He Breathe She Breathe

"He Breathe She Breathe"

He was on an island deserted with the trees and the ocean as his friends. The vegetation was his food for thought. He was laboring with his workman hands tending to the fields when a deep sleep came upon him. The wind blew. There he lay int he center of the island with the sun shining upon him. Then the sky turned orange with sherbet hues of pink and red. 

The wind continued to blow as a scurry of banana leaves surfaced. The leaves blanketed him as he slept and he breathed. He slept deeper and breathed deeper. Then he exhaled his last breath. The strong gust of wind baptized him as he peacefully was cradled in creation's arms. In the midst of the wind laid a rib covered in sand. Then suddenly, a strain of redbirds flew onto a limb in a single formation. On another tree, a slew of doves gathered throughout the huge tree's branches standing at attention. 

Then every wing of the air and every crawler of the land came at formation. The waters were halted as the ocean's tides became quiet. All gathered watching in awe at the master's hand. Time did not click nor clock. Time stood still. The earth stood still. The stars came out to day and the moon joined hands with the sun as every breathing element encircled the artist from afar observing as he perfected her very image with his perfect eye. 

There were no words to describe her majesty. For words could not define her creation. Words were not even released until her creation was complete. She was his thought before she became words. She became the giver, the bearer of life. 

After his final touch, he was pleased. It was time for her to be revealed. It was time for her to meet destiny. And there...she was. Every attendant marveled at her creation. She became beauty's breath. Rejoice and celebration filled every corner of the earth. The soles of her feet defined radiance's scroll. Marvelous captured her glow. 

The master took her by her precious hand to the man in the field. There she stood before him watching him lay in peace's hand. When she exhaled, he inhaled. His master awakened him. When she breathed, he breathed. His eyes locked with hers he stood slow to his feet as her grace left him speechless. Her beauty held his eyes. 

When he breathed, she breathed. When he blinked, she blinked. Their heartbeats were the sheet to music's note. And so they were, in the center of the island. Attendants not only witnessing an artist exhibit, but a marriage. When he breathed, she breathed creating a harmonious oneness. Where the two became one. 

The birds flapped their winds chirping songs of praise. The ocean's tides rose up to high currents of joy. The stars shone brighter with the sun and the moon creating rainbows of light. 

Every breathing, life containing element released a praise of love for all the earth to hear. 

So they were...earth's first royal couple destined by the artist. 

-LK

Ways

Ways

Sometimes we get in our own way
We become stumbling blocks to our dreams
We become cement to our purpose
Life's trials & tribulations prevent us from moving forward
And we become immunized to fear & distraught
Our feet are a misguided compass with no sense of left or right; front or back
We question our existence and we cloud our own privileges to our God-given birthright to be great
Sometimes we get in our own way
Our heart is a callous to love
And the more exfoliation, the bigger the callous
we disconnect from human interaction and become robots in a digital world without having the knowledge and wisdom of creating a balance
We're no longer compassionate to a baby's cry
Or sensitive to the homeless on the street
We've become developers to our own conclave of self, a large, dull and grey empty house
How did we get here?
To this lonely place where we shun away from the sun
Where we run away from the rain
Where the sound of raindrops are no longer peace to our ears
Where the smallest occurrence is a mountain in our lives
Where we get irritable at the tiniest thing that means no harm
Our frustrations push us into anger and anger pushes us to pull a trigger
launching a bullet that takes someones loved one all because of our own way.

-lk

RANDOM

Random

Wind.
Blowing profusely cleansing the pain and touching the skin formed from dust by GOD's perfect hand.

-lk

TIME & SPACE

TIME & SPACE

She wants to sit across the table from him and listen to his voice like a sweet melody
She wants to watch his eyes parade with excitement as he talks about his favorite basketball team or the last book he read.
She wants to listen to every word that flows from his lips as his cologne comforts her with his masculinity
The room may be filled with other spoken word parading the atmosphere, but his voice is the only one that matters as she delves deeper into the moment of enjoying his conversation,
His laugh,
Just enjoying him.

He wants to see the beam in her smile and hear her laugh as the chords to his heartbeat
He wants electricity flowing to his cells as she bats her eyes and blood vessels party through the curves of her cheeks, as they turn red at the connection that she is aware of.
He wants her to be the iron to his iron, but he knows to play it cool
Because he doesn't want to chase her away
But he wants to hold on to this moment to unravel every mystery of her present and be apart of her future
He wants to court her.
He can feel the sparks in his eyes as he traces every design of her face created by the perfect ARCHITECT
Because he knows when GOD designed her HE saw her beautiful in HIS sight.
All he knows is that he is enjoying this moment with her. THIS. SECOND. THIS. MINUTE.
The nectar of her scent comforts his soul and the wisdom that she shares intrigues him even more
Her zest and passion for life makes him want to get lost into time and forget the next day and just enjoy her.
Enjoy the lady. The phenomenon of who she is
No dessert is ordered
The table is nearly cleared
Only half empty glasses await on the table
Both have gotten lost. Escaped into time and space.
Not a single care of the business meetings
Emails
Phone calls or text messages
Just each other
Getting lost in Time & Space

-lk

Where Are You?

O, Where are you?
Inspiration of mine that I see dotted in the fine lines
Seeping through cracks of life's struggles
Hitting pavements of cries buried under cement
I miss the way you dance in the laugh lines of my face
And how you took me back to dreams bigger than my soul
How the innocence of my youth had no barred holds
Again I ask---again I say---again I command, "Where Are You?"
For you use to light my fire without wood
And be the heat in the flame behind my passion's drum
You would wake me up during the hours of the morning as the streets were asleep and the highways held the sounds of motions flying by
You held my attention in the palm of your hand and sleep became a distant memory
'Cause you were connected to my purpose and my destiny has been knocking on this door and perseverance wouldn't let me turn around and show my back to the door,
And faith held my feet on that solid ground and endurance grabbed my eyes to look in that tiny peep hole of opportunity,
My inspiration was suppose to have my back and keep me moving, and keep me pushing, but instead it gave me false pretensions in a dimension that took the measurements of my wings and told me I could fly as long as I didn't look down,
And that I can get up as long as I looked up
And that I can extend and grab HIS hand as long as I didn't wither
And I could love as long as I didn't hate
And I could have power as long as I could forgive
Yes--I thought I lost you Inspiration
But you were always there
You just needed to be re-fined, re-polished, and re-vamped
Inspiration - you never left my side

-LK

Courting vs. Dating: Is there a difference?

I try to stay clear of these topics, but the past few weeks this has been a subject that has popped up randomly. As I was engaging in my lunch of a raw collard wrap and green juice, I was haunted by the topics of relationships, especially today after Tim Clinton, host of "The Truth" radio show of XcelRadio.com (www.xcelradio.com) posted a few thought provoking questions pertaining to relationships on his Twitter page, @TimDClinton. On the contrary, the responses were so heated they put a pot of boiling water to shame. It showed me that relationships have become like an elephant in the room. Why does it have to be so complicated? Are we that misunderstood with each other?

Here are a few questions that were posted, mainly addressed to the ladies:

- "What's your take on a man looking for the one, but talking to more than one?"
- "What should be established on the first date?"
-"Do you believe you should be the only option before a commitment is made?"

For a recap of responses and other questions, visit his Twitter page. The question that really stood out to me: "What's your take on a man looking for the one, but talking to more than one?" prompted my mind to travel back to the question that I posed prior to him igniting the discussion: "Is there a difference between dating & courting?" In my mind's eye, yes, there is.

Dating in MY opinion, is comprised of multiple parties. It does not establish anything outside of a social setting created by the parties involved. However, courting in MY opinion, deals with something totally different. It deals with a focal point. Which reveals to me why "old school" or earlier generations (pre-social media, pre-technology, pre-everything outside of an in your face conversation), used the word frequently. As my grandparents would say, "You couldn't say you were courting somebody, and not be serious about them."

When there are other parties involved with 'dating,' feelings, emotions, and attachments get involved. Sometimes people are honest upfront, other times, not so much. For example: If a man states upfront that he is seeing multiple people, but expresses his like for the current person, then it is her choice whether she decides to pursue the 'dating' further. Consequently, if she is a cautious person, she will seriously have her guard up because, she cannot take this man seriously. How can one seriously invest thought and observation into a person when there guard is up? It becomes a waste of time, because that person is getting the short end of the stick. How can one seriously get to know someone when there are other distractions of people surrounding the potential of "the one?"

I know that men and women think differently, but at the end of the day, what is accomplished? What is the goal? What happens when one of the women involved in the 'process of elimination' sees the man out with another opponent? Will he speak? Will he introduce them? Or will he go on about his business, and keep the train moving pretending that he never saw the other opponent? This is where feelings, emotions, and thoughts come in to play. This creates a competitive pool among women, and a further division where women are against each other.

In the courting process, the focus is on two persons involved. No distractions of other people. Both persons involved can intensely listen and observe the conversation, behavior, and character. A wolf can't survive in sheep's clothing long. It gives the fair and undivided attention to key in on the objective at hand: "Who is this person?" without comparison to anyone else.

I would like to share my sister's answer when I asked her the same question. Her response:
"Courting involves more dedication. It is more honorable and denotes building a relationship more than today' version of dating. Courting is an old school version of dating, where dating to a certain extent has lost its essence."

Now in the event that either person finds out there is not a connection there or does not want to take it further, then the parties can move on. At least they were given each other's full attention to learn that it was not the right person for them.

In MY opinion, dating is like a loose cannon. Personalities, and people all over the place. With the business and productivity of life, and the way time is moving at a rapid pace, who can keep up with the names & scheduling of dates. What if you accidentally got called the wrong name? What if that person didn't REMEMBER your name? 

The beautiful thing in all of this is the key word: choice. Everyone of us has choices. Neither choice is wrong nor right. Yet, it appears that dating has become like water from a faucet. It continues running until someone turns the faucet off. Marriage has declined tremendously, and divorce attorneys are smiling bigger than a child on Christmas morning because "irreconcilable differences" have suddenly seeped in, but somehow were absent during the courting/dating process.

Courting unfolds the gritty grime while dating can be a short-lived, temporary, feel good feeling. According to my uncle, married for forty plus years, "You never stop courting even after marriage."

As I mentioned earlier, we all have choices and differences. Those unique and beautiful things that make us people. However, the goal is to choose what will compliment whatever your overall objective is. Short-term or longevity.

Beautiful Music: Lionel Richie & Amel Larrieux

There is something about beautiful music that moves every vein and vessel within me. After sharing an exchange of love for Lionel Richie with the fabulous @Love_Is_Dope and @NPRandB of the Twitter world, I had this bolt of energy at the mere thought of Richie classics such as "Still,"  "You Are," and "Truly." These are songs comprised of lyrics that are  intricate like silk. Gentle. Soft. Moving. So creatively beautiful that I felt my eyes water and my mind decided to travel to time capsules where love was created in lyrics that captivated the soul. Lyrics that stood the test of time and filled the ear gates with "forever." A time when lyrics were health advocates of marriage, love, and relationships. When lyrics supported the process of courtship and conversation.

When @Love_Is_Dope shared her crush for Lionel Richie she made me think back to all of the songs that my Mom played in the house as a little girl that supported dreams of having the kind of love that was expressed through the vinyl records, through the radio, and boom boxes. Which is why "Love Will Conquer All" became one of my favorite songs. EVER.  To add to the love foundation, Amel Larrieux presented us with "Make Me Whole." A song that is written as a storybook of love's truth. Where unfiltered, unmasked, transparent buttery vocals pour out the essence of her soul to her reflection, her love, her husband & partner. It's rare to hear songstresses sing the purity of love without sexual references, bad break-ups, breaking dishes & tire slashing.

After seeing Lionel Richie's performance upon receiving his BET 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award, I stood up in my living room for Richie as if I was at the awards. I saw the faces of old schoolers who joined him in song, as he flashed his infamous megawatt smile connecting with the audience. Then suddenly, I felt sad. I looked at some of the young faces who didn't possess a clue as he sung "Easy Like Sunday Morning." The icing on the cake was really displayed as the camera panned through absent faces when he performed "All Night Long." I felt sad that our young people's ear gates have been consumed with wrecked, broken lyrics whose idea of love is equated to what's between their legs, instead of their heart.

Sure prior generations had broken hearted songs such as Al Green's "Love & Happiness" to The O'Jays' "Use To Be My Girl," and countless others. On the contrary, it was love that had been lost, but come hell or high water, it was going to be found again with that person.  It was about redemption. The power and forgiveness of love. Commitment. Loyalty. Making love work. It was about the character, and not the booty. It was about his/her smile, and not the thong or g-string.

Let's take a moment to observe the lyrics to "Endless Love" - duet by Lionel Richie and Diana Ross:

Lionel Richie: "My love. There's only you in my life. The only thing that's right."
Diana Ross: "My first love, you're every breath that I take. You're every step I make."
Together: "And I, I want to share, all my love with you."
Lionel Richie: "No one else will do."
Diana Ross: "And your eyes....
Lionel Richie: "Your eyes...your eyes"
Together: "They tell me how much you care. Oh, yes, you will always be, my endless love."

Pause.
What does the majority of today's lyrics look like? In my opinion, the majority of lyrics reflect endless conversations of the communication gap between men and women. The decline of courtship and true intimacy. The increase of abusive language, and the lack of respect for each other.

However, all is not lost. Amel Larrieux's current release "Ice Cream Everyday" encompasses another ode to love that made my heart leap bolts of joy, "I Do Take 2." It is like a vegan ice cream sundae for me. I have my Lionel Richie's "Still" with a scoop at the bottom and "I Do Take 2" at the top, with the cherry on top being love.

"Sometimes you just know, like nothing you've ever known, like words cannot describe, like space cannot divide.
Like skies cannot confine. Like living and like dying. Like having no need to tell the time.
Cause with you, one day’s worth ninety-nine.
I do take you as the one miracle sent to grace these eyes
I do take you til my earthly end
And even then you’ll be the love of my life"
- Amel Larrieux "I Do Take 2"

By no means am I downplaying all artists. There are artists out there who have beautiful lyrics, but right now, at this very moment, Lionel Richie, and Amel Larrieux just move me deeply. There words are timeless. It's not only the beat, but the lyrics occupy the spaces and thoughts in my mind's travel to love. Thank you to @Love_Is_Dope for taking me back to that moment where one of music's soul carriers touched the heart of a little girl to be inspired by love. Thank you @NPRandB for sharing the songs of Lionel Richie's Essence Festival performance that move me "Still."

I hope that current and future songwriters and musicians understand the magnitude of how lyrics can transcend into time. Words have power. Lyrics are words that are bonded to sounds that connect with the soul. The most powerful connection of all is love. No matter how far fetched the music gets, or how many car windows get shattered from drama-filled, unhealthy relationships played over beats, I still believe like the good old classic Lionel Richie sings, "Love Will Conquer All."