The Sovereign Black Birds

 In my down time I often sit back and watch the birds of the sky, but there is no bird more interesting than the black birds. They observe, they watch, they study and somehow this is how they survive. This makes them unique. I chose this topic because last Independence Day while everyone celebrated and lit off fireworks for some strange reason these birds all gathered together in a nearby tree and stood watch. I observed and recalled some old words of wisdom, “If you need a sign from a divine source that something is about to happen, take a moment and watch the animals.” Curiously, I couldn’t help but wonder who the cunning black birds answer or report to. I wanted to end this piece on a good note, but in reality this bird is not easily fooled by the scarecrow and after a massacre these cunning black birds eat the flesh of dead humans. My purpose for writing this piece is that we can learn a valuable lesson from this bird. The lesson that I personally learned a few months ago when one of these precious birds got hurt is that for some reason the bird came to me for help. One of these amazing birds stood in the back and waited for me for some odd reason. Out of all of God’s creation why did these unfortunate black birds trust me to bury their dead. In deep thought, I found a friend in the cunning black birds. Since then, I’ve become accustomed to their presence and every Independence Day we stand watch while dressed in all black. At night no one can see us, but we can see them through the thick smoke. In the midst of a long hard battle through life I turn to these birds for wisdom, they never change and they know who to trust. They’ve become accustomed to independence, they’re sovereign.

The Sovereign Black Birds.

To the Young Mind

Learn everyday.

It’s hard to listen at times, but try.

Read everything.

Grow and don’t be discouraged because even the old used to be young.

On your journey, comprehend that constructive criticism from the old crowd sometimes can be confusing. Soak it in, suck it up, a nobody is really everyone trying to find a way home and have a good day dreaming of being somebody.

Even the janitor hanging around at the gym knows something. 

One must be wise enough to know that even adults made the same mistakes.

Perseverance to a mentor is to see you molded into a responsible adult and is a seat that you will fill someday.

When you’re annoying, stay in character, you’re unique, be yourself, and sharpen up while training for your test.

Your vision of success can often distract you from the real work ahead, try, try, and spin with the world.

Remember, have fun while doing what you enjoy, make it look easy, sweat, and remember even Moses got angry, but still he had to lead.

A mistake is like a donut hole, it’s nature, and the person who invented it probably had other intentions so chances are—no one planned for you to be here so find your place in life and take nothing for granted.

To smile is much more sometimes than words, it can save lives and yours. It’s not a sin to have a sense of humor.

Lastly, when looking in the mirror, understand that your perception of the world is not the same as everyone else’s; therefore, find your lane because even if you lose, the world will go on with or without you, but your place in history is determined by how many seasons you last in the game of life.

To the young mind, I’m about to be 43, and I still don’t know enough. There’s a right way and a wrong way, it’s pretty enlightening once you figure out that you’re entire life you’ve been doing something the wrong way. Oh, and don’t forget that we’re all made in his image, find God on your journey, science is good but it’s never enough, the Bible is a good book no matter what religion you claim. It will help you find out who you are, who you must become, and will give you wisdom beyond belief, but first you must read it. If you approach it from an academic perspective, you should be able to apply it to the ministry of your profession.

To the young mind.

The Gods of Life

 Chris heard a voice.

“Hey, she’s pretty.”

John heard a voice.

“Put down the weapon, or Gina will be lonely.”

Donald heard a voice.

“Why drop the bomb on beautiful women.”

James heard a voice.

“Child support, ha, love is priceless.”

At midnight everyone joined hands and had sex until they passed out. They then populated the entire world with their offspring. War was defeated and life lasted through all eternity.

The STD had no power over the urge to populate and the sun kept shining and spreading knowledge to feed its children.

The Gods of Life

Summertime

Tired from watching the news all day, I decided to open the patio door. I’d stayed up all night worried about my family’s safety and mine, I could see the sun rising in the distance. It was like magic, the sky had been filled with so many beautiful colors. I ran through the rough sand to stand on a rock by the ocean, the breeze that I inhaled made me feel so alive. At this moment I let go of the world’s problems. I felt free, my worries of a fast pace life had been simplified for a brief moment. Captivated by the awesomeness of nature, I knew for sure now that summertime was not far away. After surviving the craziness of conflict and the madness of uncertainty I found certainty in the rising sun. For a brief moment I felt peace.

Summertime 

The Triumphant Father

The truth was clear, Brad was afraid of his real father and his mother knew it, but said nothing. As Brad grew older he would always tell his mother that his dad was possessed. She would laugh and say, “There’s a good man in there somewhere son.”

“Here comes the demon,” he would say as his biological father would drive through the neighborhood in his fancy car.

One Christmas night Brad could hear his Laboeboe toy talking to him, but he thought he was having a bad dream.

“Daddy loves you Brad.”

Brad looked across his bed not far from his dresser and soon realized that the toy was alive.

“Daddy loves you Brad, now come with me to the haunted store so we can visit him,” the toy said taking Brad’s hand while he was in a trance. 

As the toy took Brad’s hand they walked into the shadow of his bed into the haunted store.

In the haunted store Brad could see all of the women that his father had been with. Their bodies were hanging on the shelves wrapped in fancy doll boxes.

“I want to go back,” Brad said to the toy.

“No Brad, let’s have fun,” he replied.

Off in the corner of the store Brad could see his father’s car. In the other corner he saw his truck.

“This isn’t funny, I want to go back home!” Brad said.

“Daddy loves you, now let’s have some fun.”

The toy grabbed Brad’s hand to show him what his father did to his mother before he was born, having no where to run Brad began to scream.

“Why are you doing this to me? I want to go home,” Brad said.

“We need you, we need you to change the world Brad. When you grow up, don’t be like the demon dad,” the toy said as Brad woke up in a cold sweat.

“Mom!”

Sonya came bursting into his room.

“Is everything okay?”

“I think I had a bad dream,” Brad said noticing his Laboeboe toy staring at him from across the room.

His mother held him tightly as he began to shake.

“I know what dad did to you the night that I was born. He tried to beat me out of your stomach, didn’t he?” Brad said catching his mother’s full attention.

“Brad, you’re scaring me, now get some rest. I won’t let you talk about your father that way,” his mother said.

As his mother left the room the toy walked over to Brad’s bed and rubbed his head until he fell to sleep.

“Daddy loves you, always remember that Brad.”

The next morning Brad woke up in an orphanage and had no clue what happened before he fell to sleep.

Sitting in what appeared to be a waiting room he could hear adults outside of the room talking.

“Where’s my mom?” He asked as one of the adults entered the room.

“Brad, sweetheart, your mom and dad will always be with you in your dreams. Okay. When you grow up you’re going to make the world a better place.” The aid said as she walked Brad to his room.

This was how Brad’s life began. The moments that he shared with his real parents were brief. Every moment that he had alone he wondered how everyone vanished in the wee hours of the night.

“I named you after an orphan, now you be strong,” he could hear his mother’s voice echoing through his memories.

As Brad grew older he had to convince himself that he had a purpose. Never actually getting adopted, he found his world by playing with puppets. On his first date, his girlfriend whispered in his ear, “What do you want from me Bradley Benjamin?”

He looked her in the eyes and said, “I want to be a good father.”

Sadly, his relationship didn’t last so Brad took his goals somewhere else. It’s amazing how a man could fail over and over again and see everything stripped away from him before he actually achieved anything. Down and out, Bradly barely graduated college. He took his degree in childhood care and decided to pursue his dream as a father by opening up his own orphanage. 

“Brad, are you sure you want to do this?” His friend Ted asked him when he got approval from the state.

“Ted, all of my life I’ve seen darkness. I’ve hid in a room while evil people bring the good people of the world to their knees. I am the light now that will help them see. I am the father that will always be there.” Brad said to his friend.

Ted had no clue what force had jumped into his friend, but he knew for sure that Brad was determined.

After the first two years, Brad had just about every abandoned kid in his care. The man dealt with their mental disorders. He rocked them to sleep as they threw chairs at the wall before they went to bed. Through it all, Brad was there and kept taking in every abandoned kid that he could find. He’d made the front page of the local paper eight times in one year. To every kid that heard about him, he was their hero. Brad developed and saved an entire generation with no regrets. At age eighty-eight, he laid the last shingle on his building roof and read his last story to Greta and Coco, the last children he raised. At the end of Brad’s time on earth, sadly, he’d only heard stories of what happened to his biological family so he made his own triumphant story and as he passed on to his next life his kids read his message before he said goodbye. Girls, boys, men and women of all shapes, sizes, ethnicities and colors.

“Greta, Coco, and to all of my kids, I had a million chances to turn away from you all and take the easy way out, but instead I decided to be a father and make the world a better place. I ask nothing of you all but to do the same. Be the light in a dark world.”

A new era had begun and a lasting story of a legacy was told over and over again to bring hope to a world that thought the good will of being a father was gone.

The Triumphant Father

The Beast

I want to be honest to you so here’s a poem.

I used to be a loving kind man.

I was fine until they held my entire family down at gun point and gave the majority of my family the drug option to heal their pain.

I’m one of the few that I know left so, “Yes,” I am a victim.

I used to be a good soldier until I saw the towers fall.

I was a loving man until every relationship I entered into turned into a mind fight, complete hell. I lived a peaceful church life then I was left for dead by the woman that I married. This Father’s Day I’ll be thinking about the son that wasn’t mine and the father who blamed my mother for everything.

I have to leave the past behind me.

I’ll be letting go of the people who would rather enjoy seeing me suffer.

The people who would pay to see me in a coffin as they split the copper pennies that I have left.

Looking in the mirror I still see a part of me that’s still in there somewhere.

No one wants to be around me anymore because I snap at liberals and I’m afraid to fail.

Walking a tight rope, I’ve turned into a beast.

Me and a group of homeless veterans have been spit on, abused, taken advantage of and left for dead in an abandoned building owned by foreigners who too have nothing left.

Washed up, old men wearing black clothes we wait patiently for our next gig because even if we complain, no one cares.

Preparing for my next brawl praying to the heavens to control my anger they feed me through a cage then they too run from what I’ve become.

The Beast

Archaeopteryx lithographica

Running in circles I noticed five birds in the tree. One was a cardinal , one was an eagle, one was a raven, one was an owl, and one was a sparrow. The cardinal I only say in the day, he would come out when I made deals with God fearing people. The eagle would hover over me in the sky, he would only come out when I made deals that were powerful and could get other people hurt. The raven only came out when I made clever deals by watching others around me. The owl I only saw at night when I had to figure out how to survive the wild ride. I came face to face with a bat who is a mammal he was there, but I could hardly see him, he would come out to warn me that most vultures come out at night so beware. Each bird taught me about temptation and why every religion seems to warn us about the same enemy. After falling from a tree, I realized that I had no wings to fly and my only answer was to watch the birds. I worked just as hard as the next man trying to learn how to fly when I came to the conclusion that I had to jump out of high places with so many types of wings. My adventure lead me down a road with few pennies left. While on the roof, I noticed a sparrow making a nest at my building, they sang to me every morning as I tried and tried. In the middle of this life long lesson, I realized that if I were to learn how to fly, I would have to share the skies with the birds. Making progress, a spy told me that I had competition, he told me that I could make a million bucks if I were to put humans in the sky. Realizing that angels in biblical stories have wings I found myself trapped between two worlds. If his eye really is on the sparrow, he has to be watching me too.  Standing on top of a mountain asked to make a deal with the world bank for the entire world I thought of a bible verse: For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what use is it to gain all the wealth and power of this world, with everything it could offer you, at the cost of your own life?

Feeling the pressure, I then jumped only to realize that no one was going to save me when I hit the ground I died on earth only to realize that I had wings in heaven. The entire time that I’d been on earth, I never knew where I was before I was born. I guess that explains why I was so enthusiastic about flying. I guess the God who invented the Archaeopteryx lithographica had other plans for the bird. I wonder what will happen if he changes his mind about humans. This I ponder while God sits in a room putting clay on feathers. On earth I was called a dumb bird loving freak for not taking the deal, but on the other side my soul floated into the heavens and I helped reshape a better world for the next human species in God’s plan.

The End.

The Consequences of Power

 “No deals can be made alone son,” Kevin said.

“What do you mean dad?” Dashawn replied.

“I have to get you to understand that someone will always want what you have, and you will have to decide if you want to make the deal or not, now go in the house with your mother. I can hear her calling you.”

Dashawn’s father’s words played over and over in his mind and the older he got the more he understood. 

“Today class, I want to talk about survival. Now understand one thing because in the next 20 years I don’t know which one of you all will be in a powerful position. Understand that in every decision that you make their will be consequences,” Professor Ann said to here class.

After hearing this, Deshawn kept hearing the words of his father play over and over again in his mind and he began to fold.

The more he studied, the more he learned, and the harder it became for him to speak his mind because all his friends did was party their life away.

He couldn’t escape them and where there is knowledge there is power.

“Dashawn, you need to hangout with us,” Pearl said, eager for him to reply.

“They’re going to attack us soon,” Dashawn replied.

“Who? Dashawn what are you talking about? I’m out of here. The more you read the crazier you get.” Pearl replied. 

Tired of being misunderstood and large minded, Dashawn took matters into his own hands. Knowing that he was being watched he took a lithium ion battery and placed it by the computer with his bitcoin savings on it. He then screwed the thin metal leg from his nightstand off and used it to expand his radio signal to tap into the radio communications near him. 

“His light is off. Maybe he’s asleep,” he heard.

“Bingo!”

He was on the right channel so he hooked his microphone up to his transmitter.

“They’re going to attack us tonight, they’re doing their planning offline. I know you’ve been watching me for a while, but I don’t think you’ve been hearing me.”

After making his statement everything went quiet.

“Hello, hello,” he said.

He then heard his doorknob move, it was Pearl.

“You know Deshawn, I’m worried about you,” Pearl said.

“Pearl, what do you want? Go find someone on your level. I’m a nerd and you’re a sex addict,” he said.

“You shouldn’t say things like that.”

“Well, it’s the truth and the truth hurts now leave me alone. I’m in the middle of trying to save us all from the wrath of war,” Deshawn replied.

No one would have ever predicted what would take place next but for some odd reason the power went out.

“What do we do now, Einstein?” Pearl said.

“My dad used to say that no deals can be made alone and that someone will always want what I have. I think I get it now.”

DeShawn was at the top of his class, he was actually smarter than the President and even smarter than his top generals, but what was on his computer made him powerful. Deshawn had spied on every key government figure from the comfort of his dorm room and that made him a threat.

“Hey, don’t just leave me in the dark alone,” Pearl said, jogging to catch up with Deshawn holding the light from her cell phone.

“If you want to live stay away from me Pearl. Stay in your simple life. I’m toxic,” he explained.

Pearl didn’t understand.

“Why do you keep talking down to me?”

At that moment Deshawn heard his watch timer alarm go off. He could hear attack planes in the sky. 

“It’s too late, we have to get to my bunker, come on Pearl.”

The both of them ran for cover, the country was under attack.

In the distance things were getting out of hand, while he and Pearl rushed to take cover in his bunker they sat on the hard floor looking at each other with the lights of their cell phones soaking in the madness.

“Is this why you’ve been so distant?” She asked.

“They didn’t listen to me.” Deshawn replied.

“I know you think I’m dumb Deshawn, but we ordinary people can’t save the world. They didn’t listen because they’re blinded by their own power. We’re all just college kids here to play their game. You tried and now we all have to suffer the consequences,” Pearl said while observing the chaos erupting above her and her friend. 

“I have enough food down here to last us until things settle,” Deshawn said after making sure they were sealed in.

“How long have you been preparing for this?” Pearl asked.

“Well, first it started with a weird dream and then I intercepted a phone call between a foreign ally and an enemy nation. So to answer your question about three years. I used the money my dad left me to built this bunker secretly under this old forgotten dorm that we’ve been hanging out in.” He explained.

Even underground they could feel the earth trembling as they could hear the people screaming and running for cover above them.

They both became very close while waiting for the war to end. Sadly, when it did, nothing was left above the bunker. Climbing the iron ladder to get to the surface, Deshawn and Pearl could smell the funk of soot and nuclear waste.

“I guess your dad was right. We had something that they wanted. I guess it’s just you and me now,” Pearl said.

“Yeah, I don’t think anyone survived this unless they’re underground,” Dashawn replied.

Walking through clouds of smoke, they could feel the toxic ground crumbling under their shoes.

“This is it Pearl, they died instantly and we die slowly by inhaling this mess. The consequences of power. Our thirst for weapons of war gave use the power to kill not only our enemy but ourselves. How could we be so smart yet be so dumb at the same time?”

“Remember what your dad said Deshawn, no deals are made alone. It’s just me and you now. Do you want me or do you want to eat off of the tree of knowledge of good and evil?”

Feeling the snake crawling in his pants, Deshawn now had the unexpected power to choose and Pearl gave him a choice. If Deshawn said no, then he had the power to see the world now as it was, toxic and a waste. If he said yes, then he would have the power to be just like his creator and repopulate the world with Pearl with the knowledge to undo what the people before him had done. In the distance he could hear echos of his mother calling him and his father’s voice fading away. Just like the leaders who dropped the bombs, he had the power to choose. Looking into Pearl’s eyes a small patch of grass began to grow as the sun peeked through the clouds. The ball was in Deshawn’s hands now.

The Consequences of Power.

Dear Journal, my views on War, God, & Nature

Today I got a few text messages, one asked me to attend a graduation and the other a wedding anniversary. In a complex conversation I heard a woman say, “Lean not on your own understanding,” while I calculated odds and probability. My conclusion lead me to realize that a full education takes time so I’ll write about being on level one first while eating bread and water. There’s still so much to learn I guess. I then turned on the radio and heard the news about a man who decided to kill due to the war taking place between Israel and Hamas. A few years ago I saw my own ethnicity take arms to protest in a movement that sparked Black Lives Matter and White Lives Matter statements to be made. I then witnessed riots at the White House. I hear the President of the United States of America act totally out of even military code of conduct, in the public sense, but many people seem to praise his policies. As a veteran I was told that the military is the White Man’s gang by someone in a seemingly casual conversation. I even witnessed religious leaders getting involved with politics. I’ve heard them preach against political leaders to the congregation while praising other political figures. I myself am not a perfect person, but I’ve heard my fair share of the “N” word over and over again used in so many different context by so many different kinds of people that I myself am confused. I’ve witnessed many ethnicities preach the hatred of other races, yet, seem to be comfortable marrying or engaging in relationships with the races that they seem to be angry with while also taking it amongst themselves to dictate the lives of others. I guess love truly is blind. Growing older, I admit that I now get up everyday telling myself in the mirror that God saved me from a gang riddled city. God led me through the war on terror that is still alive and well. God tells me not to judge others. War teaches me that someone decided to take matters into their own hands. War teaches me that someone is pissed off. War teaches me to hold tightly to peace. War teaches me to ask God for forgiveness and mercy if I caused it. Being a victim of war every day I’ve learned something about nature and about myself. I did read that in ancient Kemet where a part of Noah’s offspring is said to have migrated to and is supposed to be the place where Yeshua walked and learned in his younger life that if studied with an open mind we could probably learn something about ourselves. Abraham’s offspring was blessed because Abraham made the choice not to sacrifice his own child. In today’s world if we as human beings do not comprehend something then we have to learn and ask questions. There are standards and principles put in place to get us to understand something about ourselves. I’m 42 now about to be 43 and I don’t regret my decision to serve and defend the constitution of the USA, a document that once considered Africans a certain percentage human, a constitution that took a war to prove otherwise with maybe nature, God or aligned thinking deciding the winner. Now we live in a time where there is chaos, just like it has always been throughout humanity, but that’s not what I wrote this piece for. I wrote this piece because my family is scattered and reality teaches me that one day I will cross paths with them and they will have questions just like I did when I got to talk to a great aunt before she died. I’m divorced and will probably never marry again unless the hair on my chest near my heart grows gray and the wheat used to make oatmeal changes my perception about life. I have things that I would love to complain about, but I have to be honest, no one cares and nature has given me the peace that I always yearned for. I can still hear God’s voice. I still have a conscience and I still made mistakes in the past. I have people who love me, and I have people who probably hate me, but that’s life. Statistically, I was not supposed to make it past 40 and personally I’ve worked to the bone for the little that I do own and the rest I gave away as an investment into the future. I’m poor, but rich in God’s grace and my grandmother and grandfather’s offspring continue to spread. Many of them, I do not know so here’s where I come to my point. Innocent people are dying everyday, but just like in the olden days we humans have to learn that there’s something greater that balances things out. When we cheat, we often get cheated, when we kill, we often live in torment for the rest of our lives. When we wage war the children that survive never forget. When we show love, sadly, hate follows, but love endures. When we’re neutral, we supply positive and negative energy with neutral vibes. When we become mysterious, people will try to figure us out, but in the end we become wiser in a cycle of life that teaches us that War, Nature and God have one simple purpose. War teaches the person who experiences it to appreciate peace if he or she survives. Nature teaches us that once we learn how to plant a garden we can feed ourselves and our family. God teaches us that we’re all beautifully made for a purpose. To conclude, I pray that I’m able to live a long life. I’ve seen and heard a lot at my age. I didn’t get to make the wedding anniversary and I probably won’t make it to the graduation, but I’ll send out gifts if I can. If I were to be called to the afterlife tomorrow I would have one message for those still on this earth and that would be what I’ve had to tell myself everyday. “Suck it up and keep going, if I survive war, appreciate the balance of nature, and if I believe in God, eventually I’ll find a reason and a purpose. I think King Solomon said it best that in the end nothing matters. You’re angry one day, but tomorrow could turn into happiness, your envy at age 20 could lead you to regrets at age 40. You could remarry the woman who you hated in your 20s years later and you could end up having children by someone whom you enslaved. That’s life and it’s not fair, but filled with surprises and special guest. Moses probably mentioned God’s name a thousand times on he and the Hebrew people’s quest to the promised land, but his people still gave him hell. So to end; Copernicus, Moses, Dr. King, Napoleon, Oppenheimer, Einstein, Hitler, Stalin and a long list of others who started a chain of events that cost lives, revolutions, different ways of thinking and even stretched the imagination of ordinary people, all of whom, have left us all a trail of causes and effects, but in the end we all have the same fate, we must leave the world to face the maker. So to conclude, what’s the point, for the followers that we gain will only see hope for a moment, but a world of unsolved problems in The End.

Dear Journal, my views on War, God, & Nature