Tag: womanhood

The #GirlLove Challenge – Spreading the Love

First, I want to thank Colleen of Silver Threading for tagging me in the #GirlLove Challenge, that’s my girl! For those who are unfamiliar, Girl Love is a challenge premiered by Lilly Singh, a Canadian vlogger, under the inspiration of ending girl-on-girl hate. You can watch her YouTube video here.

feb0e624f6828be3fef684195d856dce

I am honored to be tagged in a challenge that promotes the building up of women because that’s one of the many purposes of my work (It is the reason I host a weekly online radio show specifically dedicated to the sisterhood). The challenge addresses a problem we tend to only see in woman-to-woman relationships and that is our negative perceptions of each other. This is an issue that is relevant with all women and, most especially, black women. I believe the miseducation of the woman, what her duty and her purpose is, has contributed largely to this issue and how we see ourselves overall. For this reason, I strive to encourage women, with an emphasis on black women, to invest in the power of their purpose and to appreciate their beautiful selves.

I choose to tag the following women bloggers in the #GirlLove Challenge who I have come to know through the Blogosphere, and who I admire in some way. If we were to have a girls night out, I would love to invite:

Lisa Tetting

https://rebirthoflisa.wordpress.com 

I would love to meet this woman in person because I think we will have a lot of fun! I love to laugh and something tells me she does too. Lisa has been very supportive of my work and my blog since following me a year ago. We have had the opportunity to pretty much swap support for each other on a professional level as well. I’ve done a book review for her, she has written a review for my book, we’ve interviewed each other and overall the experience has just been amazing. Lisa reminds me that team work makes the dream work!

 Whitney C

https://writeliveandlove.wordpress.com 

I don’t always comment on Whitney’s posts but I read them daily. A year younger than I, I feel like Whitney is like my little sister! She reminds me so much of myself years ago. Her topics of discussion are easy to follow and relate to for black youth. But more importantly, there’s this light about Whitney that inspires me to want to get to know her better. There’s something there that moves me to want to take her under my wing sorta speak.

Nikki Skies 

https://nikkiskies.wordpress.com

If Whitney’s my little sister, Nikki’s my big sister! I started following her after she commented on one of my blog post (I believe it was the gentle rain). Since then I have purchased her book “The Town Dance” (which I’ve been secretly deciding whether or not to do a book review on but I haven’t spoken to Nikki yet so… shhh lol), as well as follow her on Instagram and Facebook. Nikki is very talented and one thing I would like to do is pick her brain! Let’s just sit down over a nice cocktail and talk about the black experience.

Deb

https://debwashere.wordpress.com 

I love her! I have only started following Deb recently, but I fell in love with her tagline “Because you need more than my fingerprints” (I believe we met during Blogging U’s Writing 101). Since following her blog, I have come to really love her down to earth demeanor and her realness because I am all about that. With me its like, I may not always agree with your perspective or your flaws but please keep it real with me. Let me get to know the real you and we can work on our issues together. That’s what I get from Deb’s blog, she always keeps it 100. She also makes me laugh lol. She is also a blogger whom I do not always comment on but who I do pay attention to (you never know whose watching…no pressure lol). I would love to meet Deb in person and learn more about her.

Michelle

https://michelle19932014.wordpress.com/2015/01/05/a-little-about-me/ 

And last but certainly not least is Michelle. I have a passion for children (I was a teacher and tutor at a research center for years and interacted with children of all ages on a daily) and this woman has just the cutest little baby ever. I don’t want to say I followed her blog because of her kid but…I did! LOL. No, but seriously, Michelle and her little princess are adorable and I always look forward to their updates. The one with Kenzy’s new headband? Super cutesy! I have also just started following Michelle recently and I look forward to learning more about her.

******

smiling
#I AM MY SISTERS KEEPER #IAMMSK

Well, that’s it for me. The diversity of the personalities of each of these women would make our meet and greet an amazing experience. I hope you enjoyed my spotlight on some of the women I have come to know and love through the blogosphere and I encourage each of you to follow their blogs! Below is more on the #GirlLove Challenge for those who want to participate.

Here’s what you do for the #GirlLove Challenge:

  1. Tell your followers who inspire you, a famous woman who may be dealing with negativity on a daily basis.
  2. Tell your followers who inspire you in real life, a woman you always interact with.
  3. Tag five women bloggers who you love. Compliment them and tell them why you love them, and comment under their latest post with the link to your #GirlLove post!

If you get tagged, do the post on your own blog. If you want to do it anyway, do it anyway! Add the tag ‘Girl Love’ to your post, so we can see them all! Let’s start 2016 with LOVE for each other!

I Promise You a Woman

black_love_art~~element1272

I promise you
a woman.
You see I know what kind of girls you’re used to
I know that
little black girls can’t appreciate you like I can
see
I know that
those little girls you’re used to
doesn’t know what you’ve been through cause
kindergarten fingers on small hands don’t know how to hold you
like I do
see
she pushes buttons on your heart like that
cause she’s not hip to the fact that a man
can lose focus too
but see she’s just a little girl so
she plays catch with your emotions
cause she feels that if she hits you hard enough
you’ll start coughing up tokens for her to play games with
see
I know that your body to these little girls is merely a myth
and every trip to your mouth is a quiz enveloped in living water
that she ain’t learned how to swim in yet
so she apologizes for getting lost in your kiss
and every vibration of your body simply doesn’t make sense to her
and every word of truth coming from your lips
is like a puzzle that she ain’t figured out yet
you see she’s insecure because what she’s selling has failed
and its cause the way you love to her is reminiscent of fairy tales
see
they mistake my trust for you as some kind of façade
don’t know what a real man is so they think you’re a God
to me
mistaking the heavenly embrace of your arms for wings
cause I told ‘em I’m willing to fly away with you
mistakenly discerning that you grant me wishes like milky ways & stars cause
they see me praying for you
but that’s because I’m not a little girl
so wishing upon stars we don’t have to
but your mind they can’t dissect
and your ways are hidden from them like the life of insects so
she dismisses you as too perfect & she ain’t ready for all that yet
you see I know
what kind of girls you’re used to
but what I promise you
is a woman

I promise you support sweeter than any tea you could fathom
you see I promise you words of love
not temper tantrums
I know what kind of girls you’re used to
so I promise to appreciate every inch of you
Because what I promise you
is a woman
I promise to be strong so when it comes to bearing my burdens
sweetie you don’t have to
because I promise to help and not hinder you
I promise to cry tears on your shoulders
so I can properly communicate with you
And I promise to bear soldiers and little soliderettes for you
And I promise that temptation won’t attempt to temp you
cause aint no way little girls gonna love you the way that I do
you see I promise
not to walk in your shoes
cause I’m woman enough to know that you’re the head of me
but like the neck I support you
I promise not to distrust you like they do but we gonna talk about it
and when were done
I’m gonna feed you
cause I know that I can be satisfied by the same living bread
that satisfies you
So I’m gonna love you
Beause what I promise you
I promise you
not a little girl,
but I promise you
a Woman

Encouraging Womanhood

I remember being given the permission to date at a certain age. Even if not literal (I don’t remember being told), by the age of 15, 16, and 17 it was understood I have at some point begun dating, and as such there was a silent acceptance of this change. As I’m running errands and trying to escape the triple digit scorch that’s got it’s body spread all over Louisiana, I thought about womanhood. d8998d4994ed3993c8d8df56c8e9ebcf What is womanhood? The question hangs over the heads of our daughters with anxious anticipation. The youthful mind dividing itself into sections of experience: puberty, first date, first love, marriage, and children. We split ourselves into portions and gamble off pieces that do not fit. We grow old and still we find this question lingering against the frontal lobe of our minds, and occupying the mental space of our thoughts, “What is Womanhood?” It is a question we believe can be answered just by purchasing cigarettes, buying liquor, engaging in sexual intercourse or the entering of the club scene. As my thoughts spread out and I take these snap shots of my own past, I thought about this generation and how disappointed I am in a lot of today’s youth. Their minds seem to be so far gone from basic fundamental teachings that drive adulthood. My thoughts grew to include preparation and how little of it is present in many of our communities. That is the preparation of our young people and most especially, of our young women. Instead of encouraging our daughters to get boyfriends, it is time we start to prepare them for womanhood. In this way, when they begin to engage in relationships, when they do find a man, they’re not little girls. Because we have not prepared our daughters, a generation of children occupy grown-up bodies and little girls have over run our households and are producing babies they don’t have the tools to teach. What happened to the womanhood training our grandmothers instilled in our mothers fifty years ago?

I Promise You a Woman

7410050f-4437-45b4-a4bf-04deaef47624

I know what kind of girls you’re used to.
I know that
kindergarten fingers on small hands don’t know how to hold you
like I do see
she pushes buttons on your heart like that
cause she’s not hip to the fact that a man can lose focus too
but see she’s just a little girl
so she plays catch with your emotions
cause she feels that if she hits you hard enough
you’ll start coughing up tokens for her to play games with
see
I know that your body to these little girls is merely a myth
And every trip to your mouth is a quiz
enveloped in living water that she ain’t learned how to swim in yet
so she apologizes for getting lost in your kiss
and every vibration of your body simply doesn’t make sense to her
and every word of truth coming from your lips is like a puzzle
that she ain’t figured out yet
and she’s insecure because what she’s selling has failed
and its cause the way you love to her is reminiscent of fairy tales
see
they mistake my trust for you as some kind of façade
don’t know what a real man is so they think you are a God to me
mistaken the heavenly embrace of your arms for wings
cause I told ‘em I’m willing to fly away with you
and they mistakenly discern that you grant me wishes like the milky ways
and the stars
cause they see me praying for you
and your mind they can’t dissect
your ways are hidden from them like the life of tiny insects
so she dismisses you as too perfect and she ain’t ready for all that yet
you’re just too nice for her
yea, I know what kind of girls you’re used to
But what I promise you
Is a woman

I promise you support sweeter than any tea you could fathom
I promise you words of love and not temper tantrums
I promise to be strong so when it comes to bearing my burdens you don’t have to
Because I promise to help and not hinder you
I promise to cry tears on your shoulders so I can properly communicate with you
And I promise to bear soldiers and little soliderettes for you
You see I promise not to walk in your shoes
cause I’m woman enough to know that you’re the head of me
And like the neck I support you
Cause what I promise you
I promise you, not a little girl,
but what I promise you
is a woman.

Guest Feature – To My Momma

“Who thinks her money talks louder than her womanhood” ….whew, this line!

4767827976_6e0a086ed5_b

To my momma,
Who has swallowed the amerikan dream
And chocked on it
To my momma,
Whose dreams have fought each other—
And died.
Who sees,
But cannot bear to see.
A volcano eating its own lava.
To my momma, who couldn’t turn
Hell into paradise
And blamed herself.
Who has always seen
Reflected in her mirror
An ugly duckling.
To my momma,
Who makes no demands of anyone
Cause she don’t think she can afford to.
Who thinks her money talks
Louder than her womanhood.
To my butchfem momma,
Who has always
Taken care of business
Who has schemed so much
She sometimes schemes against herself.
To my sweet, shy momma.
Who is uneasy with people
Cause she don’t know how
to be phony
And is afraid to be real
Who has longed for sculptured gardens
Whose potted plant
Dies slowly on the window sill
We have all been infected
With sickness
That can be traced back
To the auction block

To My Momma by Assata Shakur

 

Let’s Talk Womanhood…3.31.15

What is Womanhood? The question hangs over the head of our daughters with anxious anticipation. The youthful mind dividing itself into sections of experience: first date, first love, marriage, and children. We split ourselves into portions and gamble off pieces that do not fit. We grow old and still we find this question lingering against the frontal lobe of our minds, and occupying the mental space of our thoughts. “What is Womanhood?” It is a question we believe can be answered inside the quite deception tugging away at the purchase of cigarettes, the buying of liquor, the entering of the club scene or the mixing of our flesh with another’s. What does it mean to truly become a woman?

It has never been so exciting to ponder these questions in a time such as now. In just two weeks, together we’ll get to experience the questions themselves, and like short poems that tease our taste buds with instant melody, how delicious is the involvement.

This is not just a collection of poetry, but of inspirational quotes, and raw experience. It is the story of her.

Her Love. Her Man. Her Children. Her Womanhood.

Yecheilyah-72dpi-1500x2000-e-book
Copyright ©2015.Yecheilyah

Available 3.31.15.
theliterarykorner.com

The World Has Enough Women

Tim Okamura (41)

“The world has enough women who know how to be smart. It needs women who are willing to be simple. The world has enough women who know how to be brilliant. It needs some who will be brave. The world has enough women who are popular. It needs more who are pure. We need women, and men, too, who would rather be morally right than socially correct.”

― Former U.S. Senate Chaplain Peter Marshall, 1940’s