I was preparing to die

 “If this is my life, then the people around me only see themselves, so even if I’m dead, how would I know? Therefore; I could be dead, but alive in another life not knowing that I’ve died a million times.”

My obituary, lord willing, will say that I was a United States veteran. It will not say that during my years of service that I honestly didn’t think I was going to make it out alive. The president at the time had a lot of oil ties and he and his father had some unsettled business. While watching the towers fall, mass tribute songs had been released and I saw death on television. As March ends and we begin April, once again, turtle island has to decide. I was in my teens when I served and I admit that I pushed and I pushed everyday, but my flaw was that I did not think nor believe that I was going to make it out of the war on terror alive. People were jumping to their death as huge buildings fell from the sky. There was small fighting going on in planes in the skies. It drove me to hate war and sadly I lost the ability to use my full brain but over time became healed. Blessed with the gift of common sense, I cut off everyone whom I would hurt if I were to die. I lost faith in the idea of survival and prepared to reach the other side. Every day I had to face my fears. I, like many other enlisted men and women had surrendered my soul to serve and defend the constitution of the United States of America and that we did. I’m sharing this story because while on the edge of life trapped inside of a floating steel ship frame I had to learn something about divine intervention. Being so young, I had to stomach the fact that I would never return home because the war on terror was a drain. It was a test to see how far the human body would go until it just collapsed and while seeing the gates of heaven, apparently, it was not my time. I woke up in a hospital on the island of Puerto Rico.

I do recall a song at the time called the “World’s Greatest” the man who sang it is in jail now, I believe, but I rather enjoyed the tribute song and can’t find the copy that brung me so much joy. The people who enlist in any military branch have to be unique. My lesson in this piece is the simple fact that I saw excellence on display everyday of service. I saw people flying broken planes and steering broken ships. I admit that when I concluded that I was going to die, God himself showed me who was boss. I entered the kingdom of a free heaven, filled with possibilities and peace only to be told that, “Young man, you have a life to live and it’s not your time.”

Today, as we head into April, we remember the life of Brian Keith West, a man so devoted to freedom that he entered the gates of heaven so liberated in death, for the service to his country and the people, that God himself resurrected him from the dead and gave him a second chance at life on earth. 

I’m in my forties now and God proved me wrong and while prepared to die at that time we laughed together, realizing that if God invented death, he also invented life; therefore, as long as I answer to him, it’s a win win situation.

Rest in peace.

Here lies the tomb of Brian Keith West, still alive in his own world somewhere else.

He lives.

The Allure of the Green Elephants

 “Junior, where’s your brother Bino?” Jamil asked her son.

“He’s in the back smoking weed with Ray,” Junior replied.

Jamil was tired of her son doing things that were not productive so she pinned his face to a book and left to go to the store. She needed a change, so she rode her donkey to the store to buy more books for her kids. Growing in frustration with how low and slow the donkey was she couldn’t help but notice two big green elephants on sale. She, and the family had been riding their donkey for so long that Jamil just couldn’t take it anymore. Later that day, Junior and his brother noticed that his mother was back, but the donkeys were gone.

“Mom, where’s the donkey?” Junior asked.

“Well, your father and I decided that we needed something a bit stronger. Times are hard so we need something that we as a family can depend on,” Jamil said, smiling at their new ride.

“So you bought green elephants,” Junior replied noticing his mother and father acting strange.

“God is good!” His mother said feeding their new animal friends. 

Junior went to his room and noticed his brother duck taped to a green book with a marijuana leaf on it.  

“Mom and dad aren’t the same anymore Junior, they chained me to this desk and tried to force me to read this book about the side effects of weed. I refused and they put green duck tape around my head and taped me to the book. They’ve lost it. They said it would change my luck. Junior help me, please, help me!” Junior’s brother Bino said while gasping for air as his face remained stuck to the book.

“I noticed that they bought two big green elephants, yeah, I would say they’ve either lost it or they’re trying to make a point. Where’s Ray?” Junior asked.

“Dad chased him off because he kept selling me weed. Our parents are not the same anymore, they even got the WiFi blocked so we can’t use it,” Bino said.

Junior could hear his mom calling him from downstairs.

“Junior!” 

“Yes, Mom!” He replied.

“Your dad said come and plug the green elephants into their charging ports before they go dead,” Junior’s mom said.

“Mom, you don’t charge elephants, they’re animals,” Junior said looking at his brother.

“Yeah, Bee, I think they’ve lost it.”

Realizing that his parents were determined to make sure that he and his brother made something out of themselves, Junior watched from his room as his mother and father rode off into the neighborhood on their green elephants. Either the elephants posed as some form of good luck or his parents were really determined to stand on top of the crowd. Either way, Junior and his brother had to accept it as the new normal. There was just something about those green elephants that got everyone all excited.

The Allure of the Green Elephants 

The Green Pyramids

There she stood, the green eyed dreadlock virgin Queen. Men fought, bled, and died to receive her blessings.

“What do you desire?” Her father asked.

“I want every man in our dynasty to build me green pyramids that will stand tall until I return from the underworld. I want the pyramids to be as beautiful as my green eyes,” Queen Isis said.

Here father rushed and gave every man her message and they began to build as she took her journey through the underworld.

After their work was complete a lion stood at the entrance and turned into stone as she rested for her soul descended into the underworld to save the world.

In the span of five thousand years archaeologists were digging and found her mummified remains. A green gas  soon filled the chamber.

“Who dare comb through the remains of my people?” Queen Isis said rising from the underworld with her army.

Pagan symbols and cultures were everywhere. Being the true goddess of life she saw her green pyramids and was pleased. 

Floating with her golden army, she was now immortal and as mortal men fought she stood atop of Mt. Olive with her lion roaring like thunder.

“I am!” She shouted as the entire gravitational pull of the earth and the heavens began to gravitate around her.

“I am!” She shouted again as all things were summoned to adore and worship her.

All the dead rose and all that was good was created by her. The trickery of those seeking answers had no choice but to return her dynasty’s belongings back to her land. Standing on top of the earth the entire universe extracted in the palm of her hand.

“I am!” She shouted the third time with all power.

She, and her army of gold warriors conquered the underworld only to return to see that her men had completed the task for generations to marvel at mountains of green pyramids. 

The green eyed dreadlock queen returned and walked the earth to bring all death to life and that she did for everything that she touched was anointed to grow. She alone was and still is the truth and nothing could exist without her.

She was everything, and when the people looked into her green eyes it gave them eternal life.

In her, all odds were stacked in her favor. All that she was and all that she is as time stood in the palm of her hand was and still is greatness.

Because of her the world knew that the impossible could be done.

The Green Pyramids 

The Green Board Meeting

 “Jessie, read the minutes please?” Dave asked, patiently waiting for the updates from the last meeting.

“No,” Jessie mumbled.

This got everyone’s attention. The entire room grew silent awaiting Dave’s response.

“Memberships are down. We have no green gold left and I’m tired of working this green board for free,” Jessie said as his spine stiffened up.

Dave picked up his chair and threw it at Jessie and after that the board meeting erupted into complete chaos.

It was clear that Jessie was tired of Dave’s terrible job as president and other board members grabbed Dave off of Jessie. 

Feeling the anxiety of furious adrenaline flowing through his veins, Jessie spit in Dave’s face.

“You’re a criminal Dave. All of your life you’ve done nothing but scam people,” Jessie concluded as the master at arms took a firm grip on Dave.

News got out quickly of what took place at the green board meeting. It was as though the green business had held the weight of the entire town on its shoulders and in the midst of its collapse no one knew what to do next. There were no jobs left, no retirement funds, and after Dave and Jessie’s fight everyone just roamed around the city lost and poor. It happened so quickly, one minute everyone was hopeful for the future and the next they were all jobless in the unemployment lines. 

“I guess our luck has run out,” John said, standing next to his wife in the food lines.

“We just have to hope for the best honey,” Lisa replied.

“Shawna, I miss the old hip hop days, now we can’t even afford a radio,” Ray said to his wife, watching their kids counting pennies.

Shawna got closer to her husband, “I married you because you love my children, and we thank you for jumping in the lake to grab fish so we could have a meal tonight,” Shawna said to her husband as they skinned the fish with old dull knives.

As time went on, emergency sirens could be heard every night because the poor little citizens of Cooperstown were so poor that they started robbing those in the suburbs. Things got so bad that the governor had to send in the task force to get the people under control.

In the midst of the madness, Donna saw something growing in her garden.

“Chris, wake-up!” She said.

“What?” He replied.

“Where did all of these clover leaves come from?” Donna said, holding a batch of them to show her husband.

“They came from the sun, now let me sleep,” Chris replied.

Donna refused to give up on the odds of this happening. She gathered up as many as she could and started passing the leaves out to the kids in the neighborhood.

She started encouraging them and reading to them everyday in the school library.

It was as though God himself had shined through the sun to give her a sign of hope.

“We’ve failed them Chris,” Donna told her husband.

“Donna, there’s always hope in children. Everything that you’re doing will payoff in the future. Just like God planted those clover leaves, you’re planting seeds of luck in the children,” Chris explained to his wife.

This encouraged Donna and since everyone in the town was poor, they too saw Donna’s vision.

While reading the town paper, Jessie and Dave both got an idea at the same time and they rushed to the phone to call their investment friends.

It didn’t take that long before Jessie and Dave were standing on Donna’s porch.

“Funny seeing you here Dave,” Jessie said.

“Jessie, I didn’t think I would ever have the strength to forgive you for spitting in my face but poverty has humbled me. Together, friend, we’re stronger,” Dave said as Donna came out to greet them.

“We read your article and we want to help,” Jessie said.

At first Donna was a little shaken until she noticed her husband shaking Dave’s hand.

After they agreed to start their green adventure back up donations from all over the world started to pour in and Cooperstown was back in business.

What makes this story amazing is because this time it wasn’t the adults lifting the load. The investors invested in the future. They invested in the kids and as they grew older they rebuilt the town.

Was it luck 🍀 or a miracle?

What were the odds?

At the first board meeting, Dave asked Jessie to read the minutes and as a community they all joined hands to pass the torch to the future and they all read the minutes together.

By seeing potential in their children, they won.

The Green Board Meeting 

The Green Luck Peace Deal

The polar bear king was vicious. He killed and held onto his power, rich and wealthy, while his people suffered. No one would dare standup to him. The land that held the key to enter into his gates was only independent at the hands of those trying to enter his kingdom. They too he killed by the masses as they sucked everyone into their war fest only to enrich the promises of a new Soviet empire. As the polar bear king stood in his palace as his pawns moved key pieces right into his hands everyone who dared to make a deal knew the polar bear king could not be trusted. All that was evil he allowed to enter into his presence for he too had sold his soul to the devil while embracing iconic black images of holy relics. His priest and seers anointed his purpose to balance the scales, they gave him the power to unleash his fury. Standing to make a peace deal, one of his scorned soldiers burst into the room screaming to avenge his lost family while the cameras were live eager to capture a peace deal. Betraying his oath he would thrust his hidden blade into the polar bear king’s chest as diplomats would jump out of the way. Witnessing the peace treaty soaked in the polar bear king’s blood, his lifeless body ended the war. What were the odds?

The Green Luck Peace Deal

The Green Flag

Dear World,

My ship is kindly flying the green flag. The only way we will win any war is by pure luck. Not too many people acknowledge moral law anymore, and a lot of people are tipped over drunken and smoked out. We marvel at ourselves in the mirror and pleasure ourselves in the presence of prostitutes. Please note that I say, “we,” because even I am a sinner begging for God’s eternal grace. We’re low on pure spirit lord, and we say one thing and do another. We loath in ideologies that we often don’t understand ourselves and if we’re fighting for anything so help us God for we do not know what we do. I say, “not some,” but all of our thoughts have been twisted. We have to sacrifice our time and our own will at the mercy of a divine hope that is slowly eating away at our very own consciousness and our conscience mind now fights with reason and insanity. Dear world, and dear God, if the story is correct and the Devil is your brother, Lord, then as humans I guess we must figure out our place in this equation. If some of us our angels cast out of heaven then I guess you do either have standards or a purpose for sending us back to earth and I assume it’s to save the world as you did. I read the good book today, as I do every Sunday, and I must add that as I fly the green flag, it’s not that I’ve given up on myself or the world. I fly it because if luck does exist then keep helping us God, keep giving us vision, for it is you whom we must trust. You are the luck. As I see the green flag flying as I sail into battle with my Irish friends and global comrades of all nationalities and faiths, I pray that you are with us God, for if the good book is correct, we’re all in this together and with you it’s a win win situation either way. Drowning in sweat in the heat of battle, I find myself cooling off because you made me this way for a reason; therefore, I leave the woes of the world in your hands. Good Luck 🍀 

The Green Flag

The Irish Friend

She told me her battle with the enemy called cancer.

She told me that her life was filled with misfortune.

I told her to believe in a power greater than this world.

She smiled at me, got married and fought the good fight.

The cancer came back and she fought again.

I saw fear in this little delicate Irish friend’s eyes.

Realizing how precious life was she’d learned to appreciate the little things.

She took a picture in a field of sunflowers.

She was my Irish friend. 

We talked about simple things, and a life away from work.

Walking and spending time with our families.

We talked about letting go of the fast paced world and living simple lives in our native lands.

She was my Irish friend.

I hope she wins her battle with cancer as I do everyone trying to overcome and live more life.

Good luck I say to all of you and my Irish friend.

Good luck 🍀