(“Chained to Love”- By Demiurge–www.deviantart.com) 

Feeling the world fold between my fingers…
Eyes tearing with the spices of monotony…
I swallowed the lump in my throat and said something…
Out loud…
Breathed in a liberty, fresh and raw as the ocean…
and the storms I produced in the strength of my beliefs…
silenced the beginnings of our odyssey.

Fallen into the arms of a harlequin masquerade…
My star dimmed into a slight incandescence…
I was thirsty for a new beginning…
Gulping in moments of an aurora building in my spirit…
I shook the curled crown atop my head…
and smiled sweetly at the feuds brewing beneath my disheartened soul…

Welcomed the brutality of a new you…
The you whose cracks and torn seams
exposed the soiled spirit,
that was housed in the sugared facade I had become addicted to.

You gave up first…
Yet I held on and sweat you out like a fever.
Spare me your words of friendship…
your cowardice yellows my fingertips…

I have released my anger into my own heart…
Digested the bittersweet pill of what once was
and slept it off like a drunken stupor.

I awakened…
clear headed and thicker skinned…
Knowing the truth
Behind the veil of uncertainty you fluttered over my eyes…
as if it was always your decision whether I stayed or not.

I dragged it out of you with each tear…
and you made me see the diamond clarity of my heart…
and in the facets of my jeweled soul…
I never once saw your face.

So, I’m gone…
Free now…
Letting you believe what makes you comfortable about me…
But I realize now the truth in our missteps…

You would have never matched my pace.

A really good friend of mine is moving here soon and I thought it best to look at where my homey will be residing… and all I gotta say is… giiiiiirl, when can i visit? LOL

The original “Foxy Brown”, this pin-up queen is synonomous with the “blaxploitation” film genre and no matter what generation, Pam Grier is a beauty to be reckoned with.  I adore her for being so blunt and ready and for being the gangsta princess she is and always will be. ONE OF THE GREATS!!!!

“Hang on traveling woman
Don’t sacrifice your plan
Cuz it will come back to you
Before you lose it on the man
Never fall in love with potential cuz you can’t see with your own eyes
All the pretty faces and sorry words
Can take away your pride
Got to listen to the vision
Some may say a dream, words from the unseen”

(“Colorful Woman” -By Davory7–www.deviantart.com)

Moon glows against my skin…
pearlescent rays of cooled relaxation after the burning bustle of sunshine…
I feel the dew of the new dawn sprinkled across my breast…
Breathe in the floral perfumes of my rebirth…

Awaiting the storms that wash my doubts to puddles at my feet…
I run my fingertips over my beating heart…
over brown hills of my own flesh…
deep into the curly mane of my lion hair…
The rivers of my spirit guide me with strong currents.
Lovely streaks of lime and magenta chiffon
unfurl in curlicues behind my closed eyelids…
as I reconnect with the incandescence of my being.

I caress the scars and wounds across my heart …
eyes brimming with tears …
realizing the beauty in not being beautiful to everyone…

But it is in me…
Velvety self-love scented with gardenias and jasmine…
exploding in feather down bursts and tattoed on the silk of my heart…

I take in my entire being…
the noise of my own self realization…
the boisterous thick skinned woman who never seems to run out of tears…
I take in the jaded eyes and open, bleeding heart…
I take in the bricked walls of my own fears…
and the soft core of every inch of my soul…

Perfect in my imperfections…

I love me in every error and flaw…

I take me as I am…
I give all of me as I am…
there is no more than that.

As described on their blog www.upscenities.com :

“Through the community of open minded individuals Upscene was born. They were determined not to live by a set of standards created by the controlling society around them but rather by the idea of freedom of self expression. “Livin Above The Scene” means just that, no matter where you are, what you wear and who you may be, you are you. Anyone who recognizes that is a part of the Upscene Lifestyle. “

I have known these gentlemen since highschool and I am so proud of their accomplishments and of their ambition to create something so unique and hip. They are having an event this  Sunday…and if ur a sneaker fiend (I know many of you are….LOL)… and if you like to be up to date on all the latest in NYC urban culture, peep my boys and support their work!

SUPPORT LOCAL ARTISTS!

Upscene will be on hand at this event selling our spring / summer 09 collection Stay UP! NY. The event is a convention of many hip hop, art and streetwear brands that is not to be missed. Right in the heart of the city midtown, Manhattan. Admission is $10 advance and $12 at the door. Hit us up with an additional questions at info@upscenenyc.com.On April 26, DeadStock Kicks is hosting a Day of Hip-Hop; including a talent showcase for independent and up and coming music artists, spoken word, dance competition, a live photo booth and exhibitors showcasing their best sneakers and clothing/toy lines. There will also be a live auction of rare and exclusive items related to the sneaker world. DeadStock Kicks is auctioning off their very own 2006 MTV VMA AF1 sneaker, autographed by celebrities such as Fat Joe, Busta Rhymes, and Paris Hilton. This day is all about embracing the entire sneaker culture in one event.

I posted an entry about [sculptor/ artist] Dave Cortes a while back and was recently invited to his release party being held at Solefood NYC. If you’re into comic book style art and more importantly…into supporting NYC artists… please attend this event. I’ll be there!!!!!

If you’re interested in his work or want more info…check out the links on the flier below!!

SUPPORT LOCAL ARTISTS!!!!!!!!!!

Check out these amazing photos of actress Emily Blunt, taken by Michael Roberts for the May 2009 issue of Vanity Fair. Very Marie Antoinette… lush grandeur of old French… love these. Very romantic and fresh!

Gorgeous!!!!!!!

(“Queen From Kingsbridge”- By KeL5MH)

You paint the soundtrack of my life
in bright flashes of color and gritty truth…

Smile as I applaud the depths of your mind…
crowded with too many bad memories
yet clinging to the joy of living in the moment.

You brushstroke regrets and angers onto canvas…
and through your evolutions…
create brilliant moments of my own metamorphosis…

Your art reflects my words.

Kindred spirits that two-step to our own beat…
Our friendship is the lilt of laughing voices…
the smell of paint…
the ink on my page…

Respect floods my eyes like tears…
You paint my face in warm colors…
as if reminding my heart of what it should be.

This is my thank you, friend…
This is my grace…
This is my gratitude…

This is my penstroke to match your brush.

Refreshing and flawless, French Elle’s April 2009 issue has women [GASP!] WITHOUT MAKEUP!!! LOL! Look at Monica Bellucci (she played the Virgin Mary in “The Passion of the Christ”)… she is flawless and glowing….and no, she is not 21 years old…but she is still radiant without Photoshop…I love it!

(“Reflection”-By JsDryad –www.deviantart.com)

Not looking for a thing…
I was tired…
so tired…
so I lay my head on a pillow that smelled of you…
and I was intoxicated…

Never realizing my heart could expand like lungs
for something so unexpected…
I was singing you before I even knew the words…
And now?
I want every love song to sound like your name…
and every sunny day to be ours…

And yet how completely frightening this is…
to fall on shattering glass,
only to lift snowflaked hands and say it didn’t hurt at all…
Because in every shard of broken glass…
I see your reflection…
smiling at me…
with a real and sweet something I can’t even explain…

Lost for words…
I don’t have enough metaphors to describe the intense shock
of realizing the truth lay in your arms holding me…
and the dishonesty and uncertainty I once inhaled is bitter now…
Tobacco inhalations of deceit that blackened my heart…
until you walked in and cleared the air…

You are saving my life.

(“World in Your Hands”- By RoseontheGrey-www.deviantart.com)

She blocked the sun with her hand…
and the heat seared her palm…
made her sweat from the oppression of its brightness…
and yet she was raining inside…

Grasping her own ability by threads…
She was losing her grip on the world she had created,
and losing control…
meant giving up on the only thing she knew how to do…

Controlled, monitored, categorized, calculated, collected, cool…
She kept her cool and smiled softly…
Looking down on the world she embraced with both arms…
a life she tickled with all ten fingertips…
yet kept her heart at a safe and solid distance…

She…had made it…
and they? Were dust mites caught in the sunlight..
Floating in her air…
She threw her hands up…
Shaking them off with decisive dismissal…
and then panicked, cupping her hands to try to save a few for later…

But…
you can’t be two places at once…
can’t sing two songs together…
can’t recite two poems simultaneously…
and you can’t be courageously afraid.

There’s one her…one choice…one vision…and one future.

She opens the door and steps out into the day…
Finally unafraid of the risk…
Finally releasing control to the fates…
She opens her hands and realizes she always held the world there.

It is rare..veeeeerrrryyy rare that I can say this young man is attractive, but these photos are so Grease-esque, that it makes my mouth water. And who doesn’t want a Danny Zucco??? LOL. Here he is posing for the May20o9 issue of GQ magazine. Enjoy!!

From the book “Aloud: Voices from the Nuyorican Poets Cafe”

From the poem “Project Princess”

“She’s the one. Give her some. Under fire. Smoking gun. Of which songs are sung, raps are spun, bells are rung, rocked, pistols cocked, unwanted advances blocked, well-stacked she’s jock. It’s all about you, girl. You go on. Don’t you dare stop.”

(“Orgasm: Sounds of Love 2″-By QueLaire83- www.deviantart.com)

You envelop me like a veil of smoke…
I choke on past good intentions gone awry before I…
Breathe you in…
Taking in every sweet gasp of love…

You seek the oils of my soul to wash your hands in me…
I swear I smell lotus on your breath as you lean in to whisper…
soft nothings about how sweet I am…
sweet somethings about how soft I am….

I push you away…
I pull you close…

I’m laughing as I cry…
Because the emotions bubbling in my heart,
spring effervescent memories of innocent love
before the tarnish of heartbreak sets in…
and I am scared…

You are the alchemist to my heart…
changing me from lead to gold
in a matter of one night….
and I pray for the solace of your arms again.

I am in awe of the ecstasies I beheld behind closed eyelids…
streaks of electric blue and orange burst of light…
I was the canvas to your art..
And you fingerpainted your love into the deepest of my crevices.

Heaven held me high like a star…
I sparkled and the moon glowed in my presence..

You fed me to the rivers of my own distrust…
and I cried oceans…
releasing my fears to the universe…
diving into this…..once more.

“…Never opened myself this way
life is ours, we live it our way
all these words I don’t just say
and nothing else matters

(David Choe print – www.upperplayground.com)

[Our children will be reading this years from now...their children will look at this as some of the most profound speeches in American history. Go, Obama!!!!]

“There’s an old Turkish proverb: ‘You cannot put out fire with flames.’ America knows this. Turkey knows this. There’s some who must be met by force, they will not compromise. But force alone cannot solve our problems, and it is no alternative to extremism. The future must belong to those who create, not those who destroy.”

—President Barack Obama,
Speech to Turkish Parliament, Monday, April 6, 2009

..::Lovely young woman featured in May2009 Dossier Magazine. Love the jazzy vintage clothing and Billie Holiday vibe going on…very smoky cafe singer::.

“An artist must be free to choose what he does, certainly, but he must also never be afraid to do what he might choose. “

(“Broken” By Chelloveck–www.deviantart.com)

Part IV: The Very End

I was waiting for this…
I had seen the words hanging on your bottom lip…
quivering with your own sadness…
yet I still don’t understand why.

You tell me it’s for the best…
That you need to do this for the better of us…
for the better of you…
And I digest all that I knew was coming…
For I felt it there too.

This heavy feeling of the curtains falling..
But it was my fingers looking for a way out to stage…
While you stole away to play another part.

And the hurt echoes along the emptied walls of my heart.

I have exhausted every ounce of strength, effort, and love…
Moving mountains for you was like orbitting the planets for me…
and I am tired of fighting a losing battle.

So…
I waited for this day to come…
Pushed this moment to its fruition
Because the love that had blossomed once,
Had long been wilted from your neglect.

And now…

I waited for what my faith in you could not say.

So, today…
as you speak words of letting go…
I know the hurt will fade in time…
But now? Here? Now?
With the words dripping off lips I once kissed…
It’s killing me…

I fear the fading of once treasured moments between us…
The tides of our demise washing away one set of footprints…
and then it’s only me, here… alone…
without you.

I felt this too…
Had known our chapter had come to a close…
Known our love had perished with the silence you stabbed me with…
I had felt it all along.

Yet, I let you believe you were still saving me from myself…
Allowed you to brag of your courage to walk,
even as I rose above you….

And still….
The sliver of hope in my soul that you…
could possibly be someone different….
This too shall pass.

I met Elstabo Aviles at a poetry reading a while back , through a mutual friend.  A cool dude and a great artist, he recently came out with a book of paintings called “Elstabo Avile’s Spanish Fly Series” which he describes as “A collection of portrait paintings celebrating the Puerto Rican Women of my life.”  It is an awesome collection of work that shows Puerto Rican women as they really are… different shades and shapes and all beautiful!!!!

 [Applause]

Check out one of the pieces from the book below entitled “Nancina”. DopE!

If you ever get the chance, check out his Erotic Series… it makes even me blush like a school girl…LOL. He even did me as a Super Latina…levitating my life around me… Check me out! LOL!

;o)

If you’re interested in Elstabo’s work and want to see more (or buy that amazing book)…check him out on …

www.elstabo.com

Support Local Artists!!!

“I have been in Sorrow’s kitchen and licked out all the pots. Then I have stood on the peaky mountain wrapped in rainbows, with a harp and sword in my hands.”

I posted a spread of Drew from W Magazine…but I had to post these great shots of her underwater for Elle magazine’s May 2009 issue. I like the flow of the clothing (totally matches the water theme)…and I love the colors… very ethereal.

(“Haunting Me”- By Cinematized @ www.deviantart.com)

He broke my heart…
Not just one him…
but all of hims…
the hims that tore at my heart with ragged claws
of indifferent nonchalance and crazed jealousy…
Gnashed their selfish teeth as they ripped at my soul…
And yet again, I fall when I reach out to touch them…
only to scrape my palms on the concrete of their hearts…
stone and unyeilding…

I washed away the blood of my heart’s murder with my own tears….
and still dreamt of a moment
where I could truly believe in that love of a million loves…
too far to reach….
So, I gave up ….
Lost every dignity and spent every tear,
learning the lessons of heartache…
that are now etched into my skin like tattoos…
permanent and for all to see…

Fearful that the butterflies fluttering beneath my rib cage will leave me…
My heart’s mirage…
I turn away and focus on my tomorrows alone….
Content in the familiar solitude that I can handle…
Frightened of salting wounds that have healed…
Terrified that my heart is lying because it yearns for the truth…..
So, I turn away.

Instead, you fling me to the sky…
make me soar and smile…
like a metallic shooting star across black velvet night…
And still my biggest fear
is that I will streak through your Heaven only to fade from sight…
Because a shooting star never lasts forever…..

But the sincerity in your face is unreal…
Your kiss makes my eyes water…
I have never been touched with such tender hesitation…
such gentle affection….
I tremble in your embrace….
Lean away from you…

You never let go of my hand…

The ornate dress and spicy food, the beautiful people and the exotic beaches…yes, I am down…get me the plane ticket.  Take a look at these pics and you’ll want to join me.