They take the stars and asteroids out the universe
and serve them for lunch.
They put up their hands to fly to where they need to be
Then eject ten arms out their sides to surround their
family.
Yup! That’s mom!
Superbeing. That is her.
Master of the whole entire
world.
________________________________________________
Happy Mother's Day to you and to all the mothers; especially mine.
Poetry is my first
love. I’ve loved it for my whole life. My writing started with poetry and it is
one of the things that make me come alive. If you dug this poem, check out my book of
poems:
We always did
our Christmas family reunion in high fashion. It is like walking into the Academy
Awards in your best dress. Some have the most beautiful of red dresses draped
over their bodies. The men all wearing suits or their cute ugly sweaters. Santa
Claus always finds his way here in his big red suit and bag filled with
promises and toys to place under the huge pine tree that greets you when you
walk in. The walkway is sometimes a carpet of fresh, white snow, and it is usually
the most extravagant of parade ways. The hype is so high, it is a celebration
from the moment of entry.
I haven’t seen some of the
faces of my family members since last year at
this time. We converge with a kiss
on the cheek and the request to remove your shoes and to walk with just your
socks on your feet over the wooden floors. I think it is fun because when you get
into the danceable moments sponsored by my curated Spotify playlists, you can
sing along to the Christmas carols, dip, and slide across the floors with a
smile bigger than Carlton’s on the Fresh Prince of Bel Air.
I mask my winter blues like I
always do when I see them. It is like a glow of stardust washes my troubles
away and brings me sparks of joy. Seeing my family member’s eyes bring a glow
over the verge of tears that I’d been facing. The year can sometimes push me to the brink of
despair but for this family gathering, I feel like a poem of bubbling brooks
and flowers blooming.
And as they walk in the door,
the aroma of something savory is wafting from the kitchen. Every burner and
rack in the oven is occupied with a food item on its way to being ready to eat.
The counters filled with spices, desserts being decorated, and foods still being
prepped for cooking.
We cook like this is the last
supper with more food than you would probably eat in the 525,600 minutes that measure
the year. There is so much deliciousness spread out over the table that your
stomach gets filled just by looking at it. My mother put her foot into each and
every bit of the meal that is about to be shared. The turkey timer has popped
and now I can add my corn souffle into the oven so that it can be ready for the
dinner we are about to serve.
I added my two senses into cooking
as well and turn my kitchen into a canvas and the ingredients that get added
are like my paint. Art is on my mind and the ideas I sketch with the charcoal
pencils of my fingertips. The food we eat, a picture-perfect masterpiece like
those in MOMA, and all who are exposed to it are getting a piece of my heart.
The dinner call is sounded,
like a chapel bell of a 16th-century church and the whole family approaches the
table. We gather and we pray over the meal:
“Father God, thank you for the
day that you made and for the food that we eat and for the hands that prepared it
and for the family that gathered, for those who wanted to come but didn’t find
the opportunity, and for those who have become ancestors and rest in your
peaceful arms. That you might continue to bless us and to keep us and to protect
us with your grace and with your love. You are mighty and everlasting and we
love you and bless you. In the name of Jesus. Amen.”
It is cute to hear the little
ones who can barely talk say, “Bonne Appetit,” but we all do it in our little
celebration. Actually, I make sure to make them say it so that they can have
knowledge of some of the words from our Haitian culture. Those words are part
of it. Some of the foods and drinks found on the table are as well like the Kremas
which is like eggnog with rum in it or the Griot which is pork chunks that are
one of the many meat items on the table and diri a djondjon which is black rice
with dried mushrooms.
It is more than just the
eating that is involved. The stories we share of tradition and exoticism always
pique my interest. When you think about all the experiences you face in a year’s
time, it is no secret that there is so much to talk about if the right person
to talk to sits at your gate. We sip some of the best Apple Cider you can find
and chat. Maybe a sibling or cousin is the family that becomes your listening
board, or maybe it is a friend who is like family, who intently listens to the ranting
of it all without judgment or interruption. This is what makes the conversations
interesting. There is always something new being told, something different
being shared that you have yet to hear and that you are newly learning for the
first time. The laughter is like a weight being lifted off because it surely
makes you feel better.
We eat and chat and then we play
our annual Taboo game. It is always such a fun experience trying to get our
team to guess the words that we are attempting to animate so that we can win
the game. I think I laugh the most during these times because it is so much fun
just getting lost in these moments that never seem to get old. While we play, everyone is experimenting with all
the different desserts that are on the table; cakes, cookies, pies, ice cream,
jello, and candy. These are the yummy moments that are passed until we start to
distribute all the different gifts that are under the tree.
Everyone in the place is
unwrapping gifts in excitement over what someone thought was a good gift for
them. I’ll never forget the time when my next-door neighbor put a Michael
Jackson jacket in a box for me and gave it to me. I wonder if that was one of
the reasons that I became a performing artist. That was one of my favorites. The
other most memorable was an album of Miles Davis recordings, and I love Miles
Davis. What a beautiful gift to receive from a kid at that. Seems like Auntie’s
baby knows me better than I thought; made me so happy.
The night ends with everyone
packing a big foil tray filled with food to take home. Everyone scatters out
the door back onto the carpet full of snow and make their exit back to their
regularly scheduled programs. It is sad to see them all go and even sadder to
know of all the cleaning that needs to be done to bring the art of Christmas
back to a blank canvas.
I think sometimes I count five
hours of washing dishes, cleaning pots, and putting glasses and other things
back into the china for safe keeping until next year, same time, same
celebration. But to think of the reason for continuing on in this tradition for
as long as we have, a smile is ignited.
We continue on. The numbers
might decrease due to heaven calling some to its gates but it is always a
welcome celebration that will always make Christmas one of my favorite times of
the year.
And now that the year is
coming to a close, I am thankful for all these traditions and for all the good
times and bad times, and for being blessed to see this moment of time. I find
peace in it knowing that I made it through. God has been so good and it is not
a secret. May your 2023 be the most
lovely, prosperous, and powerful year that you have ever seen. I offer to you "Peace on Earth: https://youtu.be/ctlbmq9Rit8
Good tidings to
you and yours and hope to see you in the new year.
As the quiet hush of evening
came on June 20th, it was safe to say that summer had arrived.
Let’s set the agenda for some
cool things to do in the sun. If the essence of your work requires you to be
indoors, take a break and enjoy the vitamin D outdoors because it is good for
the heart. Don’t allow the only thing to raise your interest level be the
commercials for upcoming episodes of “Kendra on Top.” Find places to escape
where you can enjoy life and appreciate the new season that God has blessed us
with and try your best to stay positive and keep your hopes as high as the
rising sun.
Perhaps the summertime is a
great time to break out of your comfort zone and try something you never have; like an outdoor yoga class or taking photographs of beautiful scenery in a
place that is foreign to you where you have never been. If you were in a
doubtful place during the winter and experienced a spring renewal, then the summertime seems like a great time to press through and reignite the flame of love with life and the world around you.
Redefine the landscape of your reality and make life meaningful. The truth is,
our lives may never truly fit into a box of perfection. But, so what. Stand
firm in the fact that the best is yet to come and allow peace to freely flow like
the summer breezes that blow through your hair while lying on the sand.
A smile makes a huge
difference in any day. If anything has a representation of valuing the day, it
is a smile because it shows that you have found something to be joyous about. This
summer, fully commit yourself to finding simple reasons to humbly radiate. Let
joy take residence in you and just "Smile".
(A cover of Charlie Chaplin's "Smile" performed by Stephanie Jeannot
and the Dr Jazz Band at the Irkutsk Philharmonic in Siberia
It is time to celebrate. It is
the summertime. It is barbecue season. It is the season of family reunions and
fun in the sun. It is time to be outside and having a good time with the young
people in our lives playing basketball, hide and seek, kite flying, or other
things that fit the season. It is time to go to the beach, lie on the sand and
swim in the ocean. It is time to go to outdoor summer concerts and enjoy the
beauty of the summer nights. It is time to enjoy ice cream with family and to
sit outside enjoying the evening breezes. It is time to go on vacation and explore
the world and see different things. It is time to take on those amusement parks
and to spend time with the family doing good things. It is the summer time.
Make sure that while you are doing all the work that is required in your busy
schedule, that you are also taking time out to appreciate the season. Find joy
in the beaming rays because once the joyous weather goes cruising by, you lose it. Remember to embrace the summer sun and to find reasons to smile.
