The Pen is the Sword

The Sonnet and Al Ghazal

2008-10-17T07:17:00.001-04:00

As I have mentioned many times one of my favorite forms is the ghazal. I work hard to really express myself through this form and I will be honest and state that I am just a novice in this form. Ironically one of the forms that I actually 'hate' is the sonnet. Maybe because it was the primary form (besides haiku) that was drilled into us in school.

Imagine my suprise when I found out that the Ghazal is probably the progenitor of the Sonnet.

Senor Sonnet Son of of Al Ghazal pt I

The Sonnet, The Ghazal, and the Oral Tradition

I would like to thank..

2008-10-03T02:01:00.001-04:00

...everybody who came to the book signing. The saga continues....

My entire book "Perihelion Baby" via Wordle.net

2008-10-02T15:40:00.002-04:00

Man you better ask somebody

2008-09-17T14:51:00.001-04:00

New Haven, Cafe 116, the 28th, at 7pm

ALSO!!!!
On the 20th (this Saturday) C'BS ALife will be slanging his book at the CT-Etsy at "The Space" in Hamden, CT. Be there!

Kicking Mexican Linguistics

2008-09-05T07:22:00.000-04:00

Here's an interview that I did at Originalthoughtmag.com. You know I like language so this is an interview of the Nahuatl language. As a writer language is my tool so the more I learn the more I rock it. Check it out.

Our guest Metztli Tekpatl graduated from UCD wth a BA in International Relations-Social Sciences and another BA in Native American Studies with a minor in Spanish. She has a Masters from Scaramento State in Spnish/Foreign Languges and is currently working on a second Masters in Management at Scaramento State. She is fluent in various languages, Spanish and Nahuatl amongst them.

What is Nahuatl?
Nahuatl is a group of related languages and dialects of the Aztecan, or Nahuan, branch of the Uto-Aztecan language family. All Nahuan branch languages are indigenous to Mesoamerica and are spoken by an estimated 1.5 million Nahua people, most of whom live in Central Mexico. It is the Indigneous language of modern day Mexico.

Uto-Aztecan (also Uto-Aztekan) is a Native American language family. It is one of the largest (both in geographical extension and number of languages) and most well-established linguistic families of the Americas. Uto-Aztecan languages are found from the Great Basin of the Western United States (Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Utah, California, Nevada, Arizona), through western, central and southern Mexico (incl. Sonora, Chihuahua, Nayarit, Durango, Zacatecas, Jalisco, Michoacán, Guerrero, San Luis Potosí, Hidalgo, Puebla, Veracruz, Morelos, Estado de México, and the Federal District), and into parts of Central America (Pipil in El Salvador; extinct varieties in Guatemala and Honduras). Utah is named after the indigenous Uto-Aztecan Ute people. Classical Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs, and its modern relatives are part of the Uto-Aztecan family.

Metztli Takpatl will be sharing with us her insight int the Nahuatl language dealing with such topics as

*It being the lingua franca of the Aztec Empire
*Its place in modern day Mexico
*How is it distinct amongst word languages
*The relationship of language to a people's liberation

Listen to the interview here.

Nahuatl Interview - Metztli

Pretty Bronx Eyes

2008-09-02T13:44:00.001-04:00

Pretty Bronx eyes
you know that I see you

bricks wet their selves

word
The word made
Fresh
Aromatic B-boy stance
in the beginning
slang B prismatic, fractured light post up
flesh word
clammy, tingles under fizzing bulbs
flesh wound
cement carpets nicks from bricks
gangs giving up Stygian sting clips
zip guns, blades that switch
step in shelled shoes with obese laces
kangol hats primped and creased
inundate late night streets with James Brown beats

Pretty Bronx eyes
Play (Black)Spades
cause (Black)Spades to play
Yes I can dig (dug) it
all in together as we wreck rec rooms
statuesque speakers speak beat (streets)
sound of my feet
back room dusty crate greets as we liberate a deluge of vinyl during summer heat

Pretty Bronx Eyes
you keep holding on
to thoughts of rejection
pretty bronx/river eyes belay streams
(baby got) back alleys spew your aura's extrospection
whole world wants to
be down
go down
on you

Pretty Bronx Eyes
media rock frenzy extraction
scratches only surface spitting pop(ular) music perversions
seeks only to take notice of your clothes
their eyes closed to your creative contours, soft shimmer in your skin
they don't notice your
eyes
i see them
Pretty Bronx Eyes
in them I see me

New Blog Alert

2008-08-25T14:51:00.002-04:00

My people's. Check out I came to write by Phylis Iqbal

Writer's Work

2008-08-22T00:35:00.000-04:00

No, I haven't crossed the golden line where 100% of my income is from totally writing
influenced jobs yet I can see it clearly. There are many options out there for you to make your passion your profit.

Freelance writing:
Have to be on your grind and check sites on the daily (I have a few below for ya). It can be anything from ghost writing a paper, doing an ad, to copywrite work.

Blogging:
If you got skills and fresh blog you can get it sponsored. Get paid per post or per word. You can also link into a revenue share program.

Writing Profession Jobs:
Online or hard copy magazines, journals or periodicals. Become a contributing writer, editor, copywriter, etc

Publish your work:
Grind and produce a book. Get it out there. Push it

Work the contest circuit:
There are constant poetry, short story and novel contest. Enter them frequently. If you are a good writer you have a greater chance of winning them rather than Powerball.

Those are just off the dome. Yet what they all involve is you writing frequently to perfect your craft.

I have to thank y'all

2008-08-20T07:42:00.000-04:00

On the real. Those who knowledge me realize that the last couple of weeks has been intense. Alot of it though with the sense of amazement I am feeling. Due to alot of factors Perihelion Baby is selling at a ridiculous rate. To give you some idea within the last couple of weeks I have sold over 150 copies! It's like y'all got some fever or something! This has been highly due to the efforts of alot of my alikes who have been slangin' it like a mixtape.

Perihelion isn't until around the Gregorian New Year yet I'm feeling it NOW! Next month I already told you about the book signing on the 28th in New Haven. Two other book signings are in the works in New London and Hartford so keep in tune. And if by some reason you're reading this blog and haven't gotten your copy of Perihelion Baby...shame on you.

Damn Perihelion's coming again

2008-08-19T03:01:00.000-04:00

Commercial for Perihelion Baby Poetry Book - C"BS ALife ALL

New Date for the book signing in New Haven, CT (Sept 28th)

2008-08-18T07:27:00.000-04:00

So I was chastised about my book. New folks read my poetry and got on me about continuing getting it out there. They explained to me it wasn't so much about profit it was about sharing my creative energies. I agreed. It is a challenge though to balance the manifestation and the marketing/promotion. Yet with their bickering (j/k) I am up and at it again in terms of promoting Perihelion Baby (the right corner dun).

It will be on September 28th at the Cafe 116 in New Haven on Chapel Street from 7pm until. They'll be a DJ there and 1/2 price off of bottles of wine. Plus, you never know, I might have some back up dancers. Keep that date open and get your ass there.

......

2008-08-15T07:14:00.000-04:00

I write poems all of the time. And I have written about a few specific people here and there. Yet I can't really recall of being the inspiration of another's poetry. It's an humbling experience.

Man up and that boy will never be down

2008-08-15T01:25:00.001-04:00

scent of her auburn broken smiles
scorch my feet as i walk dark miles
sip juliet's tainted glass vial?
No, leave not my child behind

sunset sour mi past heart amor
must shed epidermal armor
she is former she is no more
will never leave this son of mine's

break storm clouds with steel jet airplanes
ash downpour as I spill my pain
i fear he will forget my name
our close past only in my mind?

a lullaby fixed to your ear
son listen to birds i am near
mimic my gaze in the mirror
i come for you through salt and brine

young boy we are connected kin
come follow the path of all men
awww man teach you of Ra-Amen
Mathematics cosine and sine

failure not an option or fact
word bond i swore i would be back
return like Quetzalcoatl black
son myself never hard to find

The Baku

2008-08-12T03:19:00.003-04:00

Been obsessed with the Baku as of late which is a mythological japanese beast that eats nightmares. Anyway. This collection of hay(na)ku is about the baku.

Baku

baku
singularly gorgeous
gorge on this

buffet
tahini memories
crunchy chicory ruminations

stout
baku grazing
heady lush pastures

forget
thin regret
aches pain pates

baku
chews old
russet cud visions

eat
lotus berries
smooth into forgetfulness

yet
even with
saturated hollow stare

doeth
weep my
buried third eye

yester-tomorrows
i want
them back here

forcing
well water
from mine eyes

capture
the baku
with enchanting dreams

i
lead him
to the vomitorium

please
forgive me
noble etheric chimera

daymares
nightdreams all
that i have

Black and Blue

2008-08-11T09:14:00.004-04:00

The art of technological writing deems that one utilize every avenue out there when transcribing. The same way that with my physical journals I utilize different methods in terms of transcribing also carries over when I compose on the net.

Blogger is restrained in that it only has a number of fonts and ink colors/effects available yet when I write stuff for my own usage I use inks of varying hues and shades. I sometimes use the most outrageous fonts and glyphs. I use functions like strikeout, italics, super set, etc. like that are going out of fashion.

One of the reasons that I am obsessed with calligraphy (from ancient to modern) is because physically it makes the word dynamic. It gets it move on. I like my physical words to also have that elements (its the visual artists in me).

My first collection of poetry reflected a different aspect of me, the scholar writer. That's another one of my attributes where I trick out my writings with mad footnotes of esoterica. The upcoming collection will definitely be more in the dynamic sphere.

Listen

2008-08-08T07:15:00.001-04:00

Yes I write stories

2008-08-07T02:45:00.002-04:00

Yet most of them are in transition because I write grand book novel trilogy stuff. Some people have read some of my novels (yes I've completed more than one). Some people may have read some of my short stories. I like to deal with a whole host of subjects. Ya can't pin me down. For me it just has to be funky.

Here are the top 9 stories that I wrote, am writing or need to be written by C'BS

*A polygyny love story

*A epic fantasy piece whose center character is a child messiah who is accompanied by a baku, a butterfly in a crystal ball, and a qilin

*a man who is taken by his Mexican lover to Mexico where she destroy his passport subtly kidnapping him because he cannot speak Spanish

*a guy who commits suicide by destroying his ego and then slowly rebuilds his identity.

*A man who finds out that he has a son after 5 years and seeks to find him in the foster care system after his mother dies.

*A wuxia-type 52 hand block black kung fu epic

*a man who discovers the Earth is flat

*A group of people who discover secret slavery manuals from the middle passage that describe the 'aliens' that visited the Dogon and esoteric ways to reprogram the nervous system.

*A woman who keeps being thrown into the Indian ghost dance and awaits the return of the buffalo

Lexical review

2008-08-06T02:42:00.001-04:00

Lexical Review

Word of the Week: Panegyric

2008-08-05T02:36:00.000-04:00

panegyric

SYLLABICATION: pan·e·gyr·ic
PRONUNCIATION: pn-jrk, -jrk
NOUN: 1. A formal eulogistic composition intended as a public compliment. 2. Elaborate praise or laudation; an encomium.
ETYMOLOGY: Latin pangyricus, from Greek pangurikos (logos), (speech) at a public assembly, panegyric, from panguris, public assembly : pan-, pan- + aguris, assembly, marketplace; see ger- in Appendix I.
OTHER FORMS: pane·gyri·cal —ADJECTIVE
pane·gyri·cal·ly —ADVERB

If you call yourself a Black poet.....

2008-08-04T07:17:00.000-04:00

...you better STUDY this man

My cup runneth over

2008-08-01T07:50:00.001-04:00

I keep a moleskin notepad or scraps of paper in my pocket at all times. Inspiration is within. You can't wait on it. Change your modality and how you are interfacing with life. I get home and filter through my scribbles and find gold nuggets and silver dust. I accepted long ago that I am the philosopher's stone. Writers write. It gets no more simpler than that. We write because if we didn't we would die. I choose life.

Send fire through my spine.....

2008-07-31T15:56:00.001-04:00

just a touch of love - Slave

Another inspiration banger

Some of the Epic Stuff that Inspires me

2008-07-31T03:46:00.000-04:00

Oh let the sun beat down upon my face
With stars to fill my dream.
I am a traveler of both time and space
To be where I have been.

To sit with elders of a gentle race
This world has seldom seen.
They talk of days for which they sit and wait
When all will be revealed.

Talk an' song from tongues of lilting grace
Whose sounds caress my ear.
But not a word I heard could I relate
The story was quite clear.
Whoa-ohh-oh
Whoa-ohhh-oh-oh

Kashir - Led Zepplin

Word of the Week: Vapid

2008-07-30T02:20:00.000-04:00

vapid

SYLLABICATION: vap·id
PRONUNCIATION: vpd, vpd
ADJECTIVE: 1. Lacking liveliness, animation, or interest; dull: vapid conversation. 2. Lacking taste, zest, or flavor; flat: vapid beer.
ETYMOLOGY: Latin vapidus.
OTHER FORMS: va·pidi·ty, vapid·ness —NOUN
vapid·ly —ADVERB

random

2008-07-29T11:09:00.000-04:00

I sometimes have dreams of blowing glass on a small island hidden in the mist off the coast of Maine.

Book signing by this poet on August 28th

2008-07-28T09:06:00.000-04:00

In New Haven. More to be revealed soon.

Word Power

2008-07-28T07:26:00.000-04:00

First of it's the name of one of the illest albums of all time (Word Power that is). Secondly in the beginning was the word, made flesh, made fresh. From the Griot to the Tlatoani from Gematria to Abjad numerals it's always been known that there is power in the written and spoken word. So poet and poet neonates out there who constantly 'down English as a bastard language' get your weight up. No language is perfect yet man and woman are. Therefore we perfect language. English is beautiful when you rock it right. Get your creativity on the next level. Realize that the bulk of the vocab comes from other languages woolof, nauhuatl, taino, various native nations, etc. Love the way so called foreign folk sprinkle spicy accents on them. Love the way that the body is thrown into it. Love the way we take it all and make it our own thing.

So I have three ways that you can manipulate language through new classes of vocab and words. The dictionary doesn't make words. We put words in the dictionary.

sniglets

portmanteau

neologism

Tsolyani

2008-07-25T10:25:00.000-04:00

Calligraphy is visual and written art. That's why I have always added it to my bag of tricks. Imagine the skill that it takes to construct a language and then infuse it with beautiful presence. That's what Professor Muhammad Abd-el-Rahman Barker did when he created the language of Tsolyani for this role playing game. I mean he got so ill with it that there are audio tapes on how to speak it. Check it out here. Tsolyani

Don't sweat the technique

2008-07-24T14:44:00.003-04:00

I've also TAUGHT writing. I've mentioned this before that some people really don't respect the craft of writing. I mean people always try to fall back on that old tired...'well its my feelings and that's that..you can't 'critique' it.' Porkshit. The purpose of writing is to communicate the subject matter and if you ain't got skill and pizzaz then your stuff just comes off weak. It is an artform and there are various different ways to manifest it into a beautiful form.

And from talking to your 'roses are red, violets are blue' crowd most of them know NOTHING about writing. The only form they are familiar with is the haiku (no disrespect to the haiku) and they don't even know anything about modern innovations in terms of writing TECHNIQUE.

Think about it. Music has evolved through technology. Visual art has evolved through technology. You mean to tell me that there aren't new methods of WRITING technology emerging? Of course there are. Let me share with you one of my favorite technologies from one of my favorite to the left writers William S. Burroughs. He actually got it and refined it from Brion Gysin. It's called the cut up technique. Experiment with it. See what you come up with. And if you so desire share some of your experiments with the God.

random poem i reveal on my bday

2008-07-21T15:04:00.003-04:00

Goraiko

warm coral sears misty froth
catch each thought letting them sleep in nightingale cages

cozy hug lambskin
coat over shoulders bashful
her glance thaws snow drifts

a lift of ascending sun gazing
boundless expanse of Gojira’s carcass
punctuate my life with this aleph
point of reference

court sand
count lives

loneliness + alienation + fear + despair + self-worth ÷ mockery ÷ condemnation ÷ misunderstanding x guilt x shame x failure x judgment n=y where y=hope and n=folly love=lies life=death self=dark side

I am
learning

at Quinnipiac already walked on the bellies of giants
found an alien in her stomach
hard bowels
slit stomach to hear baby speak
bel heri
belly heavy sadness

impregnated one
Haiku formula
point formula for infinity

observatory
dream of water color mountains in japan
fragment fissure frontal lobes
cracked chess soapstone reina
broken kunoichi

faux fox fur kitsune
cream cigarette dripping ash
with
children and mother
learning a new trade
while being chased by shinobi

dear let's
blend and make chocolate stars
while
snacking on kola nuts
scratched with the words of paradise gleaming
clicking cowrie shells
showering the locs of my hair

check me out on myspace

Poetry Challenge Arena

2008-07-07T02:15:00.004-04:00

To those who still want to get down with the poetry challenge. It's going to be semi-public. It'll be over at the site of Lord Adeeb's Freedom Path. Come join us or us or just check it out.

Poetry Challenge

2008-07-02T02:11:00.002-04:00

Bout to host a series of poetry challenges. This is where I introduce a poetry form to a group of people and we all attempt to manifest a poem using that form. We go through a new form a week and compare our results. If you are interested in getting down with this class of challenges hit me up at righteous.addon@gmail.com

A work in progress

2008-06-30T19:19:00.000-04:00

*still working out the kinks*

The word made
Fresh
Aromatic B-boy stance
in the begining
slang B prismatic, fractured light post up
flesh word
clammy, tingles under fizzing bulbs
flesh wound
cement carpets nicks from bricks
gangs giving up stygian sting clips
zip guns, blades that switch
step in shelled shoes with obese laces
kangol hats primped and creased
innudate late night streets with James Brown beats

XXIII

2008-06-28T12:59:00.000-04:00

said
I
wore my
feelings on
my sleeves decided
to wear a wife beater instead

Quick Verse

2008-06-27T13:29:00.002-04:00

XVI

solemn
sol hum
sole ohm al

salaam
um it's
my soul hun

Cuban Verses.

2008-05-09T15:25:00.002-04:00

For real.. been creating on some other level and alot of what I'm doing won't be revealed in fullness for AT LEAST a year. The God even grabbed the mike and sung (not rapped). Check out Black to Nature for those reviews.

One of the spots that I work at is with relocating refugees into New Haven. I was riding on the back of a pickup truck with a brother my age from Cuba who was darker then me. It was an inspiring day all around so I was composing verses in my head. Started saying the verses outloud yet asked him to record them in Spanish...yes..i know..2 ill..When I revise the piece I'll post it.

I'm back here folks ;-)

Yeah

2008-04-09T12:55:00.000-04:00

Peace,
Yeah...been gone for a minute. Yeah...I'm back. Yeah...this is what I do.

Minimilist writing for the '08.

Versing with a friend

2008-02-22T12:00:00.002-05:00

I was versing with a friend the other day about some things and she mentioned why don't i write about them. She also noticed that I avoid writing about certain things. I was painful aware of that. I know the power of words. Sometimes there are emotional states that I dont want to amplify. Sometimes I think that subconsciously I am 'drunk' off ocertain emotions and want to 'wallow' in them. With that said though I accept her challenge to attack some of those issues and 'solve' them through verse and meter.

In the Original Tradition

2008-02-21T09:48:00.001-05:00

we don't just write to write. We write to bring something meaningful into the world.

Get our Last Poets fix

2008-02-15T09:30:00.001-05:00

Poetry Challenges

2008-02-13T09:52:00.001-05:00

Every week I have a group of people who are accepting a poetry challenge. We decide on an established poetry form and each submit a poem in that form. It keeps the poetry nerves lubricated. If you want to be down hit me at righteous.addon@gmail.com

Poetry Forms

2008-02-07T06:01:00.000-05:00

Take notice to the right bar. I added mad new poetry forms for y'all. My poetry crew and myself have been experimenting with a host of them. Go through and see if there is anything that grabs your eye. In general I tend to stay away from the European forms. There is SO much more out there.

Time

2008-02-06T08:09:00.000-05:00

Peace,
Balance is important as a writer. I generate a portion of my income from freelance writing and also working as an editor. I find at certain times I get consumed in those realms of writing and not progressing in my creative writing. There is a fine balance that one has to generate to make sure that the are putting aside the space that is necessary for that creative time. I'm still learning about it myself.

Moving

2008-01-31T09:27:00.000-05:00

Peace to poets grinding,

Phylis for that fresh photo poem.

Jade for the daughter's reflection on a father.

Malik for accpeting the challenge of writing something about DC in reference to 9-11 vs. the twin towers.

Kwalois for telling me that one of my poems inspired one of his.

Keep it going y'all.

Fire and iced tea.

Peace

Get with the program

2008-01-29T09:14:00.000-05:00

So I'm in my submission grind and I noticed something that is just out of wack for me. There are alot of poetry magazines that have an online presence yet don't accept electronic submissions...wtf??!! I know that there is an old guard who wants that hard copy in their hands and you to send a SASE to them to get the reviewed pieces back and all. I don't knock them. Yet once you generate an internet presence you need to go all of the way.

Suheir Hammad doing what she does so well

2008-01-28T21:23:00.000-05:00

Yet another Blog

2008-01-24T09:56:00.000-05:00

I have a new blog over at Black to Nature. It deals with veganism, eco-consciousness, and other natural stuff from the Black perspective. Check it out.

Learn Calligraphy

2008-01-23T13:22:00.000-05:00

All of the ancient poets from the Far East to the sub continent of India had to also master the art of presentation. The art of presentation wasn't just about oral recitation of poetry. It also involved having beautiful script. In this day and time hand writing is not at the highest level where the computer has replaced the pen and pad as the primary means of composition. Having fine hand writing and mastering the art of calligraphy isn't on front street.

In America though the true art of calligraphy has been preserved by the grafitti artist. I went through that initiation and have only recently been thinking about how to apply that to my current works of poetry. Also I have been learning basic Arabic script which can used to write in Arabic, urdu, Punjai, Fari, Darsi and other langauges in that region.

Don't neglecct the full art of writing.

Some spots to check

2008-01-15T11:42:00.000-05:00

There is some fresh poetry by man Kwalois up at Orignal Thought

Also this is what I think about the King's English

Check out this short history on the Watt's Prophets

2008-01-08T09:35:00.000-05:00

Autumn pt I

2008-01-02T07:38:00.000-05:00

Have
you found
your greatness yet

More Free books

2007-12-27T11:32:00.000-05:00

Peace,
As I mentioned before I'm giving away some free books. I've updated the list so get at me at righteous.addon@gmail.com if any of these books catch your eye.

-Funerals Without God: A Practical Guide to Non-Religious Funerals
-Diet for a Small Planet
-Mission to America: Five Islamic Sectarian Communities in North America (these are HETERODOXIC communitie: the Druze, the Moorish Science Temple, York's peoples, etc)
-The Occult Conspiracy (really deals with secret societies throughout the ages)
-Abraham's Legacy: Ancient Wisdom and Modern Reality
-The Inventions, Researches, and Writings of Nikola Tesla
-The Chalice and the Blade
-Ceramic Uncles and Celluloid Mammies: Black Images and Their Influence on Culture
-Step into a World: A Global Anthology of the New Black Literature
-Instant Zen, 10,000 Ways
-Complete Idiots guide to Astrology
-Dummies guide to Astrology
-The Legends of the Jews
-Essential Sufism
-Blacks in Science: Ancient and Modern

Peace

Monsoon season pt II

2007-12-26T11:18:00.000-05:00

Pinky Rings and Pulpits

the preacher's son
the pusher's daughter

her
poppa was a stone rolling
following Domi trails
nomadic tents in random states
upbringing
static still
black, white, grey
twilight zone
sometimes beautiful
sometimes terrible

naps in after hour clubs while daddy and the house band played
his friends whose golden arms flowing with itchy blood
spoiled acupuncture
nodding jack-in-the-box heads on springs
pipes with thin stems
small buds

the pusher's daughter
the preachers son

his
father was in heaven
final suppers of cannibal cuisine
slaughtering endless armies with kindness

surrounded by familial benedictions
king james hebrew
elderly and young testaments
reveled in prayer while bloodied cheeks turned

daughter of man grew jaded through project survival
son of god grew skeptical through religious ascension

fell for each other
without a dope fiend lean
strictly enamored
no saint no sinner
eulogy serenades
Curtis Mayfield crooning Fredy's death
Lazarus rising due to anointed voices

enclaves of needle groves in junkie paradises
across from
circus tents of small town revivals peppered with prayer benches
staring at each other across the tracks
finger painting in orange apple sherbert

©2007 C'BS Alife

Untitled

children
are made
of light and

air
sprites telekinetic
tip toe coaxes

water
from sinks
basin shower spray

jovial
his laughs
made of bubbles

©2007 C'BS Alife

Free Books

2007-12-17T09:23:00.000-05:00

Peace,

It's coming up to the end of the year and in anticipation of my upcoming mile (year) I am doing some in house cleaning. As such I am getting rid of a host of books which I have either read to the limit, have doubles of or just have no need of anymore. As such I am giving them away free. That's right, free. I will be updating the list on the regular so keep an eye out.

This is how it works. You see something you like hit me at righteous.addon@gmail.com. If no one has claimed it you can have it. I'll just ask you to slide shipping and handling my way.

As of now the books are:

-Funerals Without God: A Practical Guide to Non-Religious Funerals
-Diet for a Small Planet
-Muhammad: A biography of the Prophet
-Mission to America: Five Islamic Sectarian Communities in North America
-The Secret Destiny of America by Manly P. Hall
-The Master Cleanser
-The True History of Master Far Muhammad
-The Occult Conspiracy
-Inside the Nation of Islam
-Afrikan People and European Holidays: A Mental Genocide
-Abraham's Legacy: Ancient Wisdom and Modern Reality
-Selections from The Husia: Sacred Wisdom of Ancient Egypt
-Eastern Philosophy for Beginners
-101 Key Ideas: Buddhism
-The Inventions, Researches, and Writings of Nikola Tesla
-The Chalice and the Blade
-Ceramic Uncles and Celluloid Mammies: Black Images and Their Influence on Culture
-Way of the Warrior: A Journey into Secret Worlds of martial Arts
-The Templar Revelation: Secret Guardians of the True Identity of Christ
-Step into a World: A Global Anthology of the New Black Literature

Monsoon season pt I

2007-12-06T07:49:00.000-05:00

Untitled

shoe laces tied tight by my son
epic tale of his sole action
how he slayed two slithy pythons
by thumb and finger he conquered

where was the one two buckle shoe
or velcro strap easy to do
he just wanted to say adieu
on this foot problem he tinkered

mother forced him into corner
hoping that he would learn faster
tactic couldn't be more meaner
her wrath was not to be incurred

let her sit and learn japanese
while forced to crouch still on her knees
no doubt she would pray to genies
to have this one moment defer

young son number one graphed the air
banished plastic needles somewhere
fighter planes played with a child's flair
the nurtured bunny ears prospered

Norouz pt I.

2007-12-04T21:53:00.000-05:00

Untitled random thoughts

black and white photos mexico music astronomy love hate history egypt indonesia purple stars learning eye contact living space earth air water fire metal pyramids scents numbers conversation HIP HOP jungle liars children traveling thinking learning dreams breathing suffering veracruz africa people watching sleep knowledge wisdom secrets the ocean culture hugs making out trees venus neptune mars saturn marijuana inscense tiger spiced chai tattoos piercings scars art internal and external stickers life with a purpose painting honesty family

untitled 2

flying kiss
wrapped
in a
bow with tongue
catapult
amour kung fu

Noruz pt II

2007-12-04T19:48:00.000-05:00

Lale Devri

A tulip grew in Tehran
on Haltamti soil at the base of the Alborzi
Saoshyant in slumber

occident florists plucked her
frosted her with opium poppies
stewed in Iranian Farsi funk
electric sitars, heavy tonbaks
potting her in american soil

on Ashura turned her back to Husayn
left rosewater tears in the shallows of knife fissures
Shi'a had no sight of
Allah
everyday Azadar

green peach aphid nestling on her back
expected her to
aspirate
assimilate

soil made her into a unique tulip
striped feathered flame petals
variegated
where she grew in
punk rock and roll gravel
saturated in new waves
sol kissed roots tapped with break beats

forswore off of fish
fowl pork beef
off all meat
instead took sustenance from pardesu

socialist fiesta fashionista
a soft enigma throwing clay in labyrinth kilns
skating fluid Nasta'liq punctuated with dusty cuneiform
feet stained copper with henna latices

psych-pharmaceutical-inner-naut
herbal mental expansionist who
ate electric mushrooms, churned cannabutter, powdered her nose on the inside,
through shabu saw the world in digital
misty third eye
riding crocheted carpets cresting clouds
spoke smoke ghazals through hookahs

Fatima Zahra ushering women with her gentle khamsax
Oureana to Fatima left Gonçalo Hermigues in Moorish Portugalxi
Fatima Blush her body perfumed gardens
greatest rapture in life

her crushed fig brown sugar saucer eyes 1001 vellum persian miniatures
salamati

Pretty Purdah

just
her voice
hood hoops dangling

earrings
just her
secluded pretty purdah

neck
naked tresses
wrapped in fabric

she
won't permit
a stolen glance

A Year in the Making

2007-12-03T14:29:00.000-05:00

Peace,
Part of the my woes of last week included my whole next book, "A year in the making" being lost. I had backed some of it up yet not all of it. It was a book of poetry separated into four parts or seasons filled with poetry that was inspired by how I felt during those seasons or poetry that was written during those seasons.

I am not going to attempt to rewrite the whole book. The four seasons as listed were the classical seasons yet named from different original cultures world wide so the seasons were noruz, monsoon season, autumn, and jiqei.

I do have a fractured version of my book with unfinished poems, some poems in transition, and some completed poems. Kind of how my mental is right now anyway.

I am going to post the fractured version piece by piece online at www.blackauthor.blogspot.com. This will also give me the time I need to prepare for my big Afrofuturistic project in February. Let me know what you think by leaving a comment or two.

Thanks

A ghazal

2007-11-30T10:45:00.000-05:00

Nikāḥu’l-Mut‘ah, Nikah el Mut'a (Arabic: نكاح المتعة, also Nikah Mut‘ah literally, marriage for pleasure)

honeymoon period brief shard before clouds and rain
preparing for eternity not for clouds and rain

air rising from shallow embers of fires whistle warm
sky breaking into one million blues pours clouds and rain

wrote this out of anger or despair burnished lead thoughts
heavy feet shuffle with pride mi amor clouds and rain

rich passionate love espresso i have to offer
must i settle for these few coins the poor clouds and rain

sun burnt copper her blood thus ran her henna soft wine
eshq bleeding gold pissing tears she foreswore clouds and rain

kiss your face with spring winds why renege this bridal veil
wilts into a burial shroud comes more clouds and rain

ground smoky pearls into dust to season dry miso
soup satisfies not absalom abhors clouds and rain

© 2007 C'BS ALife

Watt's Prophets

2007-11-26T14:17:00.000-05:00

A lot of people know about the Last Poets yet their contemporaries are not as well known. I am speaking about the just as fresh Watt's Prophets.. If you don't know about them you need to up your game.

Peace

I know we have the internet now yet...

2007-11-20T14:35:00.000-05:00

........try writing with a pen or pencil every once in a while. Practice your script writing. Learn calligraphy. Make sure you don't loose the notion to place a writing instrument to paper. I like those chubby Phd pens that are easy on the grip. Get back to the organic notion of writing.

Blue Black Poetry Collective

2007-11-19T10:33:00.000-05:00

Peace
Blue Black Poetry Collective was a poetry crew I ran with in the early 90's. It was in my 'I don't know if I want to go back to college phase'. So I was around alot of people who were in college who were juggling the same idea. It was at first just a workshop group. We got together 1/week. We would share some poetry and offer concise comments for revisions. From that point it started to grow though into something else. We were hungry so we started to bring food. Visitors started wanting to come by to hear us. Individuals in the group started to specialize in certain areas. We had black feminism, proto-afrofuturistic poetry, black psychedelica, post-colonial commentary, etc. It was truly an interesting time.

In the end what we transformed into a poetry performance group and KILLED it around the New Haven county for a couple of summers. It was funny cause we definitely didn't plan it to be that way. We brought poetry and theatre together. We wanted to have an engaging way to perform poetry that kept the audience involved. So we had poems as conversations, poems coming from the back of the room, from the audience itself, etc. This was during the time that slam poetry was coming into its own yet we were doing something different that hearkened back to more like the Black Arts Movement.

We are each in a different spot nowadays. I would hazard to say that I am the only one who is still actively pursuing the craft even though I was away from it for a while. I will say this though. I am sure that moment in time transformed all of our lives in some way. Shout out to the BBPC.

Where I'm at

2007-11-14T09:18:00.000-05:00

Crunch time.

It's the eve before the next issue of Originalthoughtmag.com so I'm working like a worker ant to make sure that it is ill. It is also coming up on the debut of Eboni Joy Asiatic's From 85 to Civilized so I want to make sure that Asiatic Light Publishing get her the appropriat shine (in fact look for an interview with her in the latest issue coming out on November 15th). Also, btw, sales for Daybreaker have been good. It's a good 'mini-commercial' also in terms of setting up the environment for my next major piece coming in December, "A Year in the Making: 4 Seasons of Poetry". I've also been getting the camp together to work on my 'Afrofuturistic' body of poetry. The 'grand experiment' will commence in February and I'm looking to have out the project in March.

After that folks THEN I will get back into the spoken word circuit and think about doing a CD (maybe that will be part of the Afrofuturist project).

Buy me a cup of Shou Wu Chih

2007-11-13T10:10:00.000-05:00

Peace,
You may have noticed the little icon up top in my byline. It's Shou Wu Chih, a Chinese Herbal tonic. If you like my writing you can contribute to buying me some cups of Shou Wu Chih by donating a few bucks my way.

Peace

Poet of the Week-Muhammad Iqbal

2007-11-12T11:03:00.000-05:00

He is Pakistan's national treasure. The great Poet Iqbal. He is to Pakistan as Shakespeare is to the English world. He was a poet, philosopher, and politician. To read more about his history you can check here.

To me, in the poetic realm he was influencial because he spoke of aligning the Self to the great will which he refered to as Allah. It definitely had elements of man as God because his writings reflected the notion that the universe bowed to the the will of Self. That is what is attractive to me. He illuminated my world view through the work of poetry and imbuded my 'atheism' with an element of sacredness.

His works are numerable Here is one of his poems

Selfhood can demolish the magic of this world; (from Baal-i-Jibreel)

Selfhood can demolish the magic of this world;
But our belief in The One is not comprehended by all.

Have a seer's eye, and light will dawn on thee;
As a river and its waves cannot remain apart.

The light of God and knowledge are not in rivalry,
But so the pulpit believes, afraid of Hallaj's rope.

Contentment is the shield for the pure and the noble
A shield in slavery, and a shield in power.

In the East the soul looks in vain for light;
In the West the light is a faded cloud of dust.

The fakirs who could shatter the power and pelf of kings
No longer tread this earth, in climes far or near.

The spirit of this age is brimful with negations,
And drained to the fast drop is the power of faith.

Muted is Europe's lament on its crumbling pageant,
Muted by the delirious beats, the clangour of its music.

A sleepy ripple awaits, to swell into a wave
A wave that will swallow up monsters of the sea.

What is slavery but a loss of the sense of beauty?
What the free call beautiful, is beautiful indeed.

The present belongs to him who explores, in their depths,
The fathomless seas of time, to find the future's pearl.

The alchemist of the West has turned stone into glass
But my alchemy has transmuted glass into flint

Pharaohs of today have stalked me in vain;
But I fear not; I am blessed with Moses' wand.

The flame that can set afire a dark, sunless wood,
Will not be throttled by a straw afloat in the wind.

Love is self-awareness; love is self-knowledge;
Love cares not for the palaces and the power of kings.

I will not wonder if I reach even the moon and the stars,
For I have hitched my wagon to the star. of all stars.

First among the wise, last of the Prophets,
Who gave a speck of dust the brightness of the Mount.

He is the first and last in the eyes of love;
He is the Word of God. He is the Word of God.

To view some more of his poetry check here

The Haiku and Low Coup

2007-11-09T10:35:00.000-05:00

One of the great things about terse poetic forms is that they help you sharpen your ability to choose powerful and appropriate words. This is a necessary skill in writing poetry. Making it part of your daily routine is a great practice for any aspiring writer.

For me one of the most beautiful terse forms is the haiku which on the surface appears simple; three lines, 17 syllables. In reality in the pure form it has 17 'sounds' and also has key seasonal words that need to be incorporated. There are whole dictionaries of these seasonal words. They are included in the text so that you know what season it is in the poem. For instance, by including cherry blossoms in the text one would know that it was spring.

Haiku is a form that has been adapted by many Black American poets, amongst them Langston Hughes, Sonia Sanchez and Richard Wright. One of the great masters though of this form no doubt is Kalamu ya Salaam. He has written a great overview of the African-American appropriation of the Haiku. All writers should definitely take time and check it out.

The Haiku is not a form that I have any great skill with at this point yet the insight given by Kalamus ya Salaam is great.

Any interpretation of the Haiku through the lens of Black America is by Amiri Baraka with his Low Coup which is a short, terse verse imposed on top of Black Folk Art.He actually wrote a whole book exploring the form. Definitely check it out. Something I want to explore for self in the future.

Also check out what they are already saying about my Ebook mini book of poetry over at Asiatic Light Publishing

My new mini-book of poetry: Daybreaker

2007-11-07T04:22:00.000-05:00

DayBreaker: 7 poems written while meditating at dawn. A book of poetic brevity
by C'BS ALife

Daybreaker: 7 poems written while meditating at dawn. A book of poetic brevity is being offered at the cost of freewill donation. It is an E-book in PDF form.

What does that mean?
YOU choose how much you want to pay for it. I'll take anything from 1 cent to 100 dollars. You can pay via paypal right here ,send me a note after words via email that you sent me loot, I check, then I send you the file. You can also send me a money order via snail mail (send me a note at righteous.addon@gmail.com to the the address). When I get it I'll let you know and you tell me what email address to send the file to.

What is the suggested donation?
I am trying to tell y'all that there IS NO suggested donation. For 'reference' you know some of those places like I-tunes and SNOCAP are charging like 99 cent/song. Yet again I stress there is NO SUGGESTED DONATION.

Why are you doing this? Don't you want to get paid?
I am not always turning out grand epic length books of poetry yet I have poetry that needs to be heard. This is one way to thank my readers while at the same time prepare them for my upcoming books of longer length. Plus with the precident recently set by Radiohead and Saul Williams with their albums I think it's a great idea. I just want y'all to check out my work.

The Fib and Cadae (short poetry forms)

2007-11-06T10:49:00.000-05:00

It appears that new forms pop up all of the time now. In response to the great power of the Haiku many American writers have generated new modern terse forms. This has led to the Cinquain and the Pinoy inspired haiku form the hay (na) ku.

Seeing the relationship between proportion and beauty there are two form that have been inspired by mathematical equations, the Fib and Cadae.

The following is from wikipedia.

Fib is an experimental Western poetry form bearing similarities to haiku[1], but based on the Fibonacci sequence. The classic fib is a six line, 20 syllable poem, with as many syllables per line as the line's corresponding place in the Fibonacci sequence.[2] The only restriction on a Fib is that the syllable count follow the Fibonacci sequence. An example of a classic fib:

“ One
Small,
Precise,
Poetic,
Spiraling mixture:
Math plus poetry yields the Fib.
„
— Pincus, Gregory K. , GottaBook: The Fib. Retrieved on 28 July 2006

Cadae is an experimental Western poetry form similar to the Fib. While the Fib is based on the Fibonacci sequence, the cadae is based on the number Pi. The word "cadae" is the alphabetical equivalent of the first five digits of Pi, 3.1415.[1]

The form of a cadae is based on Pi on two levels. There are five stanzas, with 3, 1, 4, 1, and 5 lines each, respectively. Each line of the poem also contains an appropriate number of syllables. The first line has three syllables, the second has one, the third has four, etc

Both form lend their self to alot of experimentation and play.

My Writing Peeps

2007-11-05T12:54:00.000-05:00

Peace,
One of my writing peeps finally got herself in gear and got her a blog. Check it out at Listening Winds Overhear my Privacies. While you're over there bug her to put out her CD of poetry which has been done for a minute. Tell her to stop holding it hostage.

Peace

Getting it Together

2007-11-05T09:55:00.000-05:00

Peace,
Just to let people know Poets and Writers has updated their contests for the next two months. This is one for the comprehensive sites online (check my byline for their address). They also have updates for residencies.

I am still learning to balance the poetry writing, poetry submission,
journalistic writing, freelance writing, and promoting my friends book
and my book at Asiatic Light Publishing.

This week stay tuned for the release of my mini book of poetry. I am also going to go over some short poetry forms that one can add into their daily routine to
loosen the writing sphincter (similar to the hay (na) ku and cinquain which i already covered)

I'm going to also add on weekly with a poet of the week or body of writing of the week so keep your eyes peeled.

Pece

Cobralingus

2007-11-01T16:39:00.000-04:00

Jeff Noon has this to say about language.

"By reaching towards an imaginary literature, the post-future novel offers itself as a way forward. First of all, we have to accept that English writing has been far too slow in its adoption of avant-garde techniques, in comparison with popular music, art and films. The narrative fabric of the latest cult movie is woven through with jump cuts, freeze-frames, montage, slow motion shots, tracking shots, hand-held camera techniques, and the like. House, hip-hop and garage recordings contain elements of remixing, scratching and sampling.

We can also look at the branching narratives of computer games, at the strange connections that hypertext links reveal on the internet, at the games played with image and text in a graphic novel.

All of these are fluid mediums, for a fluid society. Set against such material, no wonder the contemporary novel seems moribund. As writers, we need to open ourselves up to this fluidity. What are the prose equivalents of the tracking shot, the hyperlink, the remix, the freeze-frame? As readers, we need to bring the expertise we use when enjoying a film or a piece of visual art into our appreciation of the novel." (originally published at http://books.guardian.co.uk/departments/generalfiction/story/0,6000,420328,00.html)

Interestingly enough he actually comes up with a set of techniques to experiment with language differently. He calls it the Cobralingus Engine.

You can see an example of it at these various sites. Experient with this process. I am still experimenting with it myself.

Filter Gates
Animated Cobralingus site

Coming in 7 Days

2007-11-01T15:31:00.000-04:00

Book of the Week: Muse and Druge

2007-10-31T04:14:00.000-04:00

I am interested in Black authors of the diaspora who push the realms of tradition. The good aspects must be preserved and transformed to meet the needs of modernity and to scratch the back of futurism.

As such I am going to make sure that I highlight a work of poetry that gets the thumbs up from me.

A lot of poets building off the the Harlem Renaissance and later Black Arts movement sought to generate a black poetical tradition that was firmly rooted in the history of Black American music expression. Thus you can see many experimenting with ways to transpose the modalities of jazz and blues to the written word.

One poet whom I think has done an excellent job is Harryette Mullen through her work Muse and Druge. Not only does she have an epic poem that lyrically resonates blues she has also successful transposed the subject matter of blues in her writing. The whole long poem is about that 'invisible woman' who is so because of the social circles she stepped into. Make some time and check it out.

Is there a polar shift?

2007-10-30T11:07:00.000-04:00

Traditionally my greatest times for creative writing has been late at night. Recently that has shifted to early morning (is there a polar shift going on here). I think that I am storing more nervous energy (from various factors) in my physical and I don't fully let it out. I start my morning with various activities that actually release and accept in energy. While this may be okay to some it isn't to me because it means that if I ain't unwinding fully before I go to sleep then I am not getting the full benefits of sleep. Hmmmm...going to have to think on this one.

Support my peeps!

2007-10-29T16:29:00.000-04:00

Asiatic Light Publishing
(lulupress.com/asiaticlight)
Presents Eboni Joy Asiatic

From 85 to Civilized: An Earth's Journey in Poetry
by Eboni Joy Asiatic

Coming November 19th!

“The travel from darkness to light updated for our times”
Charles Jong, author of the poetry book Don't Shirk Your Duty

“Now poetry like this I can dig. Tell me again why stuff like this isn't in school?”
Charonda, SCSU student

“I like it. I like it alot”
Carol Anne, mother of three, neighborhood matriarch.

Science and Poetry?

2007-10-22T10:18:00.000-04:00

Do you like sci-fi? Do you like poetry? How about having your cake and eat it to. Check out Star Line online science fiction poetry magazine. Also if you just like science and poetry check out Astropoetica. Finally if you want to check out some next level in poetical forms check out Mathematical Poetry. According to that blog "Mathematical poetry is an artistic expression created by performing mathematical operations on words or images as if they were numbers. One may find this baffling because it seems we are confused about knowing the difference between the states of quality versus quantity. But it is through the fusion of this dichotomy that mathematical metaphor is spawned. Mathematics has always been used for denotation. However, our interest is to use math as a language for connotation.". It a great merger of visual art with poetry like Amiri Baraka's Low Coup (calm down we'll get to them).

Yeah Yeah

2007-10-17T10:21:00.000-04:00

Yes I have still been working on those two poems that I mentioned a few blog post back. My overall time though has been devoted to getting out Original Thought magazine.

Both of the poems have a free verse quality to them which is interesting since currently I have been attracted to classical forms such as the ghazal (we'll Build on it soon) and pantoun (yeah, we'll Build on that one also). It may be that I will squeeze out some pulp of free verse and distil it back in a form poem. We'll see.

The subject matter of both poems does signal a return of my use of poetry as a tool of addressing social injustices. I never leave that far behind though I do delve deep into periods of Asiatic Romanticism.

As an aside there is a fresh 'chained' Hay(na)ku project going on for a collection that is looking for submissions so y'all should check it out.

www.thejainakuproject.blogspot.com

Original Thought: The Time is Now

2007-10-16T09:14:00.000-04:00

Peace,
Yeah. You've been wondering what it is. Well today is the day of revelation. Take yourself over to www.originalthoughtmag.com and check us out. Tell us what you think. If you are interested in writing for Original Thought in any capacity leave me a line at alife@originalthoughtmag.com.

Peace

Whimsical

2007-10-15T09:52:00.000-04:00

The ins and outs of poetry

2007-10-09T09:10:00.001-04:00

So I've been under the weather the last week. Just as I was getting over a cold my allergies dropped (damn Ragweed has been on a rampage). While being infected with the blahs I found it hard to focus and write. I did get a little focus back when I found some ill songs. Music is SO complementary to my writing process.

While surfing the web I did come across this article at Poefrika.blogspot.com. It's a blog on African inspired writing. I had to post this for those constant excuse making writers out there (who I may resemble at some time)

Friday, October 5
How not to write poetry
Perhaps I know better how not to write poetry than how to write poetry. In the end it amounts to the same thing, but for now, I probably have more experience writing bad poetry than good. And this is my story. I decided to offer this because several friends have asked me to look at their stuff and comment it. I can't. I can't because nobody can tell anyone how to write. They can tell them how to prepare/be ready to write, not how to write. So this is for my friends who have asked me to comment their work, and for my friends who haven't, but whose success I desire. Remember, do the opposite of the following:

Write poetry but do not read it. You are gifted, and you know what poetry is. Why the heck should you bother yourself with what others pen? Write, write, write your poetry and you'll soon convince the world of your talent.

Do you think, I don't know, Langston Hughes, Sylvia Plath, Ezra Pound, Emily Dickinson, Claude McKay, do you think they spent time reading others? If they had, they wouldn't have had any time left to write their own masterpieces. Think of it!

Poetry comes from the soul. Write it as it comes, as it flows, and do not, repeat, do not change the words of the muse. Do not rewrite. It is blasphemy to do so. Poems are better written and read hot from the oven, with the feelings intact. Tinkering with a poem destroys it (if it ain't broke, don't fix it). Many beginning poets fret over punctuation, synonyms and other non-significant criteria. Write from the heart. Voila!

Listen to your family: siblings, cousins, parents, etc., because they love you and can guide you in your writing career. Who else, otherwise? Strangers may be jealous, so beware.

Write when the emotion stirs you. The rest of the time, amuse yourself with other things in life. Friends, movies, sport. Wait for the writing mood to strike and when it does, whammo! Write your masterpiece and send it to a magazine for publication pronto (see rule N°2). Why wait... but for the next writing emotion?

Poetry is fun, so when it gets difficult, or painful, stop and do something more fun. Then come back when you're in the right mood (when the muse is present). There is no way a poem such as this one (or this one) was written in pain, or by giving up something else. A poet can't be expected to give blood, to tear up, to wrench themselves when writing.

When a magazine rejects your submission, screw it. And screw the editor, too. They're out to get you, jealous freaks. Send them a piece of your mind, find other magazines, and submit to them only. Magazine editors are, after all, failed writers. They don't want to see anyone succeed where they didn't. Watch out for them.

Forget blogging and networking. Forget any sort of contact with other writers. What the hell would you want to communicate with them for? They'll just end up stealing your stuff.

Don't read advice about writing. Like we've already said, the muse is yours, use it to write and never mind what anybody else says. Don't listen to Geoffrey or Charles or Bob or Rethabile. And if you do listen, don't do what they say!

Do not find yourself a guardian poet, a mentor. You'll just end up writing like them without exploring your own potential. What can a guardian poet/writer do for you anyway?

http://poefrika.blogspot.com/search?q=how+to+not+right+poetry

Original Thought

2007-10-06T23:32:00.001-04:00

Log on to our temporary blog until out Oct. 15th launch.
www.myspace.com/originalthoughtmag
People are already adding their own ORIGINAL quotes and observations to the comment section. They get the THOUGHT.

Appreciate the support to aid Original people! www.originalthoughtmag.com

Check out our commerical and help spread the word!

Other events in Connecticut

2007-09-28T10:42:00.000-04:00

Originality

2007-09-24T00:00:00.000-04:00

Go to Myspace.com/originalthoughtmag

Two pieces

2007-09-19T09:28:00.000-04:00

I am working on two pieces. With the current climate of social injustice just sickening to me words have haunted me day and night. I have to lay them out in some pattern and order. The two pieces are "I throw block parties in Sundown Towns" and "Weapons of Mass Instruction". If you are ignorant on the Jena 6, Megan Williams, civilians dying in Iran/Afganisthan, poverty stricken youth, etc. than you need to get on up out of my blog and get informed. I'll be putting my drafts to my editor folks in the next couple of days and we'll see what I come up with.

If you are in Connecticut check out these events

2007-09-18T23:05:00.000-04:00

The Preacher and the Teacher

2007-09-17T22:59:00.000-04:00

Got the oratory skills from my Old Dad and the written from my Old Earth.

The Cinquain

2007-09-12T11:33:00.000-04:00

The Cinquain as developed by Adelaine Crapsy (which was influenced by the Japanese poetic forms of Haiku and Tanka) is a form I like to utilize. It is a short unrhymed poem of 22 syllables. It has five of 2, 4, 6, 8, 2, syllables respectively.

It is a nice form with brevity which I find refreshing and challenging. It is also noted as being a form that is taught to children alot so there is a large body of children Cinquains.

There are several sites that are devoted to the preservation of the Cinquain. I use it along with the Haiku, Tanka, Hay (na) ku to express short verse.

U.N.P.S.

2007-09-11T08:52:00.000-04:00

You know you want to be down. One of the freshest places for online poetry in terms of community on the net. Check it out.
The Underground Poet's Society

Poem

2007-09-10T08:47:00.000-04:00

Ayah IV
School morning with Isaiah

We slurp hot tea
On a brisk September morning
Just shy of the sunrise
Sitting on red milk crates on the back porch
Counting paint chips on the banister
Marveling at jackdaws scribbling across the sky

©2007 C'BS ALife

Be the writer for...

2007-09-07T12:17:00.000-04:00

...those who have a story to tell and those who don't have a voice. I am the griot of my family. My father is the HISTORIAN yet I am the griot. My father is 86. He hasn't written a book on the family history yet he has it all up in his brain, forget forgetting. My job is to take his recollections, those photos, that story and make it walk and talk. I must make it relevant to the masses.

What about all of the displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Who speaks for them. The poet is to be a voice for social change. Poetry is intensely personal yet it isn't private. Those who are on some narcissitic poetry porkcrap aren't poets in my observation. They just need a hug.

The poet alerts you to reality. The poet is actually the counterpoint to journalism in that they just don't report facts. The poet infuses his view with emotional weight that cries for one to address something.

Make sure that you are writing for something. This allows you longevity in this craft. It also allows you to have a relevant perspective and one that people in general will respect.

The Surface is the Shield

2007-09-06T09:48:00.000-04:00

The surface that we write on is just as important as the instrument that we write with. The pen is the sword yet the pad is the shield.

There are two primary surfaces that I write on. The first is a product of this age. It is the laptop computer. It is mobile so I can take it with me where I go. I can use it in the park. I can use it while riding in the bus. It serves as a mini ecological environment for me. It has pictures of my family, my favorite music, built in dictionaries. I can put all of my work in an insane OCD order that may not work for anyone else yet is necessary for me.

My second surfaces are a little more intimate. They are small pocket sized moleskin note pads. Always given to me by someone who I love or have loved. Everything goes into those pads from observations, to random list, to poetry fragments. Their weight in my pocket is comforting. I probably should be fearful of anyone looking at them due to all of the secrets inside yet the language is so sublime that very few would be able to extract the full meaning.

I have seen people have spiral notebooks, loose leaf papers thrown about, even a chalkboard. Whatever works. Just take a moment though and think why does it work for you. A little insight into that may enable you to tap into a portion of yourself that you were unaware of.

Top Heavy

2007-09-05T16:52:00.000-04:00

Though I am invovled in alot of different types of writing from general essays to science fiction this blog will be poetry top heavy. I freelance write yet my great love is for poetry. Take it or leave it.

From Steven Barnes

2007-09-05T11:10:00.000-04:00

This is a post from Steven Barnes. He is a black science fiction writer whom I highly respect as a WRITER and as a modern day Renaissance man. Listen to his words of wisdom. You can check out his daily postings at his blog atDar Kush

N is for "Never Give Up"
I heard a story once--not certain whether it's true or apocryphal. It's said that WinstonChurchill was asked to give the commencementaddress at a British school. He mounted thestage, looked out at the audience of fresh young faces and said: "Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never. Never give up."

And sat down.

It's never, ever, ever been said better. In life,you should choose an occupation, a career, a livelihood that you feel that strongly about. Me? I'd rather fail as a writer than succeed at anything else. I've typed my fingers bloody, cried myself to sleep, wrestled with my demons,read until my eyes were bleary, sought out any and all advice or help I could find, whereverI could find it.

All because what I wanted, more than anythingin the world, was to be a writer. Most peoplecan't handle rejection, not realizing that rejection, in any arena from getting published seduction to sales (and aren't they all really just the same thing?), is just a numbers game. You have to get rejected twenty times forevery "yes" you get. Or thirty. Or fifty. Whatever.

The person who wins is the one who gets up to the plate one more time after hisheart has been broken. Who gets back on the horse after all his friends are wincingand limping back to the bunkhouse. Whoasks yet another girl to dance after a dozen have said "no."

It's a numbers game. When you start collecting rejection slips, keep a scrap-book. Paper your walls with the little suckers. Consider every "no" a victory--you are oneof the few with the guts to keep going afterit gets tough.

And make no mistake, it's going to be tough.Even writers who seem to have utterly charmed careers have their personal struggles, I promise you. They just don't wear theirhearts on their sleeves. You see the finishedproduct, not the hell they went through to produce it.

You must believe that your efforts will be rewarded, if your goals are clear, you workto the edge of your ability, tell the truth, continually improve your circle of allies, and have faith.

Go back over everything I've taught youabout the Hero's Journey. It is the combinedwisdom of all the world's elders, condensedto comprehensible form. While nothing andno one can promise you success, I can absolutely guarantee you failure:

Just roll over and give up. That'll do it.

Back on the mic

2007-09-04T16:38:00.000-04:00

I have been away from performing for a minute. I focused alot of the past years invested in raising of my son during his first few years of school. In the last couple of years my life has been transformed into a form that I would not have predicted many years ago.

I wrote and published my second book of poetry, something that I have been saying that I was going to do for several years. I am very pleased with it and the response from the public at large has been positive. Yet with all of the above and moving into actually realizing that I can generate some of my income from freelance writing I have been absent from the scene.

This all changed this past Friday. I hit an open mic and it felt as though I didn't miss a beat. I started off with my usual stream of short poems (that one of my friends calls the fortune cookie flow). It came from having alot of short poems that I wanted to perform yet not feeling that an open mic was the place for it. I have turned that into part of my normal performance. Felt good to have that mic in my hand and sharing again with the public. Needless to say the 10 copies of my book that I had on me sold like fire right after my performance.

Sigh. Looks like I gotta plan a tour soon.

Poets of renown

2007-09-03T16:27:00.000-04:00

I added a section letting you see some of the people who in the poetry world inspire me. I will continue to add on to the list as it is incomplete as of now. The list has alot of different people on it. Some are dead poets, others are famous poets, some are some of the greatest poets I know yet you will only see them if you come down to poetry night in New Haven. Also, I had to add in there a few emcees who are some of the most incredible modern day poets that I know. I continue to learn from their works and writings. And amongst that number on that list there are a few I even call friend.

Something that I have learned from each poet is the importance of community and the duty of the poet to be the voice of the community. It is one of the highest of all callings. Sometimes I get discouraged because some poets whom I have come across want to use their platform to edify their own inflanted sense of self. At those times I can always come back to these solid rocks who continue to show me new ways to get the voice of the community out to the community.

Read

2007-08-31T09:10:00.000-04:00

We as writers don't live in a vacum either. With that said read. Read often.

On the poetry side I am reading 'Call Me Ishmael Tonight' by Agha Shahid Ali and 'The First Hay (na)ku Anthology' edited by Jean Vengua and Mark Young.

On the sci-fi side I am reading 'The Phoenix Exultant' by John C. Wright.

Make sure that you keep reading because that extra stimuli opens up new channels in your thinking and can cause you to go in direction that you wouldn't have thought of on your own.

Poetry Links

2007-08-30T08:11:00.000-04:00

I added a new list dealing with links connecting to poetry forms to the right. I will update the list everytime I overview a new form in my blog. At present I have a link to THE Hay(na)ku blog (the blog of the creator of the form) and a link to a great Haibun journal. Enjoy.

Another Poetry Form: The Haibun

2007-08-29T08:18:00.000-04:00

The Haibun is a Japanese form often used in a travelogue form. It is another brief form (lately I've been experimenting with brief forms). It consists of one or more paragraphs with one or more embedded haiku. The prose is often poetic in and of itself. It lends itself to reveal a special moment. The haiku amplify the prose by illustrating a direct or subtle relationship to the moment. Basho, a traveling zen monk is the originator of this form circa 1650. As he wrote them while he was traveling the same subject matter permeates modern Haibun.

I have a lot of travels that I have taken (and continue to take). I find it a great meditative form to use in my travel journals. I also lean toward poetic prose so this form allows me to explore that particular strength. Try it out.

*Poets and Writers has just updated their contests and residencies area. Check it out.
*In the future I will link some poetry form sites to my blog. Stay tuned

You are not an island

2007-08-28T09:04:00.000-04:00

Writers are a community. We do not exist on an island nowadays. Make sure that you are a part of this community. There are so many ways that youu can become a part. You can join a writer's workshop in your area. You can join one of the the billions of online writer's forums out there. You can subscribe to one of the many magazines or journals. It is just important that you become a part so that you first have a group of people supporting you who respect the written word. For me, this group was essential in getting me through the 'dark night of the soul' that many of us go through in terms of judging our own work.

Being around other writers also enables you to recieve new stiumuli in the form of their writings. When I am writing I tend to shut my self off to mine the resources within my own self. It is important to stay organically connected to the world though. The works of other writers is a great way to do this.

So don't flee the people who probably understand you the most.

Get an Editor

2007-08-27T08:45:00.000-04:00

Get an Editor

If you are working on a large project like a novel or a book of poetry or even a short story get an editor. In terms of your shorter pieces you should always have someone look them over. You should get use to someone critiquing your work. A once read over with a fresh eye will bring out the luster of your piece, clean up any loose ends, and make sure that your works are always presented in the best light.

Use all of the benefits of computer writing programs such as grammar/spelling check. If you have a friend who is an English major let them take a crack at your work. Editing is part of the process of writing. It is the final polish. In some cases editing may cause you to smash the whole project and start over again. That's alright. Don't become attatched to a single point in time of your creation. Allow your creation to grow and develop. Be in tune with every stage.

You may be perfect, yet your piece is not ;-) Let others point you toward perfection