Good Music

Unspoken Words

"I see you.

It's in the way you walk.

You walk as if every step you take,

the ground cracks beneath your feet.

Your posture, slumped over

because the bags you carry are so heavy.

Your smile, ephemeral and slight,

like you don't remember how to smile.

Eyes never lie, and your eyes are telling me exactly

How many tears you've cried.

I feel you.

It's in your aura.

I feel the amalgamation of sorrow and emptiness

In your presence.

Your demeanor suggests your soul isn't searching for

comfort and reassurance,

But, I know you.

I know this because I am you.

I know you've never felt real love before.

Not even from yourself...

I pray that my warmth melts the ice around your heart,

I hope that my smile brings light to your darkest days..."

"Ebony, you could NEVER get on stage with this amateur shit." I said to myself as I closed my journal and buried my head into my pillow. I rolled over on my back and my eyes wandered around my room. I looked at all of my paintings, and photos that I took, for inspiration, but it just wasn't happening.

I grabbed my robe and headed to the bathroom. I was stopped in my tracks by Sphinx, my Abyssinian cat, who wanted to rub his head against my legs and purr. "Good morning to you too, baby." I had a hour and thirty minutes to get ready for school. I'm barely out of the bed and I'm already ready for this day to be over with.

I turned the shower on extra hot to open up my pores. After my shower, I rubbed coconut oil all over my face, hands, and body. I've been using pure organic coconut oil for years and it keeps my skin perfect. I can't remember the last time I had any acne.

With a towel wrapped around me, I went to the kitchen and began scrambling some egg whites and spinach and toasting some whole grain bread with butter. Big breakfast for a kick start on my metabolism. I grabbed some loose green tea out of my pantry along with a ginger root and a lemon out of the fridge.

I brought a cup of water to a boil in a tea kettle. I always have ginger in the morning after breakfast because it's good for digestion. I put two teaspoons of green tea leaves in themmm mmm  infuser and poured the boiling water on top of it. Tea is a must-have in the morning being raised in a West Indian household.

I put on some neo-soul records while I ate to relax my mind for today. Today is the day I reach my small goal of reciting my poetry. I've been writing for about five years now. It's my outlet. It's the way I make sense of my thoughts.

I finished my food and tea, and then I brushed my teeth. I let the music continue playing full blast and flow through my apartment while I danced my way to my bedroom to get dressed. I looked at myself in the mirror, as I do every morning, and I thanked God for making me healthy, smart, and giving me all of my limbs and senses.

I grabbed my key off of my nightstand, my cellphone, and my books for school before I walked outside. The sun felt like it was a little too close to Earth. It was about 93° in New Orleans, Louisiana. The sky was clear, no clouds to keep the sun from melting everything. The heat was thick. I used my hand for shade. Pepper, my elderly next-door neighbor Ms. Avril's dog, darted from her home when she opened her door. "Good morning, child!" She waved to me. Ms. Avril lived alone with her dog. She was always sweet to me. No issue with her the 2 years I've been living next to her.