rain today, made me think of this song, beautiful lyrics
the waters of march (águas de março; excerpt)
a stick, a stone, it’s the end of the road
it’s the rest of a stump, it’s a little alone
it’s a sliver of glass, it is life, it’s the sun
it is night, it is death, it’s a trap, it’s a gun
the oak when it blooms, a fox in the brush
the knot in the wood, the song of a thrush
the will of the wind, a cliff, a fall
a scratch, a lump, it is nothing at all
it’s the wind blowing free, it’s the end of the slope
it’s a beam, it’s a void, it’s a hunch, it’s a hope
and the river bank talks of the waters of march
it’s the end of the strain, it’s the joy in your heart ….
When I was a kid, I was fascinated with all things outer space–planets, the moon, stars, and sun. Solar eclipses were exciting, and I remember trying to make an eclipse viewer with pieces of cardboard. There’s a total eclipse happening tonight, so in its honor, here are a trio of poems from past posts. They hint at the possibilities and flights of imagination that the heavens inspire in me.
So as if full-time freelancing as a writer and being a poet weren’t enough, I’m now into the wire wrapped jewelry making business!
My explorations with healing crystals and learning about energy and frequencies seemed to snowball into a passion for making pendants. In turn, my passion for writing spurs me on to also share the information I gathered about crystals.
So if you’re interested, head over to my new website, Ms. Joyce Pendants. That site showcases my handmade, wire-wrapped jewelry and discusses different aspects of crystals, energy, chakras, and spirituality.
My pendants are available for sale at my Etsy shop. Please take a look. Use the coupon code BLOG1 to get a 10% discount off your order! (Free shipping in the U.S. $5.00 shipping to Canada. Discount does not apply to shipping cost.) The code expires December 31, 2016. Feel free to share the code.
As anybody who has following my writings here and elsewhere know, I’m have been pondering the question of labels, especially as it relates to gender and race. I’ve concluded time and time again that there is no need for them. The video I’m sharing is a spoken word piece that states the case nicely. It was brought to my attention by a like-minded soul.
I would add that many people hold on to their racial identity as if it truly defines who they are. They are afraid they will lose themselves and somehow betray their ancestors if they don’t fiercely uphold that racial identity. In my view, though, racial identity has nothing to do with who we are as individuals. It is pushed upon us by society.
So while there’s nothing wrong with celebrating our cultural traditions, it should be understood that mindlessly adhering to a so-called cultural norm can be limiting.
Like, how many of us won’t objectively listen, ever, to a certain type of music, go to a certain movie, vote outside of a particular political party, or be friends with a particular person because of our race and culture. I’ve written before about people’s assumptions concerning poetry written by a black person.
What activities or professions do we not attempt because, according to our culture, we “don’t that sort of thing?” How many of us form an immediate opinion of another person based solely on their race or culture? For those who say that black people can’t be racist, I beg to differ. Racism is not based on outcome. It’s based on mental programming.
And I’m not saying people are not hurt by racism. They are–hurt and even killed. Daily. But it’s not because this person is bad or that person deserved it. It has nothing to do with the individual. These atrocities are based on ideas and knee-jerk reactions.
It’s hard to imagine, especially in America, but what if you were not defined by your race: Who would you be? Better yet, the question is: Who are you? Who defines who you are?
When the world looks at me, they see I am a black woman, but what does that mean? There is no limit to the definition of who I am.
A. D. Joyce 