18 Months That Changed Me

November 2019, people from everywhere came to look at my feet.

My family, friends and frat bros wanted to see if I’d bring the heat.

This ain’t meant to be rhyme; no, my cadence has no rhythm.

It‘s about the 18 months that changed me; heart to flesh so I could feel HIM. Whoa to that first last Sunday on the first of year

Didn't steady for wind that pulled the ground to my ear. Kobe, GiGi, and seven others fell with that helicopter;

Covid, Quarantine, runs on toilet paper, paper towels, and bottled water;

Overcrowded Hospitals, understaffed ER’s, overworked medical professionals;

Heroes and favorites died... John Lewis, Bill, Chadwick.... and now DMX tho’?

But along the way, there was George, Breonna, Ahmaud, civil unrest and co-opted protests,

Karens, trigger happy carelessness, white supremacists and election madness;

Followed by insurgence on the Capitol and desecration to inaugurate POTUS anew,

The first second man married the first vice woman of color...and we said whew! Who knew

That I died twice; once in the ambulance and once in the ER?

I was so far away that I barely felt the needle that left that scar.

Yet Destined 4 Greatness, gifting a sharing and savings legacy A new sense of hope, empowerment and resurgence of community,

And like Mick said, “Determination!”

Seniors’ home board to graduation

East Side Riders feeding 800 people a day and- giving kids new bikes

John teaching them to ride in Watts and stacking IG likes

LIQUID Arts Bridging the Gap spreading hope through murals for the disenfranchised

On family Zoom calls, learned that my great great gr... grandfather was disenfranchised

From his home in 1770’s Ghana;

And the Ivory Coast was home for my great great gr... grandmama

Way back before America was even a country.

Before the sacred land turned tearful tragedy. Back when the indigenous people were still plentifully roaming freely without reservations. Now we looking at Pfizer, Moderna and the CDC with hesitation and trepidation

And all the while I was creating

Started by tryna heal us cause Kobe and Gianna,

Then somebody said ‘they still ain’t arrest them cops that killed Breonna!’

That led Ian to tell them I could paint Kamala,

Cobi’ s up, logo creating, Lyn Noble Book illustrating,

Procreating and international press celebrating

My art

And the work surpassed my capacity to encompass it all

Ty, Rasheeda, and Dr. T pressed to have their dreams on the wall

So inspired by nine and Commissioned, like Fred and the piece for Jahmal

That Revolutionary song was a combination to my gut

Then that movie came out and made me say, “Wait. What!?!”

Sundays HIM, Ms. Lewis and the Hollands helped me not give up

This was supposed to be prose but fell down hard into a rhyme

But like these last 79 weeks it’s been a tumultuous space of time

It’s got no rhythm, like the scene of a horrifying madman’s crime.

But I’m back to draw out these images that have surfaced in my mind

The greatness I once set to show you in me now replete

Back to the where I started the circle to now make complete

550 days since they saw it, and after a million hours of defeat

I’m back where I started, H2 here’s to you, “How beautiful... the Feet”.