / nothing but awkwardness
showing

It would be easier if I could think
walk / talk
dream of a future / like them
but, I can't.

I'm spilled over / peeled off / sliced
chewed up / spit out
discarded like trash / recycled
too many times

I watch lesbians build families / scouts build fires
burn what's meant to stay semi-whole
signs everywhere looking for new hires

I'm strong as titanium / as weak as these old, falling leaves
No one knows what to do with me / And,
I don't know how to sit still / I'm not addicted to a pill
or alcohol / or, otherwise

It's the simple things that give me thrills

Perhaps I'm meant to remain alone in this life?
Feeding squirrels peanuts / walking an incognito cat on a leash
Because, I don't think I'm designed to merge
with these humans

completely.

© 2011 Colette

*********************

Our Scars
A Poem by Colette
"flashbacks, and how they cripple our future. *inspired by the film Black Snake Moan"


that black snake moans

those flashbacks

of the wars i’ve fought

with my father, brother, steroid pumped man in blue

all i’m keepin true


my truth


wanting to give it all to u

inside out, and back in then out

again

no air

choking throat


nothing but a hair left behind, and

those scars


i see the you you don’t see

you see the me of the former remnant of women past

and i am ready to strangle that fucking black snake

til it no longer moans, but screams, then fades

then relaxes

to the present


i say i want to massage your temples

until your misgotten memory turns liquid

so i can swallow

swallow that black snake

so it chokes no here and now no more


that black snake moans

and i cry

cancerous tears

tears of death moans playing in my cerebellum

body twitching both involuntarily and voluntarily

hell, i don’t even know the difference anymore


and somehow both of our necks begotten

like some African mythology springing forth new life

out of the dead crevices

we have to learn who to be thankful for


i’ll suffocate your fucking, moaning, black snake

i’ll help you breathe, but


what will you do for me?


what will you do for me?


© 2011 Colette

**********************

Abstract Artist
A Poem by Colette
"a dedication to Kumasi Mack--The Abstract Poet"


I call it motion / they call it abstract

I call it feelings / they say it looks like a heart attack

I say the colors are like the wind on a hot summer day

I say the gay rainbow flies / I say... Sailor, Hey!


Movie screenings / temporary tattoos

The work of an artist will do / What? / Only if they lived before you?


Pistachios / Mangos

Yellow / Pink / Orange / Purple

You know I dream in Technicolor

You know when you dream of me there is little color / no obstacles

a barrier / reef

and we’re back to a reality in a colored land


Give me your hand

African myths / a gazing globe of peacock feathers / watermelon lingerie

said to cure what ails you / and help you sleep


Deep


They call us lewd / I call them funny

They call her nude / I call her lovely


They call me / I don’t call back

Today might be the last day / I’ll have a Big Mac attack


I’m down with the hoops / not with the studs

A painting that doesn’t encourage growth is simply mud


I call it the Ripple Effect / they call it football

Sometimes

He falls / He says, “We can’t fly” / I say, “Gimme your hand”


You might call it metamorphosis / I say

the caterpillar can’t eat if the butterfly don’t know where to land


We call our language metaphors / a fictional version of facts

He calls me Moonshine / I call him Abstract

***********************

ArtistCG is also an awe-inspiring PHOTOGRAPHER!!!
http://www.blurb.com/my/book/detail/1028261



Images of people in their bedrooms to demonstrate that regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, or cultural backgrounds...we are all similar.


Living A Golden Life,
TheGoldenGoddess

Dr. Victoria Lynn Schmidt Encourages Writers Via BIAM!

A beloved, Las Vegas friend, Nik Nicholson, invited me to join her on a writer's adventure last year! Our noble mission: write a book in a month! At first, I wondered if she was serious but she didn't sound inebriated and there was a determined essence in her voice. I could feel her persistence, her fire to blaze that unprecedented trail.


So I consented. And so did three other writing friends.


Nik walked the road she set for her indomitable pen, over job stress and family life and whatever else she had to overcome to meet her goal. At the culmination of a month, the good sister had that "fast" written manuscript ready for edits. On the other hand, I bailed. With 1,000 excuses strapped to my ankles. But something in me beckoned, the forefinger summoning me back to the drawing board. "We never give up, Heifer!" it scolded me, rolling its eyes.


It may not be now, but you, young lady, will sit to meet this goal. Nothing is insurmountable...if you give it your best. Then I mused: Did I really give it my best? Deep within, I knew I hadn't. A door opened and I dashed.


Now I walk up to the challenge again. Resolved, indomitable and elated---I am telling The Golden Goddess, Ms. Claudia, you can, you must and you will. It's a simple as that!


So, beloveds, in April, (yes, next month) come hell or high water, I undertake the mammoth venture of completing the first draft of my new novel, NOT WITHOUT PASSION. Not only will I have the initial write, but also I will rewrite the manuscript and include subplots and anything else the second write should possess in May. Afterwards, off to a potential publisher it will traipse, high stepping it all the way.


In dedicating myself to the undertaking, I decided to invite the lovely Dr. Victoria Lynn Schmidt to A Golden Life to share her pearls of writing wisdom...with me and any other writing soul out there who could benefit from her encouragement and expertise. I must say, I reached out and Dr. Schmidt received me graciously. She consented to my request with the warmth that only a master teacher can exude to those who come to sip of her knowledge. Thus, without further ado, I give you V.L. Schmidt!





"I'm so happy to be visiting with you all on the Golden Goddess! I know many of you are pursuing writing a book in a month, or at least just spitting out a draft of it which is wonderful. You will be far ahead of most writers out there who never actually get to 'the end' so be sure you pay attention to the 'celebration stage' you deserve it!


Try to think of things in terms of steps. Try not to see the whole manuscript in the beginning, just see the first page, the first chapter. Take that first step. Don't stop to take care of anything else, don't worry about things being perfect. The stars will never align. You just have to take that first step and get things rolling. THE STARS WILL NEVER ALIGN PERFECTLY! Don't wait.


Also, start every writing period congratulating yourself. Take a moment to look back at all the pages you have written and feel good about it. We often go crazy staring at where we need to go that we forget to take pride in what we have already accomplished. Be good to yourself and your muse will show up. It's like we climb to the top of a mountain and worry about the next mountain, instead of taking a moment to see the glorious view in front of us already. Writing is a journey.


A bit of practical advice - be sure you create back ups! I just heard from another writer who lost all her files to a virus. E-mail your ms to yourself at the end of the day at the very least if you have to. Your work is precious, take care of it."






This is the BIAM book that guides me on my voyage! I have been rereading it to reintroduce myself to my support system. This time, together, we will dock in a port of phantasmagorical accomplishments!


Thank you, Dr. Schmidt, for the beauty of your presence in the world!


Victoria says:

"I am an author, instructor, and holistic-minded explorer of psychology, spirituality, and creativity. My books combine my unique interests in ways that allow my readers to think differently about subjects while offering them practical tools to explore things on their own.

My first book series is the best selling Creative Writing Series – 45 Master Characters, Story Structure Architect, and Book in a Month. These books combine all of the above to show readers around the world how to hone their craft and reach their dream of writing a book or screenplay. (45 Master Characters was recently translated into Korean)"

Read more: http://victorialynnschmidt.com/



Living the Golden Life
TheGoldenGoddess

OPT-IN Form for Buyers of Tim Pond's Bestselling e-book, THE HAPPINESS HOP

Welcome, A Golden Life Subscribers!

If you are one of the many e-book buyers who just downloaded your copy of Tim Pond's wonderful new e-book, THE HAPPINESS HOP, you are in the right place to claim one of your premium BONUS GIFTS!




THE HAPPINESS HOP: GAIN THE THREE INSIGHTS TO YOUR AMAZING LIFE


To claim your bonus gift here, please subscribe to my blog and leave your first NAME and E-MAIL ADDRESS, to which I will send your e-BONUS GIFT of my new story collection, WANDA B. SINGS THE BAILOUT BLUES. You will enjoy Ms. Wanda and her hilarious take on our contemporary world!




Kudos to Bestselling Author and MARKETING GURU, TIM POND


Tim Pond is a best-selling author and coach. He has published fifteen books. His own unique purpose is to help people gain insights and make their lives extraordinary. To learn more about his latest book, The Happiness Hop, visit www.threeinsights.net/book.

To watch The Happiness Hop book videos, visit his YouTube Channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/timpond1/videos.


Living a Golden Life,
TheGoldenGoddess

Robin G. White: An Award-Winning Poet Who Humbles the Soul

Sylvia McAfee created the cover image for Reflections.

Award-winning author, Robin G. White releases her long awaited second collection of poetry, Reflections of a Life Well Spent on March 31st, 2012.


Award-winning writer, Robin G. White is the author of two published collections of poetry, Resurrection: A Collection of Work, Reflections of a Life Well Spent and a forthcoming e-book collection of poems of love and loss titled, When Love Departs. White is the author of two collections of short fiction, First Breath and Intersections and a guided writing journal, Omphaloskepsis Twelve Powers Writing Journal. In addition, she is the pseudonymous author of seven children’s books. Her memoir, One of These Things Is Not Like the Other will arrive in the Fall of 2013.

She is the recipient of numerous awards and honors for her work as a writer and publisher including The Chicago Literary Award, a Georgia Author of the Year Award finalist, the Urban Media Makers Award, an Astraea Foundation Poetry Prize Judge, CUNY Medgar Evers College Writers of Color Alum and the Lambda Literary Award Independent Publisher for Kings Crossing Publishing.

She is the President and CEO of Sunset Pointe Press, which publishes inspirational poetry, self-help, memoir and fiction. She resides in her hometown of Boston, MA.


www.robingwhite.com

*******************

I had the pleasure of reading Robin's poem, "A New England Morning," on Facebook and, enchanted, felt inspired to ask her a few questions about her artistry.


TheGoldenGoddess

The New England morning is so much a Presence in this piece until it is a personality as multifaceted as any person I have met! Where are those YouTube vids of you reciting or reading? How long does it take you to pen a poem? Where do you write? What time of day? Night? What is you process for composing? When you finish crafting one, to whom do you present it? Do you lead poetry workshops?

RobinGWhite

Claudia Moss...That is because there is nothing like a New England morning. The feel of it invokes steel grey turbulent tides and the leather-faced fishermen who greet her.

So, to answer your questions.

---Where are those YouTube vids of you reciting or reading?

Sadly, Beloved there are no YouTube videos of me reciting, although there have been many threats about making them.

---How long does it take you to pen a poem?

I am kind of wired this way, so it takes little to no time to write a poem. Most of them come fully cloaked and ready to harness their power on to the page once I unleash them from my brain.

---Where do you write?

I write everywhere. Like a visual artist sees everything in pictures, I see everything in words and description. I never see a woman's hips I see undulating and curvaceous hips, swinging and birthing hips, I see mountains and hills, landing places and children's beds, I see invitations to love the fullness of the hips. I see everything that way - in great detail.

---What time of day? Night?

I write all day and night. I like night best, really late, often 2,3, 4 in the morning.

---What is you process for composing?

Anything can set me off - a word, a phrase, an idea, TV, radio, someone else's conversation, a slouching body, the touch of a brim of a hat - they all take off with my imagination at any given time of the day any where. I keep journals and pens with me all the time and I just release what comes through me.

---When you finish crafting one, to whom do you present it?

I generally post them on Facebook so everyone can enjoy them and then they end up in a book eventually like "Reflections" which debuts here in Boston on March 31st and "When Love Departs" which comes out on Mother's Day as a tribute to my parents, or "First Breath" which will debut in Atlanta sometime this Spring TBD.


************************


Long Awaited Return by Award-winning Author, Robin G. White

Boston, MA – March 1, 2012 Award-winning author, Robin G. White will release her long awaited second collection of poetry, Reflections of a Life Well Spent (Sunset Pointe Press ISBN #978-0-9838208-0-2) on March 31st, 2012. The collection, which is the first release of her work since the award-winning (Georgia Author of the Year Award finalist, Chicago Literary Award winner) Resurrection: A Collection of Work was released over a decade ago.

The author turned publisher spent nine years focusing her inestimable talents publishing and promoting the works of other writers as one half of the Lambda Literary Award-winning publishing duo of Kings Crossing Publishing. The now defunct company released its authors in 2009 and White moved on to promote new works with her newly acquired Sunset Pointe Press out of Clearwater, FL. The company will work with new authors in the inspiration industry. Reflection of a Life Well Spent is a prime example of the company’s new line.

Reflections of a Life Well Spent focuses on an emotional three-year period of the author’s life following her through the end of her long-term relationship, break-up of her family, joblessness, homelessness, and the death of her birthparents shortly after finding them after a 40-plus year search. And while the reader may expect to find bitterness and despair among the pages, White expresses the numerous losses with candor and grace, arching each challenge with faith, love and a tremendous amount of hope. She dives right into the raw emotions, searching not for answers, but for the lessons that each challenge might bring. The poems become touchstones for her readers who relate to the themes of loss and resolution.

Most of the work in this book has been posted on Facebook over the years, which has offered White a unique understanding of the moving quality of her prose-imbued poetry. Her slice of life and “this is what is happening in the moment” themes read like the diary that they are. Her love for family and friends, children and lovers are all present and are richly palpable on the page. It is enough to make you wonder what she is like in real life.

White expects to do readings and signings at the usual bookstore venues and will follow the award-winning path she took as a publisher with Kings Crossing Publishing by focusing on her inspiration niche. Personal appearances at trade shows, churches, book clubs and private parties will follow the release.

For booking information contact the author at info@robingwhite.com.

Jazzthe24KPoet: An Artist Who Creates from a Golden Intend

Jazzthe24KPoet: A Beloved Sisterfriend/Poet Extraordinaire


JAZZ “The24KPoet” is the inimitable author of the independently published poetry collection, PETALS AND PEBBLES. Unforgettable, it is a string of poetic pearls, each poem possessing an opulence of its own. Same as petals and pebbles emanate from the beauty of the natural world, these poetic pearls of wisdom rise from the natural beauty of one woman’s soul. Jazz has been featured in the Spring 2008 issue of Virtue Magazine and the July 2009 issue of About Time Magazine. Joe Pinkney memorialized Jazz and Petals & Pebbles in an interview and a book review on his site, www.JoeyPinkney.com. In addition, Jazz was featured on TheClaudiaMossShow on BlogTalkRadio.

Jazz has performed on countless stages in Atlanta, Washington, Baltimore, Durham, Raleigh, Charlotte, Henderson, Fayetteville, Greensboro and Orlando. Like timeless music, Jazz is multifaceted; bringing a sophisticated rhythmic, strong and comprehensive imprint to her poetry. A feature poet, she has mesmerized open mic audiences at Le Niche Jazz Café, Bennu Cultural Center and Barbara Torrant Ministries Grand Opening, the Encouraging Woman Ministries Summer Camp, Yancy’s Jazz Café, Zydeco’s Jazz Café, the Durham Art Festival and the Reggae Roots Festival. On November 19, 2010, Jazz “The24KPoet” was the feature poet for the premiere of Clark Atlanta University’s Jazzman’s Café and Bakery.

Additionally, specializing in pastries and vegetarian creations, she is a personal/gourmet chef, who describes her kitchen as her canvas. Her delectable culinary skills are requested around the country. As a motivational speaker, Jazz advocates for women’s empowerment to counteract sexism, promote positive self-images, and reverse the degeneration of shattered self esteems. Universally, her words adorn womanhood across any imaginable divide.

Jazz is a didactic poet; her intent is to use the sound of her voice and the tip of her pen to raise the frequency and illuminate the mind. An extraordinary workshop leader, she has taught Elocution using Harlem Renaissance literature to students from Pre-K to 10th grade.
Recently, Jazz starred in the two-act drama, “The Love Search.” An audience favorite, she opened both acts with sterling performances. In addition, Jazz shared her poetic genius with an East Azon, New York, audience when she paid homage to Dr. Letha Brown-Ridley for her 100th birthday celebration.

In January 2012, Jazz performed for Xerox’s Rochester’s Black Employees Association’s Annual Martin Luther King Gala. The advent of the New Year also brought her interview on Rasta Von’s Internet-based television show, PUT IT ON BLAST, in Rochester, New York.

Jazz, who did undergraduate work at Tuskegee Institute, is a loving mother of four who readily shares her nurturing with other children. Currently, she resides in Raleigh, North Carolina. She can be reached for speaking engagements at www.JazzthePoet@gmail.com and www.ttjohnson1224@yahoo.com.



A HEART OF GOLD
from Jazz's up-coming new release, SUNSET: A SISTER'S SUBMISSION TO A SEASON


A Heart of Gold

All should be so fortunate to behold
The beauty and magnificence of this special heart of gold
Filled with selfless love, yet to completely unfold
Possessing priceless value too great to be sufficiently told
So loyal and devoted, could never be sold
Providing a security that affords me to be bold

Know that you are honored
Know that you are respected
Know that you are appreciated
Know that you are valued
Know that you are loved…
And a wonderful keepsake

If You Love Me Come 02/18 by Denise Turney | Blog Talk Radio

If You Love Me Come 02/18 by Denise Turney | Blog Talk Radio

Excerpt from my new novel, NOT WITHOUT PASSION

CHAPTER 5


I am zipping around the kitchen being the perfect Suzy Homemaker for my girls who are due to arrive shortly. That Saturday morning sun noisy, it’s been peeking through the blinds since I stumbled in here after a 6:35 AM workout, approving my peaches-and-mango spinach salad, strawberry iced tea with floating chunks of California-grown berries, grilled salmon, baked sweet potatoes and small bowls of banana chips and mixed nuts.

This chick can spin a get-together on a dime’s notice!

By 1 PM, the doorbell chimes and I sprint through the house from the deck, where I’ve been rearranging furniture and setting the wrought-iron table.

“Hey, Mamacita,” Sydeeka greets me. “What’s up with you, Girlfriend?”

Her gaze tiptoes over me, a grin hiking one corner of her full, glossed lips.

“Whatchu all jazzed up for…lunch? Or perhaps a better question is ‘Who got you so snazzy this afternoon?’”


I can’t help myself. So I curtsey, smiling, and pirouette for the sister, my white A-line halter dress lethal, showing off shiny skin, Vaseline soft, a little cleavage, toned arms and thighs and hugging my Zumba-sculpted butt.

“Well, top of the day to you, too, Deeka,” I say, embracing her and leaving the door cracked for Jewell.

She reaches around me, grabbing my ponytail and draping it over my shoulder, where it ends just above my belly button under the white cotton dress.

“Moon, if you weren’t my girl, I’d be your woman.”

“Would you hush,” I say. “You know we’d be fighting over the shoes you stockpile and how much you spend on perfume.”

Sydeeka laughs. “Nothing a little counseling couldn’t right.”

I slip my arms through hers. “Woman, please. Besides, you looking fabulous yourself.”

Sydeeka smells like cash money, as usual, her fav scent, Prada. She giggles when I sniff her neck, frisky, the sensation hunching her shoulders.

“Don’t play, slut! Party on deck?”

“If it were elsewhere, my love, you’d not be in attendance, and I’d be sweating from heat meted out from the friction of one-on-one fun.”

Sydeeka plops her purse on a sofa and follows me through an open sliding glass door, dancing her way across the deck in the sunshine. She’s bouncing those 36” hips under the cutest blue-jean skirt falling mid-thigh. On her feet are tangerine wedgies perfectly matching a ribbed T-shirt and a few hundred bangles on one arm in the same tangerine family.

Chick lives for speak-up shoes, the sort that brings women across street, club or restaurant to say hello, gorgeous, my name is whatever you want it to be and if we can be the next Bonnie and Honey, here’s all my money.

“Don’t I know it? In my experience, I dream it before I see it. In yours, used to be the full moon glows and a crazy hoe gotta go. Today, you might have a different plan in motion, thus the reason a sister got the call and came on over. I know your ass. Spill the beans; spill the beans, Sister Girl.”

Leaning against the deck, back to the banister, elbows on the wide ledge, she’s posed as if she’s clocking the scene of dancing and drinking, cruising and chatting, and flirting and fighting women at Bella’s. I’ll give it to her. Deeka’s swag can be fierce when she’s fully present.

“How did you know the theme of this luncheon? You and Jewell been in conference without me?”

Sydeeka fans the air. “I don’t need Jewell’s two cents to remember that Navajo blood chanting in your veins and hanging down your back, Sade perfect. You probably held your own powwow last night.” She walks to the table and peeks under a Tupperware-covered plate. “What I want to know is what’s taking Jewell’s raggedy ass so long? But you never cease to amaze me, Moon. Your meals are always so colorful and way too healthy for my fast-food taste buds but I’m getting better.”

“Thank you, ma’am.”

Then she curtsies and sits facing the backyard. “Back to Miss Thang. You suppose Woodson got her bent over a lawn chair or something?”

I grin, loving their timing.

Jewell mirrors my smile, hands on her nonexistent hips, as she tips gingerly onto the deck. She’s dressed in a form-fitting orange ankle-length sundress adorned with pink, white and red flowers.

Pausing center stage, she turns to face a tickled Sydeeka.

“Hello, Jewell! Great you made it,” Sydeeka says, smiling genially.

“Hey, Hussy. And no, Woodson is not in the habit of ‘taking me’ over chairs and much less…lawn furniture, thank you. Might you be speaking of a fantasy in which you envision yourself and some woman panting?”

“Most likely,” Sydeeka admits.

Jewell rolls hazel eyes in an olive face of mixed heritage. “I thought so.”

Taller than Sydeeka and I, Jewell strikes a diva pose, two steps from Mariah Carey, and wiggles her forefingers.

“Let’s get this group hug in so I can sit down, ladies. These sandals nip my baby toes and my tummy’s on the warpath. C’mon, now. Make haste.”

Our group hugs therapeutic, I live for them and for the sisterly bonding and love we share despite our flippant mouths. The Divine knows we wouldn’t fly as high without the others’ wind.



TALK TO ME! SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS!! I LOVE THE ENERGY OF EXCHANGE...AND I ADORE THE BLESSED FRESHNESS OF STARTING A NEW NOVEL!

TheGoldenGoddess
February 26, 2012