Passion is not a driven thing
It is the leading of purpose
Accompanied by deep
love
The meeting of souls is a cosmic explosion

The sizzle of the skin
with the undulating  breath
That tingle at the core
that dances with abandon
The touch of heat in the
nape of the beautiful place

The crescendo of intimate music
As the heart fills with longing
Like the eye of a storm
making the ambiance rich in its light

Difference sits quietly while likeness smiles with a craving to be fulfilled
Everything is waiting for the climax of this dance
How does love feel?

A billion ways exist in the ether of love and expression
There are uncountable mysteries at work
At home in the dark of into-me-see

Chocolate on chocolate love
has many varieties to offer
The mood resplendent is angled with power beyond measure
It's the language of truth

Reaching for each other is the only way to fill the cup
Love has many voices
The setting is created for the exploration of a hundred ways

A hundred ways to taste
A hundred ways to connect
A hundred ways to be
A hundred ways love

© zari olawale 2019
#blackpoetboy

Fragility

Art has way of using a visual language to convey a plethora of subjects.The power of the creative process is everything.

We live in a time of relative fragility in daily life and this is causing many to foam at the mouth, whilst some choose to be easily offended and others simply let the hate fall like acid rain.

As a creative observer and producer, I feel the responsibility to share what I see and feel in bringing our collective consciousness to bear.

We are all experiencing symptoms of fragility as we circumnavigate the choppy seas of social media, moral compass, choices and the popular gaze. We are twitching with nervousness because no one wants to rock the boat so to speak.

But to rock the boat is what Life is all about anyway. Isn't it?

In the political arena, tweets are causing a shit storm because sides are drawn and wisdom is shunted aside in favour of vitriolic sound bytes.

In the case of religious beliefs and cultural biases, war is waged with and arsenal of arms amassed without any concrete proof albeit that everyone is easily offended. The talk of love is heard but only hate seems to speak...very loudly.

Prudish attitudes are rife because the political, the religious and the cultural frown on the most natural things about being human. We don't touch anymore for fear of reprisals. Sexual energy is suppressed and relationships are shipwrecking. Laws are crafted to squelch all fun and then we wonder why we slink about in the dark trying to satisfy our natural curiosity about our sexual and sensual identity.

Everything that makes life sweet, beautiful and fulfilling is reduced to a taboo of sorts. The idea of speaking one's truth is lauded but dare to do so and you get censured. The movement for openness and transparency is marching forward, however, the juggernaut of repression is speeding faster than light. Confusion is running the madhouse as those who choose not to remain silent take responsibility to be real and frank.

Too much fragility is a deep sign and sigh of fear at work in the collective mind. It seems like everyone is on a tightrope knowing that they will fall because they are heavily invested in the opinions of a frightened society.

Personally, I am convinced that courage is that attitude that breaks barriers and brings freedom forth. I pride the truth of openness above all. When a society is open and willing change is then the only byproduct.

Imagine if everyone were conscious of their place in life and lived according to this truth, would our world be a battlefield on a knife edge? Alas, we are creating a world saturated with fakery, dog whistling, vested interests, biased commentary, twisted logic, disempowering narratives, racial and sexual discrimination, and the crushing of  individual expression and spirit.

We must remember that we are sexual, social, sensual and spiritual beings. We thrive in freedom and suffer in restraint. We do not behave well in hate. This then means that we are at choice to change and become better than what we have experienced thus far.

The next generation is challenging all that the last has held to be accurate. Isn't it time that openness is really prized in the real world! Balance is the best place to live.

The question is; when will we course correct and re-evaluate ourselves? Are not all asking this of ourselves; can I be me?

What is stopping you and me? Courage is the reality that when we go within then we discover that the answers have always been inside us all along.

© zari olawale 2019

Photo Credit: Pinterest
#blackpoetboy

Skin of My Soul

Breathing is a constant reminder
of the miracle of being alive
It is a magical play of inhale and exhale
This totally automatic sequence is restorative

Everything breathes on this orb of green and blue
Paying attention to the breath is a gift
Troubles come as part of the human play
All the roles, emotions, traumas and we inhabit

My heart walks me to recall
the meaning of my being here presently
I am a block of stone with a complete gesture of me inside
The Universe's chisel sculpts away what does not belong

What moves through me is not who I am
These experiences through serve me in ways of becoming
Letting go of what I am not rings sublime and true
As I breathe and accept the stillness that emerges;
this is the skin of my soul

©zari alexxanderr-caine 2018
#blackpoetboy

Tears

Saltwater is a sea
that hides within the eyes
This ocean speaks when
emotions collide inside
They wait until the time
is ripe for the tsunami

As the situation overwhelms the eyes overflow
Saltwater cascades in rivulets
They roll, splash and fall
We call it crying, sobbing
Blood shot eyes greet life
in ways only they can tell

Let's cry with joy and sadness
It's the same water with varying emotions caught inside
Cry freely. Tears are liquid prayers that say everything
Dammed tears hurt
We become more when we let the tears flow

Love weeps didn't you know?
Sadness doesn't hold all the approval
Consciousness weeps too, didn't you know?
Children cry all the time
Why don't adults shed tears?
The strongest of us are safe weepers

Let the saltwater fall
It washes more that tear ducts
But the hold of fear and anxiety
Let's cry and release ourselves from perpetual darkness
This ocean washes away the old and let's the new flow

©zari alexxanderr-caine 2018
#blackpoetboy

Photo Credit: Tumblr

BROWN MOLASSES

Once upon a time
Sugar was alien to the western palate
Meanwhile, in the sweetest clime
Kingdoms enjoyed abundance in all forms

These highly conscious beings
Travelled the world as ambassadors of culture
And brought innovation and things
Europe was built by kings made of gold

A sudden but gradual switch was forced
As the fearfilled stole breathing sugar
In whose veins creation coursed
Sun kissed, wise, hospitable and open

Carnage ensued as dark hueman flesh
Was turned into commodity and profit
Sugar lost its taste in the mesh
Horrors untold visited upon the trade

Century to century black lives matter
The ocean claimed cubes as they fell
Reality made raw by the serving on a platter
Inhumanity denied nothing for anything

After all the infernal hubris and asinine lies
In the midst of the boiling down process
Those kings arose from the syrup
Sweeter than before to again possess

With iron in the soul and fire in the belly
The dark liquid of courage remained
A people of high tenacity akin to brown molasses
Slowly formed as they became sweeter;
Look at us now
How beautiful is the castle of our skin!

©zari alexxanderr-caine 2018
#OurBlaqStories #blackpoetboy

Bring Me A Dream

I looked into the face of my face
and said words in lined thoughts
A word with mySelf ensued
How do you speak to the essence of Life?

Unspoken love whispered as I waited
I heard the sound of a dream anew
The texture is smooth and then rough
I picked up the sense of contrast

When I self-inquire, it's the way I choose
Standing on a beach of white sands
Listening to the voice of soul in hushed tones;
"Bring me a dream".

I reach out and touch my face

©zari alexxanderr-caine 2018
#blackpoetboy

Last week, two prominent names in the media, ended their lives of their own choice and accord. There have been a plethora of prominent people who have chosen to leave in such shocking ways that we, the on-looking and starstruck masses gasp with shock and disbelief.

We gasped collectively on why and how this can be. We try to rationalise that they were the poster people for success, its accoutrements and dreams come true and yet we see people like us making decisions that are informed by many factors. I wonder too. I also think that I understand why.

It's a human phenomenon.

Whoever we are and in whatever aquarium we choose to swim, we are dealing with some harsh and strong currents that are beneath the seeming glassy exterior that we portray to others. We hide our true feelings and share insipid factoids to ease the pain and expectations of others. We hold back our light and let the shade that systems throw stick to us as real.

I am not certain what pushed Kate Spade and Anthony  Bourdain and Robin Williams and the many others in the limelight to choose to end their journeys but I completely understand the premise. I feel on the edge at times. It's a fact of life that our culture is hiding behind its hands in denial and so buries its head in the sand. Mental health issues are a fact of modern living as it has always been in times past but moreso in our overstretched modern culture. And yet, there is a hush about the fragility of the human mind. There is a taboo that shuts off many who are in that shaky place. It disregards fame, fortune or personality. Life is not cruel, conversely, we are not listening to the loving guidance that is in the Universe as us.

I struggle often with trying to keep it together in ways that slip from from my hands. There are a smorgasbord of triggers that present other mind games that are sure to lead to dark and depressive episodes or fully fledged depression. No one can tell when the crack happened. No one can see the train coming on the track that isn't there. No one can predict who is frail or strong. Especially the so-called strong. The lid must be lifted from this shadowy part of our lives and allow the light of truth to shine. We do better in the sun. We suffer in the dark.

When celebrities are cracking before our eyes, what must we do to assist them lovingly? Are we not on the same team called humanity? Are we not made of hair and skin and hopes and dreams? Do we think poverty kills more than affluence? Or is it a racial problem of a human issue?

I know that I, as a person with no grand clout, influence and relative power, I struggle with the market forces that squeeze beyond my abilities of course correction, the intentions of others when gentrification is the darling of the government and the theft of livelihoods by nefarious measures plus the impact on relationships, family, faith and fortune, it's a perfect recipe for fractured people to fall apart. The stigma attached to mental health problems is making it difficult to rise again. If those with all the bells and whistles are checking out suddenly as we are witnessing, what hope is there for those of us who are as common as muck, so to speak?

We are in danger.

We are custodians and not owners. We are relationship wired beings. We came with nothing and will take nothing with us when we transition out of here. What is it that is so important than life lived with purpose, joy, love and generosity cannot fill?

Is bigger, better, more really enhancing our lives or is it simply diminishing the flavour of our individuality and our collective consciousness? I am for openness in recognising, assisting and healing all kinds of mental health problems. Hiding never solved anything.

Can we start by owning up to the fact that most of us are closer to cracking than we care to admit? Can we open to the possibilities that are creating an imbalance in our engagement with life? Can we just fess up and tell our trusted ones that we are overwhelmed? Can we find our strength in what we think is a weakness? Can we listen to each other between the lines first and then speak truthfully in a safe space? Can we realise that everyone on earth is beleaguered with modern life and the cultural demands that we create?

Can we talk honestly?

Can we?

©zari alexxanderr-caine 2018
#blackpoetboy