The Separateness Consideration.

What more does this world want from me?

Whatever I give, never appears to be enough.

The world continues to be unrelenting in its desire

To have every single part of me,

Till I can no longer recognize who I am in the mirror

To bleed into every material or living thing —

As it bleeds into me — like acrylic paint–

At home in the design of unmarked differences.

To be part of the “known” universe.

Simplified, according to the terms of the derivative

Well, I say. “F*ck that.”

I may be subject to the whims of an irrational universe,

Born into it, but I refuse to be complacent — 

Poisoned by the contagion of fear and madness.

If I’m to fail, I will fail as a result of setting my own terms

Not through resting my laurels on the misdiagnoses set

By the unchecked biases of others.

– O.D. ©2023

Art by: vurdeM

“Truth is not what you want it to be, it is what it is and you must bend to its power or live a lie.” Miyamoto Musashi

I like how layered this quote is. The “truth” is in many ways unidentified. I think we can find personal truths and proceed to come in contact with people who have reached similar conclusions (all whilst other people find tribes that share their views e.t.c.)

Some would go as far as defining these “truths” as shared ideologies and it wouldn’t be much of a stretch. Who knows, everything is a subject of this world. I only encourage people to make conscious choices about what they wish to do with their lives and not give the steering wheel to someone else.

What I believe is, whatever happens, I’ll push on. I can’t bend the world into what I want, but I sure as hell can decide how I maneuver through all of it.

Bye.

Blood Ties.

Fervently advocating for the guilty

Purely on the premise of them being family

Doesn’t make me loyal — It simply makes me complicit

Who you think you are to me,

Or what blood we share, is no factor.

If you actively infringe on the autonomy and freedom of others

You are forever nothing to me.

– O.D. ©2023

Art by: AaronGriffinArt

Words From A Dying Star.

In the darkness,

Friction,

A spark — A flame

Thawing out the glacial cold.

Tormentor,

For as long as the soul is bright

It will not be snuffed

Like your poison-scented candles.

– O.D. ©2023

Art by: hudaamien1

The Purple Odyssey (2)

The Purple Odyssey (1)

******

The odyssey continues …

Despite coming to terms with how it might not have

A reality as familiar as symbols on a refrigerator door

They stick to me, easily, forming patterns

Till I converge their divergent nature

Into one concentrated solution — answer, my passion,

Remains untamed with every mention of you

The energy I find in what we have is astounding.

It lay buried — forgotten

I assumed the world wanted little to do with it.

But then you appeared, in all your grace

Encouraging me to re-evaluate my considerations

You are not God, but I see him in your design.

They say when you fall, “Fall cautiously

You can never be sure of people’s motives”

Perhaps,

But they haven’t met you.

– O.D. ©2023

Art by: IMNODOIRAE

Et Tu, Brute?

It’s innocent until proven guilty

Not innocent until felt guilty.

– O.D. ©2023

Art by: Nexumorphic

I’m quick to correct people who accuse me of anything whilst using their feelings as a premise.

Look, we can all feel something. It’s encouraged and definitely an integral part of the human experience. But to think your “feelings” are the judge, jury and executioner in any matter is simply ridiculous.

In the space of ten minutes, we are liable to feel a complex series of emotions stemming from a variety of sources. It can be the result of unprocessed trauma, sensitivity to triggers or anxiety — and this can all affect our behaviour in the present.

Not everyone knows how to self-regulate. It’s challenging to sit and process hurtful things we may have experienced in our lives. But it has to be done.

What we shouldn’t do is put our pain on others. Turning our inner turmoil into an excuse to behave poorly.

And of course, there are situations where your gut feeling tells you something is off. Instead of immediately sending someone to the guillotine, I would suggest taking that feeling as an opportunity to investigate further. And as you investigate, remember to do the same to yourself.

(I say this because I’m remembering how cheaters often suspect their partner of cheating because they have no way to process their guilt)

Sometimes, the answer isn’t too far off.

“Extraodinary claims require extraordinary evidence” – Sigma

Good Faith.

“Show don’t tell”

Certainly true to the foundation of a compelling storyline

Immersion being the primary consideration, but —

Not in real life.

Getting to the point where I have to show you

So you understand what you’re doing is not conducive

Carries the equivalence of severing each and every one of my limbs

For the express purpose of helping you understand the eventual outcome.

And then after, expecting everything to go back to the way it was.

 

– O.D. ©2023

 

Art by: RHADS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fixed Pie.

Hard to reason with someone

Whose understanding of nuance begins

At the level of a train wreck.

– O.D. ©2023

Art by: arcipello

Myopic Grenades.

In an argument,

Your emotions and feelings

Are only evidence

Of your capacity to emote and feel.

– O.D. ©2023

Art by: vurdeM

Wayward.

True to my nature, I continue to stay Present, Live and Direct

There’s not a soul walking Earth that I perceive as a threat.

I’d rather burn in the sun than hide in someone’s shadow

I refuse to find comfort in strangers eager to play Operator

Eager to fiddle with the locomotion governing my train of thought.

ill-intent — with its crooked wheels — is quick to be derailed,

From my track, bulldozing its way through some wayward woods

Where it rightfully belongs — getting lost in its own confusion

— and still, some part of me continues to hope

It finds itself a home.

– O.D. ©2023

Art by: arcipello

Lock Your Doors — Cross The Road. I Won’t Judge.

People define racism in a number of ways. It can be more overt, with racial slurs or ethnocentrism that borders on neo-fascist ideals. Or it can be covert through value judgements based entirely on ethnicity (racial prejudice) and divisive rhetoric.

As fun as it is to talk about all these things; today I’ll be taking a completely different direction.

There are some actions people take that can easily be interpreted as “racism”, and we can sit here and debate them all day. So to avoid poisoning my analysis (by approaching this from a holistic perspective) I will base it entirely on my own experience and interpretations. If you share some of my views (or don’t) let’s talk about it in the comment section.

It’s also important to note that I live in a foreign country and I’m the only black person in my community. Sometimes I forget it until I’m reminded.

This puts me in a unique position to share my personal insights and conclusions.

CROSS THE ROAD

I’ve been in a situation where I’m walking home, and someone (usually a lady) is walking in my direction, sees me, and decides to cross the road. I’ve heard some people who’ve gone through a similar scenario conclude it as racism or fear built entirely on prejudice.  (i.e Black = Rap + Basketball + Drugs + Hood mentality + Chicken + Gun)

These are all interesting theories, but until proven, they’ll stay that way, as theories. I can’t, for certain, say why this has happened to me 2-4 times. But it can be the result of numerous reasons. Maybe where they (the person crossing) need to go is across the road and has nothing to do with me. Maybe they want to avoid how awkward it would be to cross paths with someone when there’s plenty of space across the road. We could theorize about this for hours.

What I know for certain is, they are justified, for whatever reason — to do whatever they want — as long as it doesn’t inconvenience me. Sometimes people take actions based on culture or past trauma that we might not be aware of. Not everything that happens around us has to do with us. So yes, please cross the road; bunny-hop there if you want to as well. 

“Maybe they cross the road because you’re Black. And Ugly”

You mean ugly to her, right? Because no way I’m “objectively” ugly lol have you seen my face? I would describe it as many things, but “ugly” definitely isn’t one of them.

Ask my girl Shay; she’ll tell you 😉

LOCK YOUR DOORS

I remember one day I was walking home from work (late afternoon). There was a car parked by the sidewalk I usually use. I was busy on my phone, minding my own business when I heard the car doors lock — just as I passed (the car).

Now, look, I’m not saying they locked their doors because of me lol but it wouldn’t be far-fetched to tally that as a possibility. Considering the fact that they had been parked in that same spot for well over a minute and then decided to lock their doors as I was passing by lol (not before — not after)

Some would go as far as calling that racism,  because the driver’s actions imply they think I’ll car-jack them. Maybe. Again, there’s no way to know for certain. There’s enough evidence to build a theory/argument but no solid foundation to confidently stamp a judgment.

Perhaps they always lock their doors, and by seeing me — the only pedestrian at the time –they were reminded to lock their doors.

Perhaps their doors were already locked, and the sound I heard was them unlocking — I can’t identify the difference personally.

As I said before, there are too many interpretations and possibilities to consider for me to confidently commit to one. (racial prejudice is still one of those possibilities)

But you wanna know what I say to all this?

“Go ahead and lock your doors, Sir/Madame. Lock them tight. Double-check if you have to”

If you see a person (from your race or a different one) walking whilst you’re alone in your car and you feel threatened? Please lock your doors, you have nothing to prove by keeping them open. I and many others won’t think of you as racist or weak. Because who knows, had the roles been reversed, I’d probably lock my doors too once I saw you.

It’s not racism to simply practice basic survival skills in the urban jungle. That’s like walking around dropping 100-dollar bills (Hensel and Gretel style) to help me find my way home and expecting to see each and every one of them on my way back. Also, consider the possibility that I AM  a super black mugging man; then that would make you correct (in that particular instance). Or maybe I’m not. Truth is, no matter what I tell you, only I know myself and I can’t expect you to NOT lock your doors to prove you’re NOT racist to me or yourself.

So yes, lock your doors Sir/Madame.

Word of advice though. If you’re trying to be safe, maybe try not to wait until someone is literally by your car to lock said doors. That’s just being reckless and taking “adventure” to an unnecessarily high level. Had I been a carjacker, your timing would have been sloppy. I would have gotten into your car, and asked you to leave (politely, of course) with a drumstick in one hand and a coke-stained gun in another. I would wear my hood, start playing rap music and talking about my grind in the hood. I would talk about white privilege as the reason for all my misfortune, starting with the stomach-ache I’ll be having as I drive your car away. Not at all to do with my poor hygiene, oh no, everything can be blamed on someone else.

Then you could go home and tell your family that everything those films and news outlets say about black people is correct. 

You don’t need to thank or pay me for giving you this world-shattering advice. It’s free. You can, however, repay me by continuing to lock your doors. You can even leave them open for people that look like you. Just keep watch for the drumstick man with a hoodie and a loaded 9mm. That’s the real danger right there.

Art by: Pegaite

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