National Poetry Month

Well I had to return to say something on behalf of Poetry Month. This is a special time of recognition, although poetry is a day to day thing with me. So I'm encouraging folks to venture out into the byways, find an open mic event, support a spoken word endeavor - or go to the library, get online and read some of the classic works by E.E. Cummings, T.S. Eliot, Elizabeth Barrett Browning...or more contemporary works by James Wright, Pablo Neruda...or poems by Black poets...Cullen, Hughes, Shange, Giovanni, Sanchez and so many more!

This month, I'm being featured, along with poets past and present, on APOOO.org. A Place of our own is a literary resource, book club and online magazine for African American literature and authors. It's a privilege to have been asked to share my work via written and on podcast! That part - the video aspect, is rather scary for me. While I'm very comfortable reading my poems in a spoken word setting - being taped is quite another thing! I'll have a day assigned to me, don't know which day yet. But I will come back and publish it here.

Ok, back to writing short stories!

Peace and plenty poetiks, all!

An Honor Bestowed

I'm back already - after having announced only yesterday that I'd be scarce around here due to projects I must tend to. But this must be shared! I'm so excited!

An author friend of mine, Minnie E. Miller, just informed me that I was awarded "Best Work of Poetry in 2007" on Blackrefer.com, Reviewers' choice!! I was stunned! I am still in a state of semi-shock! The reason I'm so surprised is I had no idea I was even being considered for this award. My, my, my - what a beautiful gift in 2008! Words just aren't adequate here, to express how honored and humbled I am at this moment. There are so many gifted writers, poets out there, oh my! I'm just grateful, and thankful...beyond what I can tell you.

This is a strong motivator and encouragement for me to get my work done. Many years ago I saw an interview with Dr. Maya Angelou on TV. And her words reached down inside me and tapped me where I live. She said, "We know how to play. And there's plenty of time to play. What we must do is get the work done." It took me several years after that, to get myself in gear. But I heard sista Maya then, and I hear her now.

So, I'm girding up my loins to put in some work, ya'll.

Peace and plenty poetiks in ya lives!

Check the link:

http://www.blackrefer.com/literature_best-2007.html

Adventures in sight-reading and other musical feats!

Hope everyone's weekend was productive, peaceful and poetik....

Mine was eventful - to say the least. A member of my singing ensemble called me last Sunday night to ask for "help". Her sister-in-law, a songstress and vocal group leader, needed some voices to add body to their performance that was scheduled for this past Sunday evening in Los Angeles, my old stompin ground. I said, "suuuurrrrrreeee, what we sangin?" And the way it usually happens is this: I get a copy of a CD with the songs on them, make some copies for the other folks who will participate, and we have approximately 6 days to learn that music! Because the songs were contemporary gospel numbers, there was no "sheet music" readily available - which would have helped only a few of us, anyway. Not everyone reads music. So, it happened the usual way.

My singers and I had done this type of thing before - even down to hooking up with the OTHER singers ON the day of the performance; it was no biggie. Our concern was that the other group had their parts right when we got there, because we were gonna be on ours! (not braggin, just fackin) My main hope was that we'd have enough time before the function actually started, to run over the songs with the other group..I do hate performing cold - without benefit of a run-through with the muscians (so ghetto!). And why was the pianist late? It started to look like our time and effort was going to turn out looking tacky macky! Well, we were able to go over the songs a few times with the CD - not the same, but better than nothing. Our voices were well matched, and thankfully, we had singers there who could fill in where needed (I'm usually an alto, but they needed another tenor, and another sista came down from soprano to alto, etc.)

On one of the songs, there was a mild dispute about what notes the tenors were supposed to hit during the chorus... so the lady in charge pulled out a sheet of paper with keys (the names of the keys, not a musical score - what I'm used to) that corresponded to the song in question, with the words written beneath..looked something like this:

B flat C A D F A Dsharp (the musical symbols wouldn't post, yikes!)

may have some scars, but I'm healed

Don't get me wrong, I'd seen this before, just wasn't ready to read it like that - especially without a keyboard present. (oh, I forgot to mention we were in a room with no piano of any kind - so, had the pianist been on time.....???)


It all worked out to the good. The brotha on keyboards did come and sat in on the last few minutes of our vocalizing. And we were able to go over some special instructions with him because one of the songs featured a soloist (with a sweet soprano voice). The occasion was the 18th anniversary of a Missionary Baptist Church literally in the heart of South Central Los Angeles (the street address is on S. Central Avenue). The event began on time and I must say I was proud of my people for that.

There was much praise and worship in the preliminaries, reminding me of years gone by when I was more involved in "concert and church hopping" with my girlfriends back in my single days. The flavor was familiar....and wonderful. It had been a long time since I'd heard hymns sung in long meter, with that call and response going on. BEAUTIFUL! The atmosphere was filled with sincere folks who seemed devoted to their Lord, their mission in the community, and their sacrifice of praise and worship last night.

When it was time to perform, I believe the angels showed up and showed out for us. Because when we opened our mouths to sing.... something else happened, and I heard a full choir (there were only 8 of us). The sound system at the church was impressive - the mics were hot - and that can sometimes be the death of a group that isn't up to par. But I could tell from the congregation's response that something special was going on. And it wasn't about us on the platform. Even brotha on the keyboards was working it out (he had jumped on the Hammond organ earlier during the praise session - ridiculously talented!).

Experiences like this make me very happy to say "yes" when someone needs music. Being used as an instrument to bring messages of encouragement, peace, and love, ministers to my soul. It is my life's joy.

Have a great week everyone! I'll be scarce for a minute... got to get on my projects for the year. I'll be updating with info from time to time. (and getting my read on at my favorite blog sites here)

Blessings!

No Drama From Obama

Just first class all the way! I'll say the same for John Edwards as well.... however,

Let me tell you why I'm so impressed by Obama (in case you hadn't noticed):

1.The man is a master at extemporaneous oration - and eloquently so. His speech in New Hampshire was nothing short of brilliant. Obama used no notes; it was straight "off the dome" and from his heart.
2. Obama stays on the high road, but knows how to expose the underhanded tactics of the opposition without hurling one personal attack.
3. He's not simply King- or Kennedy-esque, he is original, genuine, transparent, and approachable. He's himself.
4. Obama recognizes his place in history, and is walking in the path with dignity and respect, for the named and nameless who died before they could see this day.
5. He is intelligent, thoughtful, even-tempered, and knows how to handle himself whether or not the cameras are rolling.

The nation is watching with great anticipation and expectation. I have no idea who will win the the nominations for either party. But the race and the heat are on. There's an old saying that goes something like this - "in a crisis, character is not built, it is revealed." Or,I can put it this way, "whatever is inside, will come out." In times like these, it's just very interesting to sit back and watch people reveal themselves. In terms of keeping it real, staying focused, and drama-free, Obama's out far and ahead of the rest.

Getting Past the Privates

...wrote this back in 2000, my spoken word rant against what has increasingly become an obsession in our society...gratuitous sex and the peddling of it...i apologize for verbiage that may offend...

Getting Past The Privates

finite beings
frustrate easily
when confronted
with mortality

we therefore
become
mired in the
folds of our
own flesh...

the first and
last
frontier

ever
exploring new
possibilities
earnestly
excavating,
uncharted
territories

marking each
dig
with the pungent
odor of our
inevitable decay

~down the front-n-center
of
our universe

we grope,
probing
endlessly
between
supple
pillars of
truth

in search of
deeper
understanding
within dark
halls
&
vaginal walls

climax is wisdom
at the height
of carnal physicality
but we don't
experience orgasmic
spirituality

we sit, in awe
of the body
electric
the beauty
dynamic
the pleasure
intrinsic

irreverently
reveling in
our very skin

my people wanna cum

then COME let LIGHT
in

...my people...

true wisdom
is easily
imparted
from soul touches
felt generations
ago

ancestral memory
imbedded in our history
information
seduction
copulation
instruction

teaching us
every teenanchie
thing
we ever need to know

yeah, it's about
deep insemination
timed precisely
between the flow

it's about
new life
and the dissemination
of L~O~V~E from
the WORD "GO"

more than sexual
gratification
more about building
a ONELOVE NATION

seeds sprouting
LIFE and TRUE
DEDICATION

& the END
of meaningless
mutual/
masturbation...

Bridgette Alyce Wynn (c) 2000

Sex in Society

I was reading the blog of a friend who noted how many seductive/suggestive, and downright whore-ish websites she ran across in another "community" of bloggers in the blogesphere. So it prompted her to ask the question "does sex get you what you want?" You can imagine she received all manner of answers, ranging from super conservative to super (dare I say it?) "liberal". What I mean by liberal is, someone (a female), answered the question with one word, "yes!" I thought to myself..."ok then, sista/girl..."

Brotha Wynn and I frequently discuss this issue of how rampant casual sex is in our society today; and how distorted the concept of sexuality has become. We have children who are entering into young adulthood now, and the realities of their world are just different from what we faced as kids growing up. Just going over the past 40 or so years of television shows has been a real eye opener. As kids, we never saw skin of any kind (not even on bra commercials - some of you might remember the bra worn over a leotard-like top). On the sit-com series, married couples slept in twin beds. (which I thought was silly since my parents slept together...but it was cool). It was the norm; it was accepted. And, it was healthy. Sex education was largely left to the parents.

I've been on blogs where some have mentioned getting back to the old school ways of sex being a (joyful) byproduct of a love relationship. And I agree. Of course, we know that throughout time sex has been used to exploit, excite, entice, control, etc. And for many of us, when we were young and ignorant, we thought we could do anything we were big and bad enough to do...without suffering consequences. The worse that could happen was... VD, that a shot could cure... or pregnancy. Growing older has shown me some important things through experience....and, thankfully, my mind has been forever changed.

Sex between two committed/married individuals is truly the most fulfilling experience, in my humble opinion. And my faith/belief system, tells me that the only folks who should be "gettin some" are married folks. I'm sure there are those out there who will disagree - but we need only look at the end results of engaging in numerous/multiple casual encounters and be honest with ourselves. Sex is pleasurable, no doubt... and between committed lovers, it can be the means and the end - with no fear, no inhabitions, and no negative consequences.

And I will submit that aside from the obvious pleasure factor... good sex produces the best of all fruit. I have three.

A two-fer

this poem was written in 2001, weeks before my 45th birthday...

Forty-fied

I am standing

between spiritual verses,

images of my journey unfold before my mind's eye,

this road, so many years long,

feels like only a moment has passed between

then and now

my former selves unite with me at once

as I look back

and I see surreal scenes in three dimensions

of who I was

and the many I pretended to be

I can feel the colors now,

radiant yellows/oranges brightly lit hues,

and bathe again in crimsons,

purples, blacks & blues

my path, long, winding,

and strewn with bits of broken glass,

overlaid with fallen eucalyptus branches,

overlaid again with field stones...

...these

perfected the soles of my bare feet...

and love adorned my way

with willow trees, daisies, roses, morning glories,

soft mossy shoulders upon which I laid

while the wind moaned my lover's songs,

awakening the naked desire of my soul...

I am kneeling

on my road,

feeling the familiar splitting of my flesh

as new scars reopen old wounds on my knees,

tasting hot, salty tears of joy/pain/thanksgiving pouring down my face

I join hands with who I was & who I've come to be

~ and, looking forward,

behold a sacred secret unveil the meaning

of its former mystery

the Spirit asks a single question

of every one of me

~"tell me who you love, and I'll tell you who you be"~

humbled,

and in obedience, I answer

silently

Bridgette A. Wynn, (c) 2001

....and six years later, this piece emerged from my soul

metamorphosis in blak

like the seed of life

germinating almost imperceptibly beneath the soil

i am she, born of she

who was born of she,

all women, we, of southern clay

my spiritual moorings, rooted and grounded in the faith

baptized by the water, the spirit and the blood

from this mountain's peak i spy

the valley from whence i've come since the moment

i was forty-fied

some have called me comely and kind

the one who has known my breath at dawn

adores what he cannot see with his naked eye

a mystery to me, still... that i am loved just as i am

but never shall i lose sight of my need

to evolve into light;

that of my spirit i may bestow blessings pure and clean

in gratitude for gifts i've received without measure

loveliness of the soul is a treasure i seek in earnest

for therein lies true beauty

holiness is the reverence of all Life and the Giver of it

in awesome wonder, i bow

Bridgette A. Wynn (c) 2007

What I learned in the year 2007 - the abridged version

Hi all! HAPPY NEW YEAR!...

I want to share with you some things that I was prompted to think about on another friend's blog, December 31. Sista put the question out there, asking that we take stock of our lives (as we usually do, or should, at least) entering 2008, and see what the previous year has taught us. Some of the following are things I've "known at", or understood in theory. But over the past 12 months, I've come to embrace that understanding in a practical way that has truly "taught" me. Without futher ado, here's my list - please feel free to share yours.

1. My word is all I have - and it is better not to vow than to vow and break it.
2. There are people I've wronged who may never forgive me, but I hold no malice. I am forgiven, have forgiven myself...and them.
3. Love is what we need to BE to one another - and the practice of it is the work of a lifetime...
4. Love has shown itself to be exactly the way Paul describes it in I Corinthians 13 - and then some.
5. The answers to prayers come in very interesting sizes, packages, and situations... and I recognize, accept and am thankful that my petitions never return to me void; even when the answer is 'no'.
6. A closed door is not a bad thing. Another door always opens; or the revelation comes.
7. Faithfulness and diligence have their own, intrinsic rewards - peace of mind and soul satisfaction.
8. I can be who I am at all times, no shame, no apologies.
9. There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother - and since I never had a brother, I'm VERY grateful!
10. Some of the richest blessings are born in the storm.
11. My God is able to supply ALL my needs - and has given me a Godly life partner who is in tune with me, and anticipates/foresees and oversees our big picture.

I wanna be sayin somethin - part 2

Well, it's January 3, 2008 and I'm still relying on my fingers doing the talking! My voice was not back "by morning", as I had previously hoped. (name it and claim it don't be workin always...ha!) That was an unrealistic hope in the natural, truly. I learned there were benefits to my being quiet; a concept I hadn't thought about until...

Backtracking to December 31, 2007 - we had an invitation to bring the New Year in with some folks who are part of our music ministry. Husband and wife, the Reynolds, are wonderful people who open their home to others for prayer, assistance (physical and otherwise), and music making. Brotha T is a drummer and composer/arranger of message music which he and wife, sista C, perform together for all occasions. Sista C sings alto in my group, Revived! Needless to say, sista can sang!

So the family and I went over to the gathering, and enjoyed fellowship, food, praise and prayer; and the jam session! Brotha T has a recording studio in his home; I looked around at one point during the feast, and realized the house was full of musicians! People I knew and had worked with had come; and some new faces I became acquainted with. They'd brought their instruments. Singers, lead and bass guitars, soprano, alto and tenor saxophones, keyboard players (who never go anywhere without a keyboard in tow, cause ya neva know!) I looked at sista C and, reading my mind she said, "Oh you know it's going down!" Can I tell you a sista couldn't sang in full strength, but I worked the tambourine with all my might, making a joyful noise! Somebody even let me play a few chords on their keyboard! My heart was singing, and my body was dancing. I was in paradise...

Because it was more tedious to try to speak (sounding like a pubescent boy), I just meditated and found I could rejoice, praise, pray and express myself without words passing through my lips. It was both satisfying and gratifying to be in the midst of folks who were all of one spirit, one heart. I was filled to overflowing! I made new friends I hope will be part of my life for a long time; some I will see again very soon.

It was a blessing to have my family together, ushering out the old and bringing in the new. I realize there are many people whose grown children will have nothing to do with the family on New Year's Eve... they have their own plans and parties to attend. But Ashley, Angela, and Jonathan actually looked forward to hanging with the folks that night... didn't have to twist their arms (and would have understood if they didn't want to hang).

Somebody once told me, "the way you begin the year is a sign of the way it will end", or something like that. It's a wive's tale, I'm sure. But ever since I first heard that saying, I look at what's going on (or not) in my life when each year ends/begins. May I say that the start of this year makes my heart glad. Because if there's any truth to what "they say"... then I have no worries about the continued blessing of unity in the Wynn fam.

The throat is loosening up nicely; I almost sound like myself again... but I'm enjoying my talking fingers very much!

Another blog to come, about the things I learned in 2007.

I wanna be sayin somethin - posted elsewhere 12/30/07

I've bragged in the past about how healthy I am. "My health is my wealth", I've been known to say. No major surgeries, delivered 3 healthy babies naturally on the 3 occasions I was in the hospital, and, as my mother-in-law always says - "I have all my original parts". Even my teeth are the O.G. since the baby teeth fell out so many southern moons ago. Of course I do not take credit for my good fortune - all praise belongs to God and His gracious appointment of my genes through my parents; and a relatively clean lifestyle.

Well, I never get the flu shots; probably have had the flu twice in my 51 years. And generally, while others around me are hacking and coughing up their spleens during the cold season, I remain unaffected. But - I do have my own Achilles' heel when the cold does hit me... my throat. I come down with a dreaded case of laryngitis that has me sounding like Marlon Brando in The Godfather; worse, actually.

It happens so suddenly - it's scary. Last week, as my coworkers were blowing their noses and sneezing themselves blue, I was under a stealth attack. And the germie germs behaved like some sophisticated time bomb operation. I felt NOTHING when I walked out of the office on Friday and rolled out of the parking lot - ready for the weekend. Sure, I was getting a little hoarse, but nothing to be alarmed about. I was just going to brew a little tea, grab some throat soothies and be straight. It wasn't until I'd been home a few hours that I realized my voice box (and therefore the music box) had shut down for real. I was in shock. How could this happen to one who is usually so "in tune" with herself? And how in the world was I going to perform at the function at the junction later that evening? (Oh yeah, there was this thing that night, right?)

It wasn't the end of the world, I got backup for the event. But later as I sat there, enjoying the music, the singing, the atmosphere - I felt this strange sensation overtake me and I was on the edge of panic. "I can't participate!" It was frustrating like you cannot believe! (maybe you can) The feeling was akin to being disabled. I realized how much I depend on my ability to speak, complete with volume control, in order to interact effectively with everyone. And oh how I wanted to interact with everyone at that moment! Brotha Wynn was patient, leaning in close to hear my whispers...but whenever I wanted to communicate something that required emphasis - that was tough! Watching my family watch me struggle to get my messages across was...different. I could see from their faces they pitied me - which enraged me somewhat - and then my body language kicked in full force. I came up with some interesting sign language, I'm sure... Seemed like the more I gesticulated, the more amused they became.... AAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGHHHH!!!!!!!

It's Sunday, and I'm home alone. (I think they needed time away from me! HA!) With my trusty PC, I am feeling at one with myself because there do be anotha way to skin this kitty! I've got my music mix flowin (Marvin Gaye is croonin "If I Should Die Tonight")... the tea, with honey and lemon at my right, the box of tissues at my left. My fingers are very happy as I do this other thing that comes naturally on this keyboard.

My throat is feeling better, loosening up - and I believe I'll be able to speak my mind in my true voice by morning. I'm content, in the meantime, to remain silent, and let my fingers do the talking