They taught us
to treat rest like a reward
for our exhaustion
instead of a birthright.
Birthright
Tag: peace
Black Joy
Nobody talks about society’s addiction
to black trauma.
How much more profitable
it is to talk about pain
than poems,
depression
than joy.
Like we don’t have feelings
just bad experiences
turned into songs
of sorrows
and spirituals
of reaching heaven
cause there can’t be no freedom
here on Earth for Black people.
Maybe this world still doesn’t consider us
human enough
to be happy
someone hand society a roadmap
for getting to know black people.
Tell them they can find us laughing
even when life is lifeing
cracking jokes and turning sadness into praise.
Tell them we are not just guns and gangs.
Our hope does not hang on by string
on some cracked-out corner
or trap house
Tell them how we dream.
Big Mama musta had mustard seeds
underneath the mattress
cause she moved mountains.
Food and faith ain’t never been hard to find.
We gone eat.
Talk about our love
our sense of community
our building
our builders
our beauty.
We’ve had a wild ride here
in this country
But it was not all bad.
Together, we forged a world of our own
found solace in the cracks
made meals from scraps
and carved out our own sense of enjoyment and purpose.
Tell them about how the cells of a black woman
saved the world
and the genius of a Black man lit it up.
Talk about how we bless everything we touch.
Tell the whole truth
that we are not made up only of pain.
Joy lives here, too.
You can listen to this poem on TikTok and YouTube! I’m @yecheilyah on both.
Black History Facts is back! If you’ve been waiting for a signed copy, this is your chance to get your hands on it. We are back in stock. Go now to: https://www.blkhistorybook.com/.
Yecheilyah’s Book Reviews – Black Coffee by Bree Gordon
Title: Black Coffee: From Empty to Overflowing with Peace, Healing, and Purpose
Author: Bree Gordon
Publisher: Bree Gordon
Published: February 18, 2020
Pages: 122
Bree Gordon begins her book with frank sincerity and unabashed vulnerability. We learn about her trials and tribulations as her marriage unraveled and her mental health suffered. Gordon utilizes her therapy sessions as the basis for telling the stories of the women who made a difference in her life, and the revelation about who these women are will leave you speechless.
In this book, we meet not just Bree but also Linda, Gia, Reena, and Trina. It’s got that How Stella Got Her Groove Back and Waiting to Exhale vibe.
This book’s layout and packaging are both excellent. Gordon welcomes us with a stunning cover of her enjoying a cup of coffee and then weaves this motif across her chapters. From “Brewing” to “Spilling the Beans,” I like how imaginatively she titled the chapters to enhance the story. It brought the narrative and the title together well.
What truly sets this book apart is the inclusion of therapist notes. It will surely help other women who have had to walk in Gordon’s shoes.
Ratings:
- Authenticity / Believable: 5/5
- Organization: 5/5
- Thought Provoking: 5/5
- Solid Conclusion: 4/5
- Overall Rating: 5 / 5 stars
Grab Your Copy of Black Coffee Here
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Be sure to apply BEFORE August even if your book releases after if you want a review on this blog.
Stay tuned for our next dope read!
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*Books are read in the order they are received.
Joy
How to Sleep Through the Night
Go outside and stand on the porch. Let the refreshing wind kiss your face. Listen to the trees as they laugh and sway. Welcome the sound of insects’ singing lullabies as the sun lowers itself into sleep. Bask in the beauty that is a changing sky. Reflect on the rich hues, reds, and orange-golds and let the sweetness of nature wash over you. Eat the meal you love without punishment. Something so savory it melts on your tongue. Let it fill you like a cup of hot chocolate on the first day of winter. Drink water. Bathe. Make sure the water’s hot and marinate in Epsom salt. Wash off the worries of the world. Drift into peace like someone swimming. Wear something comfortable to bed. Something that will hold your body like your grandmother’s hugs. Make the room completely dark and close your eyes. Feel the drum of your heartbeat prophesy that you are still alive. Touch your chest and feel the vibrations underneath your fingers. You are still here. Calm the chaos of your mind and focus on your breath. Breathe deep. Inhale. Hold it. Exhale. Now let your soul rest.
Poet Spotlight: Nailah Shami | Yecheilyah’s 2nd Annual Poetry Contest 2018
This week we are spotlighting the winners of the 2nd Annual Poetry Contest! Today, you’ll get to meet the poets and read their poems. Let’s dive right in with our 2nd Place winner.
Introducing Nailah Shami
Nailah Shami is the author of two non-fiction books: Taking the High Road: How to Cope Your Ex Husband, Maintain Your Sanity, and Raise Your Child in Peace and Do Not Talk To, Touch, Marry, or Otherwise Fiddle with Frogs: How to Find Prince Charming by Finding Yourself. Continuing to fulfill a personal mission to inspire, encourage and entertain others, she blogs on Better for That, a weekly platform of uplifting micro-essays, vignettes, self-care streams and poetry. She is also working on a series of contemporary women’s fiction novels and a volume of poetry. Nailah lives in Washington state in the shadow of Mt Rainier and loves travel, festivals, music, comedy, cooking, pampering, all things lavender, hanging out with friends and family (or interesting strangers) and, of course, writing. She is always writing.
Welcome Nailah! So nice to meet you beautiful! I have to say we loved your poem. Please tell us what inspired you to write it.
Nailah: My childhood was spent in an abusive, alcoholic household, so it took a while to come to the concept of self-care, or what I have come to describe as intentionally loving and mothering myself. But once I did, it became the perfect antidote for undoing that early trauma. I am fascinated, even addicted to, the power that self-care has to enhance every area of my life. It’s me saying to myself over and over in so many ways, I got you. This is a sacred obligation that I trust completely. Shortly before I wrote this poem, my BFF {Best Friend Forever} complimented me for being the most resilient, self-sufficient person she knows. Extreme self-care is the reason and I wanted to share that in a poem.
And share you did! Loving Myself Full is a beautiful poem. I mean, we loved it. There are several lines that spoke to us, one of them was:
I reverse-engineer my collapse
With unhurried tithes to myself
Can you explain a little bit to our readers about this line?
Nailah: What I was trying to convey there was that there is a certain mindfulness about knowing what it will take for me to burn out, and a wholehearted willingness to counteract that by making small, deliberate contributions to my well-being. Could be taking 10 minutes to choose just the right bouquet of flowers, 30 minutes on my yoga mat, 90 minutes on the massage table, making sure I’m eating right and getting my zzz’s or happily saying no to a swarm of demands on my time.
Very nice. I think that’s a nugget of wisdom we can all take with us.
Now let’s get into this poem!
Loving Myself Full, Copyright©Nailah Shami
2nd Place
I turn off the phone, turn on the sauna
Dial down stress, dial up serenity
Gather my wounds in a circle,
Sing them the tender lullaby, years cultivated
And love myself full
Hush, I whisper
Until they trust me to gently paint over their grievances
With a mosaic of sunshine and light
They vary in age
Strolling through a lifetime, I nod to each me
Spending extra moments with Inner Mother me
She knows how all of this tenderness will play out
My eyes close when a melody from another world caresses my ears
The massage therapist pulls tension out of shoulders, arms, legs, spirit
Hot stones, aromatic oils, mindless bliss
I am AWOL, refusing to be needed
Lost in the valley of me, myself and I
Vowing to return to more simple things
Coloring, skipping, daydreaming
Hula hooping for breakfast
Beach dawdling for lunch
Lovemaking for dinner
Months before I am raggedy meat on a bone
I reverse-engineer my collapse
With unhurried tithes to myself
Casually buying roses with the groceries
Spraying lavender on the sheets,
Rose water on my face,
Wonder in my heart
I practice forgetting disappointments
And I do not have time to doubt the power of this spell I am casting,
The voodoo poetry of peace, stillness, and self-care
Of vowing to do the hardest things in the softest fabrics
And then have someone ease the memory of the fight from my muscles
With Zen music and hopeful scents
I lose time, but do not miss it
A fair exchange to put stars back in my eyes, silken my soul
From far away, I hear the massage therapist tell me to take my time getting up, and I do.
Oh, I do.
Be Sure to Follow Nailah Online!
https://betterforthat.wordpress.com/
Books by Nailah
CLICK HERE to learn more about Taking the High Road.
CLICK HERE to learn more about Do Not Talk to, Touch, Marry, or Otherwise Fiddle with Frogs.
Stand by for our 2-Day Special Feature of the Grand Prize Winner taking place tomorrow (Mon. 8/27, and Tues. 8/28)!
Who took home the grand prize and why?
Stay glued, Jahkazia Richardson is next.
On Soft Hearts
Do not ask me not to care. I will care anyway. I will wonder why the flower doesn’t bloom. Why its petals are dry. Why is there a flower falling to pieces for lack of moisture? I will wonder about the soil and the colors in the sky. I will mourn with those who are sad, rub empathy on the wounds of those who are bruised. I will care about people who probably won’t think twice about me. I will take this heart of flesh and show them that I am hurt too and I too have been trampled upon. Here, see the holes and scars on my skin. But we don’t have to let our hearts grow cold or build walls that are too high for people to climb. When everyone’s a savage, do not be afraid to be soft. There’s got to be someone in this chaotic world who can show proof that there can still be love, after war.
The PBS Blog 