…you brought me in this world Happy Ancestral Birthday, Mom! As I celebrate your 95th year—only 68 on this side of the plane, way too short—it’s hard to say I miss you because, although you’re…
Category: Inspirations
Happy Ninety-Ninth
No paper trail.No midwife’s mark.No certificate to prove the day. Just Marlboro County fields,tobacco barns breathing their smoke,and the cry of the first of twelve —a Black child under Jim Crow skies. If he went…
A Night at The Aux
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I never thought I’d be thankful that our washing machine broke. Truth be told, I hate laundromats. I’d rather walk barefoot down a gravel alley than sit under those flickering fluorescent lights, waiting for my…
To Momma
The last few days my head has been a little muzzy; I’ve been in a weird place. At first, I thought it was just the constant barrage of ridiculous news cycles. I kept hearing a…
Chosen Few ’25
For the second year in a row, I made the pilgrimage to the Chosen Few Picnic & Festival. Last year I didn’t know what to expect—other than the music. House Music. The soundtrack of my…
Bunny Rabbits & Fireflies
Bunny Rabbits & Fireflies This morning, I sat on my deck and watched three bunnies nibble at the morning dew in the grass. Not for the first time, I noticed how many rabbits are out…
Fatherhood
By definition, it’s just “the state or time of being a father.”But for me, it’s something deeper—one of the greatest joys a man can ever have. Like every Father’s Day, I find myself overwhelmed and…
Fire
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I rose this morning smelling like smoke. But last night, I’d been cleansed. It was the fire, you see. Brothers around the flame. Our ancestors—Yoruba, Igbo, Fulani, and many others—shining through our lit faces. Kings.…
Lighthouse
This Easter morning, I dropped Michelle and her mom off at Mass, then headed to church. Like most Easters in my life, I didn’t really want to go. The days of knowing what I’d wear…
Dear Momma
Dear Momma, Happy 92nd Heavenly Birthday! I can always remember the number because you always told me you would always be 32 years older than me, usually when I was doing something stupid or against…