Check Out My Latest & Greatest Blog 5-18-11

http://www.cocodandridge1908.blogspot.com/

Dear Readers...

Since July, I've Been Blogging. Giving The World A Chance To See & Hear Me. For Years, I've Been Locked Inside An Unknown Place. Locked Inside Of Low Self Esteem, Rejection, & Lost Identity. Tomorrow December 22nd, Is My Birthday. For My Birthday...I Wanted To Give Myself The Best Gift. This Blog Is My Gift To Myself. It's Everything How I Feel, Everything I Never Said, & Everything I Wanted To Create. It's Basically My Journey After Self Discovery. Be Inspired. I Hope You Enjoy My Art As Much As I Do.                                                                                                                         

I Am...Yours :)

                                                                                                                                               Coco                                                                                                         

Dorothy Dandridge

The First African American Actress To Become Nominated For An Academy Award For Her Art...

Dorothy Jean Dandridge 1922-1965

Imaginary Gardens With Real Toads In Them

A Girl Lost With Butterflies
Trying To Find Her Way Through A Mirror
Hiding So No One Can See Her Eyes
Still Trying To Get Them To Listen To Her

Wishing To Be In Different Places
Not Understanding Why God Placed Her Where She's Living
Surrounded By Unfamiliar Faces
Neglecting The Gifts She Was Given

She Wanted To Bloom But It Wasn't Her Season
Trying To Create Her Own Destiny
Adding Never Ending Scenes Without Reason
Covering Up With Material Things To Hide What She Sees

Taking Off Her Clothes To Fit Into His Dream
Neglecting Her Worth
He Gives Her Pain In Exchange For Self-Esteem
Years Of Growing Just To Remain In The Dirt

When She Needs To Get Away...She Escape To This Secret Place
It's A Place Where She Sleeps
Every Time She Wakes Up...Her World Shakes
She Gives Away Everything That She Was Suppose To Keep

She's A Colored Girl From New York, Atlanta, Detroit, & Chicago
Confusing Bling For Soul
Not Realizing That She Really Hurts Herself Every Time She Lets Herself Go
She Has Real Problems, Real Toads, & Paying For Her Life With Loans

Young Girl Listen To Me Clearly
Love The You That You See
Without All The Make Up & Hair Weave
Embrace The Skin Your In & Love Yourself Unconditionally

I Hope You Finally Open Your Eyes & See That The Things Of This World Will Never Set You Free...

Take Off Your Cool...

Corinne Bailey Rae - Like A Star

Law School

Photos By. ProELLEments Photography

Empire State Of Mind

Photos By. ProELLEments Photography 

Common - The Corner ft. The Last Poets

Control...

Photos By. ProELLEments Photography 

Janet Jackson - Control

I'm Living This Life...

Not A Lot Of People Can Say That They Know Who They Are...

Coming Up To Age 20...How Many Can Honestly Say That They Know Who They Are??

A Lot Of People Go Off To College, They Learn About All The Theories, They Study Psychology, & Learn How To Create A Ten Page Essay. But A Lot Of People Don't Know Who They Are.

They Take For Granted The Little Things Like Health, A Warm Bubble Bath, A Cup Of Tea After A Long Day, Family, & Pure Happiness.

Some People Are So Obsess With Material Things Instead Of Love...

Some People Treat Others According To What They Have Or Don't Have...

A Lot Of People Are Selfish & They Don't Care About The Poor. They Treat Them As If They Are A Disease. They Ignore Them, Laugh At Them, & Judge Them.

Sometimes I Wonder Why Single Parents Struggle So Hard?? Why People Kill Other People??? Why Kids Drop Out Of School??? Why??

But I Know I'm Not Suppose To Question God. So I Just Pray Hard. And I Write.

I'm Living This Life...I'm Finally At A Point Where I Feel Beautiful Without Makeup & A Hair Weave. People Ask Me Why I Colored My Hair...LOL....I Colored It Because It's Always Been Dark Brown & I Have To Look At It Everyday. I Need Some More Color In My Life.

A Lot Of People Don't Know...But I Love To Be Alone In My Room With My Headphones On. I Escape To A Different Place & I'm So Free. That's When I'm Inspired The Most To Blog & Cry. I Know I'm Weird To A Lot Of People. A Lot Of People Don't Take The Time Out To Listen To What I Have To Say But I Don't Take Myself For Granted. I Know Who I Am & What I Have.

I'm So Grateful...

For The People...

I Wrote This For You...

It's Been A Little While Since We Last Spoke
But I'm Pretty Sure You Knew How Much I Loved You
I Made It Clear At School In The Letters I Wrote To You
See...What I Loved Most About You Was That You Never Gave Me False Hope

You Sacrificed Your Whole Life For The People Of God
All I Knew As A Little Child Growing Up Was That You Were Superman
Watching You Preach The Gospel Sick Was Quite Odd

When I Left For School In The Fall...You Told Me That You Would See Me Soon
Who Knew That The Next Time I Would See You Would Be At Your Funeral??
I Admit That After Hearing The News On December 6th, That I Was Sick!!!
Out Of All The Dope Dealers, Liars, & Evil Crooks...You The One He Took.

For 20 Years, I Looked Up To You & I Wanted To Be WHOLE Just Like You
I Didn't Care About Your Past Mistakes, Bad Breaks, Nor Your History Record
Even When You Were Mad At Me You Still Made Me Feel Like I Was One Of Your Favorites
Can't You See That I'm Who I Am Today Because Of You??

You Gave Your Dollars To The Kids To Make Sure They Had Decent Shoes
You Didn't Give Money To The Homeless... Instead You Fed Them & Told Them Your Story Too
When It Came To Encouraging Us...I Watched You Hustle Like A Pimp Would Do
So You Being Sick Wasn't A Life Meant For You

Sometimes I Become So Angry & I Tell God That This Wasn't Fair
How Could You Take Away A Man Who Was Always There?? For Me & Everybody Else Who Needed Him.
You Leaving Hurt Us...But When I Think Of All Those Times You Didn't Feel Good Or Something Was Bothering You....You Didn't Complain. And I Become Upset With Myself Because Here I Am Tripping Off Of A Letter Grade.

This Month My Faith Was Tested
I Was Like...God What We Gon Do Now??
Our Father Is Gone & It's Not Fair
Then I Was Reminded This Week That God Never Said He Was Fair...He Said He Was Just.

Every Time I Become Weak & I Wanna Break Down & Cry
I Remind Myself That Your In Heaven With The King Himself
Yeah I'm Hurt...You Can See It In My Eyes
But Knowing That You Hear Me Keeps Me Alive

I Remember One Day You Told Me..."Girl You Fine!"
You Always Told Me How Pretty I Was So No Nigga Had To Tell Me
You Randomly Gave Me Knowledge To Help Me Better Understand
You Wasn't Into Hugging But You Always Hugged Me Anyway & Gave Me A Kiss On My Forehead

So I Wrote You This Because The Last Two Weeks I Been Holding On To It
My Birthday Is Next Week & I Don't Wanna Go Into Another Year Without Confirming This
I Loved You For 20 Years & Those Years I Will Never Forget

Right Now All I Can Do Is Cry Because I Feel So Much Closer To You
But In Honor Of You...I'm Not Going Backwards. I'm Moving Ahead
Things Are Now Made New Because Of You

So Rest Peacefully Knowing That God Is Taking Care Of Us
It Will Be One Sweet Day In Heaven When I See You Again
Until Then...I Will Be Doing What You Told Me To Do
I Love You...

Starbucks Blues

6:45 In The Morning

Foggy Skies & Sleepy Eyes

Yarning

Turning On Those Bright Lights

Take A Quick Look Out The Window

The City Before Daylight

I Don't Have To Work

Searching For Something To Do

Today I Don't Wanna Think About Nothing

I Just Wanna Do Something

I Wanna Chill In My Place

Don't Wanna See No Faces

I Just Wanna Enjoy My Space

Don't Wanna Talk On The Phone

I Rather Be Alone

But...

I Need A Fix

Something To Get Me Lifted

It's Been More Than Six

Days...

Now I'm Slippin'

I'm Wasting Time

Got Nothing On My Mind

I Just Want A Little Hit
Something Sweet
Carmel
Hot

I'm Putting On My Jeans

Throwing On My Boots

Like I'm Going Somewhere

Oh Look My Favorite Shirt
What Do You Know???

Now I'm Reaching For My Coat

Walking Out The Door

Walking Down The Hall To The Elevator

Ontario Street

I Look Up

Starbucks...

Janelle Monáe (feat. Big Boi) TightRope Official Video

We Pay For Real Cold Days...

When I Left The City, The People Told Me Not To Come Back Home. 
Neighbors Sniffing Coke & Kids Dropping Out Out For Dope.
It's Getting Dangerous & Money Is Running Low.


Little Girls Having Babies & Can Barely Read.

They Spend More On A Bomb Than They Can Spend On Books.

We Can't Stay Focus Because Of This Economy.


They Got Us Locked Inside This Land Called Foolish Pride.
Women Will Stand Up For A Man But Not For Her Rights.
The Children Are Starving & It's Hard For Them To Sleep At Night.


Can't You See The Hurt In Their Eyes. The Pain In All Of  Their Faces. My People Are Suffering Genocide. And Nobody Does Anything But Sit On The Side.  So Lord What Do You Want Me To Do?? I Don't Wanna Be Held Accountable. I Wanna See A Cure In Africa. I Want My People To Stop Killing My People. I Want My People Free...Free From Disease, Poverty, & Low Self Esteem. 
The Way We Live On Earth Makes Me So Terrified. The Way We Love On Earth Makes Me Wanna Cry At Night. The Way We Die Is Such A Tragedy. My Heart Bleeds For Lost Families. 


Sometimes I Feel Like I'm On This Earth Alone...Like I'm The Only One Who Cares About The Looks On Those Children's Faces. Like I'm The Only One Who Wants Love At Home. These People Out Here Are So Crazy. This World Is Not What It Used To Be...Flowing Of Milk & Honey Instead We Killing For The Love Of Money....

My EYE For Photography

My Key Earrings, My Hat, & My Soul

No Make Up On My Face, No Weave On My Head, No Fake Finger Nails, No Tattoos, No Material Things To Tell. 
My Skin Is Colored & My Soul Is A Rainbow. 
I'm Fruit Dipped In Sweet Dreams Herb Tea With Chamomile & Mint.
I'm All Natural. Caffeine Free.
Fighting This Constant Battle Between What Makes Me Comfortable & Business Clothes.
Dancing In White Snow As Bright As The Morning Sun.
I Walk In My Glow In A Place Where No One Has My Face.
I Laugh Because I've Wasted So Many Tears Crying Over The Girl Who I Was Afraid To Be.
I Don't Drive The Latest Ride, Neither Am I Made Out Of Gold.
But I'm All That To Me When I Got On My Key Earrings, My Hat, & My Soul.
They Say I'm Weird & Call Me Strange.
I Smile Because At The Same Time...I Pull You Into My Sick Abnormal Place.  
I Wish That Roads Of Words, Gold & Silver, & Riches Untold...Seduced Me. 
But That's The Difference Between Me & America.
America Now Runs On Blood & Tears. 
Coco Runs On Milk & Honey.
My Eyes Are Green.
Green Because I'm Whole. 


Questions For The Lost: 
What's The Color Of Your Soul??
Do You Judge Me Because Of My Clothes??
Do You Laugh At Me Because I Wear My Old House Keys On My Ear Everywhere I Go??
Do You Think I'm Too Far Left To Be Part Of Your Crew??
Does My Liberty, Free Speech Offend You??


I Told You That I Had Everything I Need.
All I Must Hold On To Is...Me.
What Can The Love Of Money, Obsession With Appearance, & New Shoes Do For Me That My Own Soul Can't Touch Or Reach??
If I Were A Moon...I Would Be Green.
Saving All My Energy From The Material Things.
If You Can't Look & Spiritually See That Those Things Don't Define Me.
Then You Will Never Fully Understand Me. 
I Got A Love In My Lungs, Hope In My Bones, & Acceptance In My Soul.


To The Lost Little Girls...Please Learn To Be Comfortable In Your Own Skin!!
For It's The Way I Love That Makes Me Beautiful Within.
I'm All That & So Much More.
You Keep All Your Silver & Gold.
I Got Wisdom.
I Got Knowledge.
I Got My Key Earrings, My Hat, & My Soul.

Who Could Ask For Anything More???

My Stuff

(Inspired By. For Colored Girls)

I Cried For Many Nights Because Of A Love Lost. Crying Because Someone Almost Got Away With My Stuff. The Stuff I've Been Working On For Years. Breaking The Silence, My Journey After Self-Discovery, & Facing Fears. When I Think Of My Past Darkness...Who I Used To Be. I'm Brought To Silent Tears Because I Come From A Long Line Of Moral & Value But Yet Here I Am Losing Sight Of My Precious Gifts. My Things. My Mind. My Stuff. The Stuff Women Before Me In Africa, New Orleans, New York, & Chicago Left So One Day I Could Rise To The Very Top. The Top Of All Low Self-Worth, The Top Of Years Of Black Hurt, The Top Of Loneliness, Laziness, Black Disease, & Emotional Illness. I Need To Go Back To That Day When Men Praised The Very Shoes That Women Placed Their Feet In, The Songs I Use To Sing, & The Value Of My Music That I Use To Dance To. It's All My Stuff. My Things. My Innocence, My Voice, My Religion, & My Choice. My Stuff.

Before I Was So Caught Up In What You Think About Me & What I'm Doing & Who I See. It Hurts Me To Say This...But Re-Evaluating The Men I Used To Date...I See That I Never Gave A Damn About Me. Dating Carelessly To Fill A Void. Drinking Away My Issues To Avoid Them Smacking Me In The Face. Smacking Me So Hard To The Point Where I Can Hardly Recognize My Place. Have You Ever Woke Up One Morning & Wondered How The Hell You Got There? Went To Sleep Tossing & Turning Because You Were Drenched In Cold Fears? Well, I Have. I Been Doing It For Years.
I Always Played The Victim In Every Sick Situation. He Devastated Me, She Rejected Me, & I Don't Get The Attention That I Want Here. That Was My Excuse To Everything For Years.

I'm Sorry...I'm Sorry That Those Things Happened To Me & I'm Sorry For Feeling That Way. I'm Sorry For Letting People Take My Joy, My Happiness, My Pride, MY STUFF. I'm Sorry For Allowing Things I Couldn't Change...Get In My Way.

I Never Spoke Sorry As Many Times As I Have This Month. Sorry Because Deep Down I Know I'm Wrong For Hurting People I Love, Throwing My Issues At Everyone & Not Accepting The Facts That I Created. Neglecting My Stuff. Call Me Crazy If You Please Because I have To Cry, Yell, & Scream...But This Woman Standing Here Can't Even Recognize Her Stuff. For A Second, I Forgot Who I Was. I Forgot I Was A Child Of The Most High God...A Precious Jewel Hand Made By God. My People Were Kings & Queens From A Motherland Not Too Far Away From Here. Singing, Dancing, & Throwing Praises In The Air Because They Had Freedom, Love, & Not One Single Care. Even When Happiness Was Stolen & Hope Was Less. When Everything Was Taking & My People Had Nothing Left...They Had Themselves. See, I Can Recite All My History To Make A Point Or Tell A Story Because My Stuff Means Everything To Me. So Starting Right Now, I'm Taking All My Sorry's & Placing A Price Tag On Them. I Have Enough Issues Greeting Me At My Front Door. I'm Selling Bitterness I Have Stored That My Ex Gave Me, Sadness From The Rejection & Painful Memories, Loneliness Because I Felt Like The World Owed Me, & All Of My Sorry's Because There Ain't No More Room In Here For That Stuff. Today I'm Taking Back My Stuff!!

Day Keeper...

"When The Sun Rises...He Watches Over Me." -Foreign Exchange

Passion & Other Drugs

In Today's Society, College Students Are Encouraged, Determined, & Some Are Forced To Graduate From College. There's Nothing Wrong With That. I Stand Firm For Education. Students Are Also Encouraged To Plan Out Their Life Right After College. Some Meet Their Husbands/Wives In College & Build Their Lives Together Soon After Graduation. But The Question That Constantly Plays In My Mind Over & Over Is Why?? Why Is Society Set Up This Way?? Why Do My Family Expect Me To Be Finished With School Before I'm 25?? Why Am I Suppose To Be Already Stabled In My Career By A Certain Age??

I Used To Have A Passion For Modeling. I Wanted My Own Modeling Agency & Models Under My Name. I Went To The Auditions & Agencies With My Mother. Modeling Was My Heart. Then I Fell In Love With The Law & The United States Constitution. It's Just Something That Moves Me About Human Rights, The Criminal Justice System, & The Bill Of Rights To The People. Becoming A Lawyer Was Like Becoming A Woman To Me. For Years I've Been So Caught Up On Letter Grades & Impressing My Teachers. Also, Keeping My Family Happy By Maintaining Honor Roll Grades. That Was A Lot Of Pressure Because As A College Student, We Are Sent To School To One Day Receive A Job, Become Markable, & Make Money. Those Are The Tangible Things That We Go After, But What About Education, Gaining Experience, & Focusing On The Individual?? Those Little Things We Forget About & Often Take For Granted. Well, I've Decided Not To Take Those Little Things For Granted Anymore.

I Have An Eye For Photography, A Passion For Improving My Community, & A Mind For Poetry. Those Little Things Make Me Happy. Those Things Might Not Bring A Lot Of Money But They Do Bring Lots Of Joy To My Life. I Love The Fact That I Can Express Myself Through Poetry, Picture, & Clothing. It's The Art Of The World That Makes The World Go Around. Sometimes I Find Myself Getting Caught Up In That '9 To 5' Attitude & Sitting Behind A Desk All Day Doing Something I Like But Not Something I'm Passionate About.

I Thought I Had To Graduate From College, Head Straight To Law Or Grad School, & Get Married. In That Order. But, Now I Have A Changed Mind. I Have The Confidence Even When I Don't Have The Confidence To Know That I Will Be Successful In Any & Everything I Do. Even If I Take A Year Off After School To Travel The World, Taste All The Food, Take Pictures Of The World, & Go To Israel & Pray All Day, I Will Be Successful. I Often Battle Daily About My Future & Where I'm Going In My Life. That's Human. But At Least I Know Now What Passion Is & What It Means To Me. I Prayed For This Moment To Come But I Still Have A Long Way To Go.

So Where I Might Be Five Years From Now...Who Knows??? But I Know It Will Be Something I'm Passionate About.

Kanye West (Runaway)

The Miseducation...

Why Would You Wanna Gain The Whole World For The Price Of Your Soul???

Instead Of Attending Class...You Chase Money & Hoes. Your Education Is Now Second Guessing. 21 With No Sense Of Purpose Or Direction. Did You Forget King's Speech On Equal Communications & Now We Losing Focus Like People At Casinos In Vegas. We All Got Our Own Situations But Our Voice Is No Longer Valued In The System. Politics Talking Slick About Tax Cuts For The Rich But My People In New Orleans Still Sleeping On Dirty Streets In Tents. We Got Black On Black Crime & The White Man Just Sits & Laugh On The Side. I Promised I Wouldn't Say Nothing Else About This But These Social Problems Still Exist. I'm Trying To Save Africa From Hunger, Thirst, & Aids...When My People Walking Around America Acting Like Slaves. The Miseducation Of America In Vain. We Forgot The Ten Commandments & Promises We Made. It's A New Day...Killing, Starving, & Being At The Bottom Should Retire In History Today.

Universal Law, Lets Throw It Out There. In Today's World, We Wanna Make It Far. Success Has Become Big Name Brand Business Suits, Offices With City View, Fancy Cars, & Expensive Shoes. But The Passions Gone & The Value Of Our Songs. Instead Of Being Teachers, We Now Wanna Be Actors. Putting On A Different Role Just To Make Six Figures...And Then Miserable & Crying Yourself To Sleep Back At Home. I Got A Problem When The People Of This World Sell Their Soul For This World & The Fame, Glory, & Gold. When Hip Hop Is Lost. HBCU's Used To Be So Valued. Now They Low Funded State Schools, Known To Some As Community College. This Is A Problem & I Promised That I'll Be Quiet But Theres One More Thing That I Got A Problem With...If The Liquor Stores Can Flourish, Then Why Can't The Poor Flourish?? The Rich Getting Richer. I Blame It On The Government. We Need More Reforms For The Poor & More Voices..

We About To Retire This Sickness In History. Let's Throw Away This Past, Make A Change, & Make History!!

My Summer Experience In Chicago 2010

My Acceptance Speech

How Could You Look At Me & Say That I'm Going The Wrong Way???
When It's The Soul That Lives Within & The Physical Change You See Each Year. What I Wanna Say Is...No Longer Can I Be Defined By Suits, Letter Grades, Nor Spotlights. I Want You To Look At Me & See For Yourself...But If You Don't...I'm Still Going On.
For Years I Tried To Please All My Friends In High-School & Elementary. Going To Church Three Times A Week, Struggling With Low Self-Esteem. Even Tried To Tell Them But No-One Could See. That Was A Long Road To Travel & A Lonely Time In My Life. Walking Around Not Knowing Who I Was & Covering It Up With Fancy Clothes & Make Up. Trying To Please Everyone. But Thats How I Got Messed Up.
I Took The Weave Out My Hair, Threw Away My Sad Days Because You Didn't Care. Determined To Make It To Corporate America One Day, But If I Don't...I Won't Feel Like My Life Was A Waste. I Wanna Feed My People With Knowledge & Give Them Hope. I Wanna Bless My People...Replacing Their Happiness With Joy. I Don't Blame My Mother For Making Focus So Much On My Clothes & I Don't Blame My Father For Leaving Home. I Know I Got A Long Road To Travel & Dozens Of People To Meet Along The Way. But I Know Now That I Will Make It Because Now I Know Who I Am.
I Can't Believe That Lost Girl Used To Be Me. Killing Myself Because I Was Afraid People Wouldn't Accept Me. I Just Want You To Take A Closer Look At Me & See For Yourself...But If You Don't...I'm Still Going On...Peace!

Flashing Lights Version Two

Dying, Hungry, & Thirsty

I Get So Caught Up Everyday...Trying To Keep It All Together. I Never Want To Make The Same Mistakes & I Don't Want This Pain To Last Forever. I Turn On The News Everyday & All Of The Violence Is In My Face. Feels Like My City Is Passing Away. When Will It Get Better???

I Don't Wanna Hear About No More People Dying. I'm Tired Of The Mothers Crying, The News Reports, & Innocent Dying. When Are We Gonna Come Together & Stand Up For Right??? We Have To Fight...Fight For Our Lives.

There Are So Many Children In My Community Starving. Parents Are Barely Making It & The Economy Is Getting Weak. The Children In Africa Cry Themselves To Sleep. How Can We Sit Here & Not Do Anything??? My Heart Is Hurting So Much For The Children...I Wish I Could Take It Away. But I Have To Know That Things Will Get Better...One Day.

I'm Tired Of My Children Crying Themselves To Sleep Because Their Not Happy & Have No Food To Eat. Lord Please Don't Let Your Children Die This Way. It's Gonna Get Better. One Day.

My People Searching In The Darkness For A Piece Of Them. Getting Caught Up In Wrong & Looking In The Wrong Places For Someone To Love Them. Humans Are Thirsty For Love & Killing Themselves With Lust & Finding Comfort In Drugs. If Only They Knew That Those Voids Would Be Fulfilled If They Wrapped Themselves Up In You.............

"I Take Pictures" By. Amaya Jenkins

Have You Ever Felt So Strong...That It Made You Feel Weak???

It's A Sign

There Was A Time Over The Summer When I Knew A Lot Of Happiness...So Happy...That Everything Made Sense. Woke Up To The City & Went To Sleep At The Beach. Life Was So Sweet & When I Woke...I Woke Up To Candy & Chocolate Ice Cream. But There Come Sleepless Nights & Sounds Of Thunder. Your In A Box Where No-One Can See, Touch, Or Hear You. What Is This Called??? When Your Insight Is No-Longer In Sight & You Start To Lose Insight To What's Important To You. I Found Myself Entertaining The Idea Of Settling For A Regular Job & Doing Mediocre Work. Those Dreams That You Once Dreamed About As A Child (Chocolate Ice Cream) Are Now Sour. I Been In That Situation When I Didn't Push Coco To Work Harder, Get Up Early, & Make A Difference. That Was The Most Dangerous Place That My Mind Decided To Rest In. Lost & Not Understanding The Seasons Of My Life.

One Morning...It Hit Me As Clear As Day. On The Phone Talking To A Role Model Figure Name, Sherhara. 

Finally I Understand It.
God Asked Me..."What Are You Doing With The Gifts I Gave You???"

Let's Just Say...I'm Busy Now.

I Encourage All, Go Back To That Place Where You Once Had Dreams & Visions. No-Longer Letting Situations & Reality Distract Or Stress Your Propose. Our Parents Gave Us Life & Regardless To What They Did Or Didn't Do In Our Life...It's Up To Us To Make Something Of It. Times A Wasting. In Order To Get To A Certain Place In Your Life, You Have To Do Things You Never Done. If That Dream Requires Less Hours Of Sleep, A Little More Money, Or Patience...JUST DO IT!!

What's Your Conversation???

What's Your Conversation??

What's On Your Mind??

Why Is It That When I Speak...Your Loud Uproar Turns Shy?? 

Maybe When You First Met Me...You Saw A Pretty Girl In A Yellow Dress, Pretty Brown Eyes, & Dark Brown Hair...5'5

See That's The Physical That You Wanted To See.

But Seriously...It Takes More Than Two Eyes To See Me. Use Your Ears When I Speak.

I'm Talking Music, Poetry, & Black History.

I'm Speaking Life & Singing About The Life That Jehovah Gave Me.

For Too Long My People Were Down, Blind, & Anti-Free.

Walking Around The Community Blaming The White Man, Dancing In Fears, & Keeping Those Dirty Slave Chains On Their Family.

Little Girl In The Tight Jeans Who Refuse To Let A Man Treat Her With Respect & Praise The Ground She Walks On Because She Fears He Might Leave.

To That Man Who Thinks That He Has To Get Drunk, Beat On His Wife When He Comes Home To Make Himself Feel Tough...

What's Your Conversation???

What's On Your Mind???

How Long Are You Gonna Let Society & The Stereotype Speak For You??

You Should Be Bettering Yourself, Expanding Your Wealth, & Checking Your Inside Because Lying To Your Self Daily & Hiding From The Tendency That Keeps You Free Is Sin In Itself.

Free Your Mind & The Rest Will Follow. 

Living For Today & Planing For Your Tomorrows. 

Waking Up Because It's Your Life That No-One Can Borrow.

How Much Time Can You Waste On Trying To Fit In?

Getting The New Jordans?

And The Killing?

What Else Is There To You Other Than Your Name?

What Do You As An Individual Stand For?

Because When You Ask Me For My Number Young Man...All I See Is A Blur...

Confused By My Looks & Your Wishing To Be So In-Tune. 

Why Are You Here & Other Than Your Face, Money, & Tattoos...What's To You??

What's Your Conversation?

What's On Your Mind?

Speak Up My People Because I'm Sick Of Us Standing At The Back Of The Line...Peace!!

Aspirations

When You Wake Up...Do You Even Possibly Think Of Who You Are Or What You Could Become??? Do You Understand The Endless Possibilities & Do You Even Try To Find Your Dreams? Just Take A Look At The Campus Scene...Today's Students Are Following Behind Stupid. As I Walk Through The Hallways...I See Students With Their Heads Down On The Desk, Texting, Or Listening To Their Headphones. The Teacher Ain't Really Into Teaching...Just Sign Up For Another On-Line Course. Tuition Ain't Free & A Scholarship...Just A Little Hope Of What We Can Become Here. The Generation Gets Lazier & Younger Every Year. What Do You Aspire To Be??? Because All I See Is 'Trying To Fit In'.......In A Crowd That Don't Give A Damn About What You Could Be. Dreams Of Making It Big In Corporate America Or Going To Africa To Provide Clean Drinking Water. Whatever Your Case May Be. The Important Thing Is That You See...Not Only Within Your Eyes But Your Mind. Understand How It's YOUR Drive That Drives ME. Don't Just Settle For A City Job That You Can't Stand To Wake Up To See. Don't Just Register For A Class Because It's Free. My People Are Wasting So Much Time On Wasted Time. 911 It's An Emergency... Re-Connect The Community. We Gotta Come Together & Fight For Life...Cast Down Our Sins & Do Whats Right. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Marched For What Was Right. As Blows Were Thrown & Shots Were Taking...The Dream Lived On. So No Matter What The Situation May Be...We Can't Stop Until We Aspired Everything We Aspired To Be...Peace!

For The Ladies...

LADIES...Look At Yourself In The Mirror & Admire Your Beauty. From Your Permed Or Natural Hair To Your Toes. Understand Your Worth Because It Never Gets Old & Embrace Your Soul. I Can Feel This For Sure. If Your Young Or Old, Rich Or Poor...Your Beautiful. You No-Longer Have To Search In The Darkness For A Piece Of You. Our Happiness Is Not In Money, Men, Or Fancy Things. There Is Only One Road To Being Free. You Have To Feel This Desire In Order To Be Here. Horseback Riding Free Or Locked Up In The Penitentiary...God Made You Beautiful & Happy As Can Be. No More Low Self-Esteem, Feeling Sorry For Your  Situations, & Being Scared. The Only Person That You Need Is Already There. We Move Mountains When We Walk. We Shake Souls When We Speak...Because We Speak Of Life, Love, & Individuality. God Made Us Light Of The World. I Can Feel This For Sure. Even If Love Doesn't Work Out & Your Mind Is Not At Ease...It's Never To Late To Go Back & Get Your Stuff. Everything That A Man Took From You & That You Carelessly Gave Away...It's Not Too Late To Do An Exchange & Return Those Sour, Too Short, & Too Tight Things. Ladies...Know Who You Are & Who's You Are. We Are Not Perfect But We Love Our Flaws & All. We Know How To Grow With Time. We Educate, Motivate, We Give Men Reason To Love & Seek God. But If Our Love Is Taken For Granted...Then We Must Quickly Say Our Goodbyes. But Every Female Can Be A Woman...But Every Woman Can't Be A Lady. This Is For The Ladies Who Don't Let Society Define Them & Who Believe In Morals & Values. For Us, A Man Should Pull Out A Chair, Open & Close The Door & Do Sooo Much More. With Every Lesson Learned...We Grow Ten Feet High. We Are Fly...Ladies...Take Out Time To Value Your  Worth & Promise Yourself To Keep God First. Protect Your Heart Because Your Heart Is One Of Your Precious Gifts. Love Yourself & Keep Your Head High...This Is A Quick Reminder. For The Ladies!!

Kill The Silent Black Genocide

Children Are Dropping Out Of School & Joining Gangs. Their So Young...They Don't Even  Know Who They Are & They Barely Know Their Name. 
Parents Are Giving Up On The Idea Of Parenting. Children Having Children & Trying To Raise Them The Best Way. Problem Is...They Was Never Taught The Way. This Is A Generational Curse & We As The People...Have To Break It.
The School System Is Close & The Prisons Are Open. Children Picking Up Guns Before Books & HOPE Is Blowing...Blowing In The Wind. 
Take A Look At Whats Currently In. The Media, Music, & Magazines Supporting Drugs, Violence, & Low Self Esteem. This Is The New Trend. Where Role Models Used To Be Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, & Malcolm X. Now Children Look Up To & Aim To Be Those High School Drop Outs & Rapers. Pay Attention...The Heroes Are Now On TV.
I Believe This Is Genocide. Theres Destruction In Our Own Race. There Are Liquor Stores On Every Corner In The Black Community & By The Children's Playground. 
Black Men Selling Drugs To Other Black Men. Your Killing Your Own Race Because You Too Busy Tryna Win. 
Please Lord Don't Let My Children Fall Victim To This Human Nature. Just Because This Is How It Is...Don't Mean This Is How It's Suppose To Be. 
I Don't Wanna Wonder Where This Broken Road Is Gonna Take Us. I'm Ready To Find A Way. 
We Can't Turn Our Backs On What The Children Lack. The Community Is Crying Out For Mentors Because The Streets Are Whack. 
Over The Last Past Decade, The Whack Streets Raised Our Children. 
What Happened To Family Dinners??? And Going To College??? 
The Lost & Hopeless Quickly Rejects Their Intelligent Minds & Turns To Crime.  
Is This Really How Life Is Suppose To Be? 
I Thank God That It's The Land Of The Free But Do I Really Have To Be Afraid To Walk Down 63rd Street??? 
The People Will Never Be Quiet...Someone Is Gonna Listen To Us. 
You Say That It's Not Your Problem Or Fault That A Young Girl Is Lost & Trying To Find Herself In Sex & Drugs...Well You Need To Wake Up & Look Again.  
These Children Are Crying For Mentors & For Someone To Care. 
Little Girls Thinking It's Cute To Be Pregnant At 16 Because Her Father Or Uncle Was The First To Show Her About The Birds & The Bees. Killing Innocent People Is The New Thing.  
It's Time Out For Judging & Time To Be There...To Be There For Our Sisters & Brothers Instead Of Killing Our Sisters & Brothers.
Why Are We Killing The Police When They're The Ones Trying To SAVE OUR COMMUNITY.  
We Have So Much Black On Black Crime That The White Man Can Take One Look & Say That Now We Are Living In That MIND-State Of Those Great Great Great Slave Owners From Back In The Day. Today We Practice Hate Just Like The Field & House Slave. 
The New Black Is A Black Suit & A Grave. 
And The Sad Part Is...The Children Think That THIS Is The Way. 
The Way It's Suppose To Be.
Today I've Decided To Make A Change. 
Mentoring, Preaching God's Word, & Praying. Changing My Attitude & Reaching Out My Hand. 
This Ain't High School...This Is The REAL World That We Live In. 
We Can't Depend On Barack Obama To Change The World Overnight. 
We Must All Come Together & FIGHT. 
Fight Genocide, Fight Crime, & Change So That WE Can Change Lives. 
In Order To Save Our World, We Must First Save Our Country, In Order To Save Our Country, We Must First Save Our State. In Order To Save Our State, We Must First Save Our City. In Order To Save Our City, We Must First Save Our Community. In Order To Save Our Community...We Must First Change Ourselves... 

Priceless

It's Thursday Night...I Just Got Off Work.I Have A Few Things On My Mind...

Selling Bras & Panties Ain't No Joke. They Got Me Working Working  Day & Night. I Gotta Eat. I Need Something To Wear & Somewhere To Sleep. I Love My City...But It's Starting To Become So Pricey. Hey I Like To Eat Sushi In The Middle Of The Week. I Like Starbucks Coffee Near Wacker Bridge. Yeah I Like To Shop On Michigan Ave. I'm A Lady & A Lady Has Needs. I'm Classy. I Like Fancy. Thats Probably All You See When You Look At Me...

Take A Look Closer. See I Got That Deep Pro Black Malcolm X Flowing Through My Insides...To The Point Where You Might Think I'm Insane. Yeah I Think I Lost My Mind...When I Killed Myself So I Could Measure In Your Lane. But If You Look Pass The Long Pretty Hair & High Heel Shoe...You Will See That I Am NOT The Same. Everything From My Music, Style, & Friends Have Changed. I Remember When I Wanted To Be So Beyonce & Tyra Banks. I Wanted The Straight Hair...Green Eyes...I Wanted That Image That Society Had Played For The Last Past Two Decades. Keep Your Mouth Closed. Don't Say How You Really Feel Type Of Speech. I Killed Myself Not Physically...But Spiritually. Someone Told Me To Digggggggg Deep Within Myself Until I Found The Real Me. Years Of Suffering & Low Self-Esteem. That Was Once Me. Now I Have Something New To Sing...After I Discovered Me...I Wanted To Be So Pro Black That You Saw Africa When You Saw Me. Honey Molasses, Chocolate Brown Sugar, & All Those Sweet Things. I Come From A Place Where Miles Davis, John Coltrane, & Dizzy Gillespie Sang Not With Their Mouth...But Through Their Soul. How Could I Be Ashame Of What I Was Never Told??? Where Mothers Have To Walk At 5am...6 Miles On Their Soles To Get A Clean Bucket Of h20. Where My Great Great Great Grand Father Sung Songs About Freedom & Liberty To All. I Come From A Place Where The Hair Is Natural & Black Presidents Are No Longer Unknown. Where The People Have The Same Soul That Came From Backgrounds Of Slavery, Poverty, & At The Same Time...Infinite Possibilities. I'm At That Place Now Where I Don't Care What Any Human Being Thinks About Me. I Don't Have To Be Rich To Be Wealthy. I Wasn't Born In Africa...Africa Lives Inside Of Me. Now That I Found Me...I Have Everything I Need. And I Have That Thing In Me That Makes YOU What To Get To Know Me. You Can Look Through My Brown Eyes & See My Soul...Sweet As Your Grandmother's Sweet Potato Pie. I Don't Need A Man, A Car, Or Vintage Apartments To Tell Me That I'm Fly. All I Need Is My Afro, A Guitar, & My Smile. Watch & See Me Go Far.  These Fancy Things Are Material Things. Yeah I Like Money, Watches, & Rings...But At The End Of The Day...All I Need Is The Freedom That GOD Gave To Me. I'm Priceless.......

Her Chicago Soul

Chicago...Born & Raised...On The South Side Is Where She Spent Most Of Her Days. 
You Know The South Side...Home Of The White Sox, Home Of The Hoagy, & Home For Barack Obama. 
Remembering Her Old Days...Hanging Out At The Beverly Parks, Eating Harolds Chicken, & Riding The Metra Train Back In Forth For Only $1.65. 
Some Compare To New York In So Many Ways...The Lofts, Penthouse Suites, Projects, & Dirty Streets. 
Right After You Get Off That Red Line Train, Theres A Homeless Man Standing There Asking You For A Piece Of Change. 
On Wabash Ave. Right Under The Bridge, Theres A Sign That Reads "Do Not Feed Pigeons." 
She's Not Talking About The Negativity Of Violence In Her City But She Is Breaking Down What Made Her Fall In Love With Windy. She Saw Something In Her In 2010 That She Couldn't Resist. Maybe It Was Experiencing Chicago's Deep Dish For The 55th Time At Lou Malanatis Pizza On Wells Street. 
The Summer Time Chi On Rush Street During The Heat Of The Night. 
She Fell In Love With Ohio Street Beach & Navy Pier On Wednesday Nights. Chicago Style Hot Dogs, Jew Town, & Grand Lux Cafe. Right. 
Those Are The Things That Drove Her Closer To The Windy City. 
But Really & In Reality...Chicago Is Her Destiny. 
Every Soul Here Has The Freedom Of Individuality & Freedom Of Speech. 
Where You Can Dance Like You & I Can Dress Like Me. 
See This Is Where Al Capone & Black Stone Came Along. 
Where The Red Line Meets Your Blue Line & That Brown Line Takes You To The North Side. 
Thursday Nights Are Spent Somewhere In Her Loft Downtown...Admiring The Skyline, Lake-Front, & Quiet Time Along With Some Miles Davis, Common, &  Jill Scott. 
Getting Fresh With Some Garrets Popcorn That She Only Waited 45 Minutes In Line To Get. Everyday She's Working Day & Night On The Avenue. 
Putting Up Fights With Old Drunks & Homeless Guys. 
So Many Options Of Food..."I Think Tonight Will Be A Jamaican Night & Tomorrow Japanese." Not Only Did She Fall In Love With Windy But Windy Fell In Love With Me. That's Why It's So Hard To Leave. 
The Wacker Bridges, The Chicago River, & Plenty Boats To Start A Trend. 
This Is The Real City Of Sin. The City That Never Sleeps...You Better Slip You Ambien. 
Yellow Cabs, Gypsy Cabs, Dollar Cabs, & CTA...Get You Where You Need To Go & We Have More Beaches Than L.A. 
Where Oprah, Kanye, & Michael Jordan Are Our Heros. What Other Woman Do You Know Who Can Shut Down Michigan Ave. & Host A Show There? 
Chicago Is Tried & True After The Great Fire & Harsh Winters Of Below 22. Nothing Can Slow Her Down...Not Hail, Sleet, Snow, Or Rain. 
Strength Is What She Gained. 
So Sing That Jazz & Blues..."Chicago, Chicago Is My Kinda Town." 
The Home Of The Get Down, Whiskey Bar On Rush Street, Rock & Roll McDonalds On Clark Street, & China Town. 
Hold Your Breath When Your On Top Of The Sears Tower. 
Black Scarf, Black Gloves, Black Boots, Black Hat...In The Winter Time. Everybody Shares Your Swag. 
Starbucks On Every Corner & Potbelly Sandwiches. 
Horses On The Streets & Silver Men Dancing. 
Cameras, Fancy Cars, Decked Out Apartments, Museums, High Rises, Rudeness, Accents, & Rats. Chicago Is All That. 
Kinda Like A New Kind Of Black, A Little Pro-Black But Diverse As Well. In The Summertime...It's Hot As Hell. 
Winter Time You Freeze & Turn Pale. 
This Is Where Her Soul Lives & Expands. 
This Is Where The Little Things Go Grand. 
Hyde Park, Bronesville, & Lincoln Park. 
She Is So Chi-Town From Her Walk To Her Dress Style.
So Even If She Shall Go Away...Chi-Town Will Not Because She Lives Inside Of Her & She Promised To Never Let Her Change. 
Everything She Learned & Was Ashamed Was Taught In Her Early Chi-Town Days. She Brought Her This Far & Developed A Love So Deep That Even The Love Of A Man Could Not Reach. 
She Could Never Forget Where She Came From. 10360 S. Walden Parkway Street. Sweet Home Chicago. These Are The Stories Told By Stony & Cottage Grove. Where The Money Move & The Determine Live. This Is Home... 

WAKE UPPPPPP PEOPLE!!!

I Can't Believe That We're Still In Bed. In This Crazy, Polluted, Dangerous, Materialistic, & Lost World...We're Still In Bed.

Here We Are Waking Up Every Morning To Black Genocides, Wars, Poverty, Sickness, & Slavery. But We're Still In Bed.

Poverty & Wealth, Racial & Ethnic Inequalities, Gender Inequality, Aging Inequality, Crime, Violence, & Criminal Justice, Sexuality, Alcohol & Other Drugs, Physical & Mental Health, Economy & Politics, Work, Family Life, Education, Urban Life, Population & Global Inequality, Technology & The Environment, War & Terrorism.

But We're Still In Bed. 

Once Upon A Time...There Was A Young Lady Named Courtnie Brionne Keith aka Coco, From Chicago, Who Slept For 18 Years Of Her Life. No-One Knew Who She Was. No One Knew She Had A Voice. No One Knew She Was Into Art. No One Knew She Was Lost. No One Knew She Was Smart. No One Knew She Wanted To Take Pictures. No One Knew She Liked  Black Communications. No One Knew She Was Serious About Practicing The Law. No One Knew Because She Wanted To Be Like Everybody Else & Do What Everybody Else Was Doing. She Didn't Know Her Self. She Was In Bed!!

The Story Gets Better...Thanks To God, A Few Family Members, & Awesome Friends, She Was Able To Open Her Eyes. But Because Of Her Decision...She Was Able To Wake Up & Stay Up!!