Blue Cypher
http://www.bluecypher.com/
Raised in Boston, Massachusetts,
Blue Telusma has been writing since the tender age of eight. At
twelve years old she was admitted into Boston Latin Academy, one
of the top rated exam schools on the east coast. Her junior year
at the Academy she wrote a paper on Alice Walker (author of 'The
Color Purple') and shortly thereafter was presented the
opportunity to meet the highly acclaimed novelist.
After graduation she received a full scholarship to Pine Manor
Women's College, where she majored in Marketing with a minor in
Communications. However due to circumstances beyond her control
she was not able to return to the school her sophomore year.
In the fall of 2000 after much soul searching Ms Telusma came to
the conclusion that she wanted to move out of Boston and
seriously pursue her dreams of being a writer. And a year and a
half later this dream became a reality when she relocated to New
York.
Since being in NYC she's published a monthly newsletter called
'The Taka Times' and is a member of the "In Our Own Write"
committee at the GLBT Community Center in the village. She is
currently living in the Bronx and plans on going back to school
to get a degree in Creative writing with a minor in journalism.
Q & A
Q: Ok, so what motivated you to set up this site?
A: Well actually it was my best friend Antonio's idea. A while
back I was going thru a bit of stress and as a way of relieving
all that tension I had built up I made a little web page on AOL.
Writing has always been therapeutic for me and sure enough after
I finished pouring my heart out on that little site I felt a
whole lot better. I in no way ever expected that anyone would
even read what I'd written. In fact I think that's why I was so
open in some of the things I put out because I figured I was
'safe'. So imagine my surprise the next day when I logged on and
found myself flooded with emails and Instant Messages from all
these sistahs, giving me support and telling me that they could
relate to what I was going thru.
It was a beautiful thing and I can honestly say I enjoyed all
the love I was receiving.
A week later the positive feedback was still coming in, and when
I told my friend about it he was just like "It seems like you
have so much to say.. instead of a little web page why don't you
set up a real site". And that's just what I did. I didn't even
hesitate. But looking back I realize now that I was a bit naive
and didn't fully realize all the WORK it takes to launch a site.
I don't regret the decision tho. This is the beginning of a new
chapter for me
Q: What is the mission of Blue Cypher.com?
A: At first there seemed to be the misunderstanding that the
site would just be about me. I quickly cleared that up! lol.
I've visited a lot of black lesbian sites over the years and the
thing I love the most about them is the fact that we as women of
color who love other women are finally setting up our own little
spots on the net where we can share ideas, and information with
each other. For many people who live in small communities where
things pertaining to being "in the life" aren't readily
available to them, the internet is sometimes their only
resource. And because of that I think this is a great medium for
us to use not only to connect with each other but to empower our
sisters out there who have no where else to turn. And that's
really what I had in mind from the start. So basically I guess
the "point" of Blue Cypher.com isn't only to get my name out
there but it's also a great way to share whatever I know with
everyone else.
Q: What can we expect in the future?
A: Well of course right now this is all in the baby stages. I
couldn't afford to hire a webmaster so I had to spend ENDLESS
nights in front of the computer teaching myself how to build a
site from scratch. The whole process was pretty tedious and
there were a couple times that I considered giving up, but
luckily I didn't. Because now I'm slowly starting to get the
hang of it. I don't mind running the site alone but eventually
I'd like to start getting other people involved.
If I sat here and told you everything I plan on doing we'd be
here forever!!! Let's just say that this is all still a work in
progress. As I grow, and as the following grows.....this site
will eventually grow too....naturally. ....After all Evolution
is a beautiful thing! lol! :)
(Return to Top)
Excerpt
From
"Reasons"
by
B. Telusma
Part 1:
"Give me the reasons to love you...cause I want to love you
more"...~Faith Evans
Nina
You ever been so bored with your life that you just wanted to
scream at the top of your lungs?
Well that's how I've been feeling lately and I have no idea why.
I mean on the surface my life would seem ideal. I have a decent,
stable job, I'm not in debt, and to top it all off I'm engaged
to a wonderful man whom I love deeply.
So why the hell am I so restless???
My friend Charlene from work says that I'm just being a brat.
And that rather than complain about my boredom I should just be
thankful for my blessings.
I know she has a point. And logically I know she's right. But I
can't seem to shake the nagging feeling that there's something
I'm missing. Something important that I haven't found yet.
(Return to Top)
**
Right now it's 1:30 and Char and I are at lunch. As usual she's
blabbing away about what a dog her man T.J is while cramming a
pile of fries in her mouth.
Charlene is one of those typical stick thin women who eats like
a pig but never seems to gain an ounce. And for the life of me
if I didn't know any better I'd swear she was harboring a
tapeworm in that little body of hers.
I on the other have never been so lucky. All my life I
was a chunky awkward kid (or "big boned" as my mom used to put
it). In fact my metabolism is so messed up that I actually gain
weight watching other people eat. Talk about unfair right?!
But all that changed two years ago when I met my baby Roger.
Ironically enough we met at the gym. He's a personal trainer and
I was in desperate need of help at the time. For the first
couple months it was a purely professional relationship. But as
time went on and I started slimming down, Roger became more and
more attentive to my.....how do you say....womanly charms. And
needless to say by the time I'd reached my goal weight the two
of us were an "item".
I'm not really sure how we made the transition but somehow it's
worked. And judging by the huge ring he put on my finger last
spring, it's working really well.
But anyways enough of my reminiscing.
Back to the present.........
Charlene is whining again about T.J, while I'm sitting
here picking at my salad, and for the life of me I can not
figure out what she sees in that loser in the first place.
Everyday at lunch it's always the same routine. She'll ask me
how I'm doing (in order to not come off self absorbed), and then
the second I say my standard "Oh, I'm fine", she goes head first
into an endless anecdote about her dysfunctional love life.
Honestly if I didn't know better I'd think she actually enjoyed
all the drama that being with that man brings her. Otherwise
what else would she talk about?
"Girl I swear that negro is a mess!! And if the sex wasn't so
dayum gooood I swear I would drop him in a minute!...OOOOhhhh
did I tell you about last night? It was so off the hook that at
one point I swore he was gonna blow my back out.....and then
just when I thought it couldn't get any betta...."
At this point Charlene went into graphic (and I mean graphic )
detail about her little love fest with T.J the night before. To
be honest this is the part of the conversation where I usually
zone out and start thinking about my grocery list or whatever
else I can think of to kill time.
Don't get me wrong I'm not a prude in any way. I'm just not a
big fan of listening to play by play details about other
people's sex lives either. In my opinion sex is something that
should be kept between the two parties involved. And besides, I
really could give a flying rat's ass about Charlene's sex life
when I'm having enough problems keeping mine in check.
I don't get it. Rog and I are so wonderful together, but for
some reason that doesn't seem to translate in the bedroom. Most
times I just let him do his thing, moan a little for good
measure, and then before you know it he's rolled over and fallen
asleep with a big goofy grin on his face.
Ok I know it's not the most romantic picture in the world, but
hey nobody's perfect. What he lacks in between the sheets, he
more than makes up for in every other way so I don't let it
bother me. Besides I read somewhere that a lot of women aren't
really into sex, so I guess I'm just one of them ( lucky me
huh?!)
"Oh lawd here comes little miss 'he/she' " Charlene hissed
waking me from my thoughts. I looked over to where she was
staring and saw that she was talking about Eileen from
Accounting.
Eileen is actually a cool older woman. In fact her and I have
had some pretty interesting "convos" on occasion. But it's
always when Charlene is out sick and I have no one else to eat
lunch with.
Because Char is very forthcoming with her dislike for Eileen,
it's kind of an unspoken rule between the two of us that she
doesn't come around me when I'm with Char. Things are just
simpler that way.
"Char!" I exclaimed, once again annoyed by her immaturity. "Will
you please stop calling her a 'he/she'! She's a very nice woman.
Why are you always so dayum judgmental"
"Because she looks like a dayum man that's why! It's just not
natural Nina and you know it!"
"Ok I know Eileen isn't the most feminine looking thing in the
world Char, but not everyone finds it necessary to walk around
with their boobs hanging out like you do. I know I sure don't.
You gonna start calling me names now too?"
"Man that's different so don't try to change the subject. It's
not just how she dresses it's how she acts. All aggressive and
shit like she think she a man or something. You betta be careful
around her. I think she "funny" like Pretty Louey"
For those of you who don't know Pretty Lou is the mail guy at
our job. He's a sweet kid but also the most flamboyantly gay man
that you will ever meet. His attitude is "colorful" to say the
least, but since he's so amusing management doesn't make a fuss
about him.
I actually became really cool with him through Charlene so the
fact that she's spitting out all this homophobic dribble right
now is more than a little shocking to me.
"O.k hold up. Even if she were "funny" like you say, what's the
big deal? You have no prob with Lou being "funny" so why are you
acting like Eileen is a friggin leper?"
By this point Char is giving me a look that says " You can
not be that slow!" And I know that she is going to attempt
to "school" me on another one of her made up philosophies on
life. The girl swear she Aristotle but can't seem to get her own
shit together (yea ok!).
"Because she a sista that's why!" With that, she gave me a smug
look as if that sentence alone answered all my questions.
After a couple seconds with no response, Char realized that I
still didn't "get" what she was talking about.
"Dayum Nina I swear for a smart girl you can sure be NAIVE
sometimes! Geesus! The reason I don't have a problem with Louey
is cuz he's a white boy. Gay white boys are a dime a dozen these
days. All you gotta do is turn on the T.V set and they're
everywhere. Like that show with the little red head chick....."
"You mean Will & Grace?"
"Yea that one! White folks eat that stuff up. And on that otha
show 'Real World' on MTV, you know they always throw a faggot in
there for ratings. It's like it's in to be "funny" these days or
sumthing"
"Ok...ok......what does any of this have to do with you hating
Eileen?"
"What it has to do with her is the fact that it's not cool for a
sista to be into all that foolishness. I mean white folks might
be cool with it but black folks know better!"
At the end of her little speech Charlene had this cheshire smile
on her face as if she had just revealed some great truth to me.
But to the contrary she'd actually confused me even more. I was
actually dumbfounded by her ignorance. Did she really think that
being gay was a white thing? I mean the last time I checked
sexual orientation had nothing to do with race.
But as usual I just kept my mouth shut and shook my head in
disgust. Char had a tendency to drag out a conversation. And I'd
learned a long time ago that the quieter I kept during her
outbursts, the quicker she'd shut up.
So I just dropped it.
Just as I was about to pick another leaf out of my salad to
nibble on I glanced at my watch and realized that my lunch break
was just about up. Usually I'd have stuck around a little longer
but I had a pile of work on my desk that I needed to finish
before my boss got back from her vacation at the end of the
week.
While Charlene re-applied her make up for the umpteenth time
that day, I grabbed our trays and took them to the trash can.
And guess who I ran into?
"Well hello stranger!" I heard a voice behind me say while I put
my tray on top of the bin with the others.
I turned around and sure enough there was Eileen in the flesh.
Considering we were just talking about her, running into her
made me feel guilty all of sudden. Looking at her up close I had
to admit that she did dress a bit on the masculine side. Khakis,
a polo shirt and some brown loafers seemed to be her favorite
outfit. And she did wear her hair really short and curly like a
guy.
Yea so she wasn't what you'd call "pretty", but she was
definitely attractive in her own way. Almost handsome actually.
I'd never heard of a woman being handsome but for her it seemed
to fit.
Yup there was no denying that Miss Eileen was as gay as they
come. In fact I had never disagreed with Char on that point. My
only problem was how she treated her because of it. I honestly
didn't care if she was funny or not. Back in high school I'd had
a couple queer friends, and as long as they didn't try to pull
no funny business with me I was cool with it. Live and let live
you know?
Besides if I was really honest with myself (which I don't like
to be) I'd admit that my casual friendship with Eileen was
actually beneficial to me in some ways. In one of our previous
conversations she'd shared with me her love of poetry and being
a closet poetry fan myself we'd instantly made a connection. I'd
dreamed of being a writer since I was a little girl and it was
very rare that I found other people who were willing to listen
to me go on about it.
Char wasn't into the whole artistic/poetic/literary thing. She
said she thought artistic types were just people who were too
weak to get off their asses and work like everyone else. And
when I tried talking to Roger about my dreams of being a
novelist...well let's just say his reaction wasn't as supportive
as I hoped.
In fact can you believe he'd had the nerve to laugh at me?! That
hurt my feelings more than you will ever know. And when I told
him as much, all he said was "Baby I'm sorry. It's just that I
can't see you sitting around all day making up stories. It just
seems foolish to me. Besides, once we're married you'll be too
busy raising our family to think of stuff like that"
Ugh! I was so upset that night when he said that to me. It seems
like whenever we talk about the future all he can think of is me
sitting around the house all day having his babies. I mean don't
get me wrong I don't hate kids. In fact I could see myself
having one, one day. It's just that there are so many things I
want to do with my life before that while I'm still young.
But that stubborn fiancé of mine doesn't see it that way. He
comes from a family of six children and he has it set in his
mind that we're going to end up just like his parents (ugh!!!!)
But back to the topic at hand. Like I was saying before, I don't
sweat Eileen's unorthodox appearance because despite the fact
that she's obviously "funny" like Char puts it, she's also the
only person I know who takes me seriously about my passion for
writing. Plus we don't even really talk that much so she was
never really an inconvenience to me. Until now.
"Hey you!" I responded giving her a warm smile. I knew that Char
was waiting for me back at our table, so I wanted to make my
encounter with Eileen short and sweet. That way I could get away
from her before Char decided to come over to us and make a
scene.
"So how have you been?" she asked smiling back.
"Oh fine..fine. You know keeping busy. I was just about to go
back to desk. I have a ton of work to do. It was nice seeing you
again!" And with that I flashed another quick grin and turned to
leave.
But before I could escape she stopped me.
"Hey listen Nina I know we're not all that cool, but I remember
last time we talked that you mentioned that you'd always wanted
to go to a poetry reading but never got the chance......"
"Yea so?"
"Sooooo...a couple of my friends are having a poetry slam
tonight in the village. I thought maybe you'd want to come and
see what it's about"
And with that she slipped a little cardboard promo card in my
hand and walked away before I could give her an answer.
I glanced down at the card and saw that it was an invitation to
something called "United Voices: Sistas Uniting in Floatry" at
some place called the Blue Cypher. I'd never heard of it before,
but judging by Eileen's "preference" and the fact that it was in
the village, I figured it was probably some creepy lesbo bar or
something.
There's no way I'd be caught dead in a place like that!! This
woman had obviously mistook my kindness as something more that
it was. And at that moment I decided to back off from her a
little before she really started getting the wrong idea.
I mean I might be open minded but even I have my limits.
As I approached our table I quickly stuffed the invite in my
purse before Char spotted it. The last thing I needed was her
saying "I told you so". She'd probably just go into her "black
folks can't be gay" speech again, and I was not in the mood to
go through that mess twice in the same afternoon.
Besides I really needed to get back to my desk a.s.a.p! Roger
and I had planned to have a romantic dinner for two tonight. And
I knew the sooner I got out of the office the sooner I'd get to
see my baby.
**
I
looked at the clock on the wall one last time before I allowed
myself to pick up the phone and call him.
It's 8:30. A good half hour after the time that Roger should
have arrived to my place and I am beginning to get worried.
The first couple times that I called his cell I'd gotten the
machine and now my imagination was going wild making up
scenarios why he hadn't been able to pick up.
This just wasn't like him. He always called when he was going to
be late.
After I dialed his number the phone rang about four times and
just when I thought the machine was going to come on again, he
finally picked up.
"Hello"
"Roger?! Sweetie where are you? I thought you were supposed to
be here at 8!"
"Nina? Hey baby I was just about to call you..."
"Well why didn't you? I was worried sick! I mean here I am
sitting on the couch all dressed up waiting for your ass and all
you can say is..."
"Hey! Hey! Be easy. First of all baby calm down. You know I hate
it when you trip like this. Like I said I was just about to call
you. I'm running a little late but I'll be over there lata aight"
"Later? What do you mean later. You're supposed to be here now
Roger. What the fuck is going on. And where are you anyways??
huh?"
Silence
Once he didn't answer I realized where he was and that pissed me
off even more. Now I knew why he hadn't called me.
"You're with that little wanna be thug Sammy aren't you! Oh my
God Roger you have got to be kidding me. I thought we
were over this bullshit.......You said you were....."
"Aight that's enough will you just shut up for two seconds and
let me talk woman!"
Hold up what did he just say to me?
In all our time together Roger had never, and I mean never
talked to me like that. And he sure as hell knew better than to
tell me to shut up!
See that's exactly why I couldn't stand him hanging out with his
boys as he calls them. When we'd first hooked up his friends had
been a constant issue with us. And 9 out of 10 times if we had
an argument it was about them. But after we got engaged he'd
sworn up and down that I'd finally have him to myself for once.
And for the most part he'd kept his word. So this apparent slip
up wasn't just unusual, it just didn't make any sense!
"Excuse me? Who do you think you're talking to? I know you're
not sitting up here trying to show off on the phone for your
little friends? Baby I thought we were past this why are
you......."
"Nina! On the real I can't talk right now some shit went down
tonight and Sammy needs me. Now I promise I'll explain this when
I get there but I can't get into it right now aight? Dayum!"
"No it is not alright Roger!! What type of shit does that boy
have you mixed up with now?"
*click*
"Hello?...Roger?...helllooooo?"
It took me about 10 seconds before I realized that bastard had
hung up on me. At first I stood there dumbstruck holding the
phone in my hand like an idiot. But once it dawned on me what
had happened I was even more furious than before.
Before I could think better of it I found myself dialing
Charlene's number. If anyone could relate to some trifling mess
like this it would be her! But after a couple rings her machine
came on.
"Hey girl it's me Nina. Roger has up and lost his mind and now
I'm in a funky mood. Looks like I'm gonna be stuck in the house
tonight so if you want to do something give me a call"
After I left Char the message I tried calling a few of my other
girlfriends who I hadn't heard from in a while. But everyone
seemed to be busy. I wasn't usually the "hanging out" type but I
was determined not to be home when Roger got back. If he could
go out with his friends then there was no reason I couldn't do
the same!
Only problem was I didn't really have that many friends because
I usually spent all my time with Roger or at work.
I hated to admit defeat but it seemed that despite my efforts I
would be home when he got back.
Tired and just plain depressed I got up from the couch and went
to the bathroom to take off my make-up and get ready for bed. As
usual my bathroom was a mess! I'd been in such a hurry to get
ready that I'd ended up spilling all the contents of my purse on
the floor next to the sink.
While I was bent over trying to put everything back in it's
place the card that Eileen had given me that afternoon caught my
eye. It was on the floor with the rest of my stuff stuck in
between the toilet bowl and the wall. I picked it up and decided
to read it over again. Suddenly an idea was starting to form in
my head. Maybe I'd be able to teach Roger a lesson after all.
He'd be mad enough when he got home and realized I wasn't there.
But when he found out where I'd been, the look on his face would
be priceless!
Suddenly enthused by my plan I got up off my bathroom floor and
decided to freshen up my makeup. Nothing too dramatic just a
little mascara and a little lipstick and I was ready to go. It
wasn't until I walked past my hallway mirror that I realized
there was one little problem with my plan.
I was still wearing the sexy dress that I'd bought the week
before to impress Roger. And there was no way I was going to go
to a possibly gay bar looking like this. One look at me in this
outfit and Eileen's manly ass would probably be all over me
(um...ewww!).
I quickly ran over to my closet and picked out something a
little more conservative. I slipped on a pair of hip huggers and
a white button down shirt and instantly I felt more relaxed.
Then I went back to the bathroom, replaced my bright red
lipstick with some clear lip gloss, pulled my hair back in a
pony tail, and then I was truly ready to go.
Hopefully with my understated look I'd be able to slip into the
place without anyone hitting on me. And if I was unlucky enough
to run into Eileen I'd just have to pull her aside and tell her
I didn't swing that way. She seemed like a pretty smart lady.
Hopefully she wouldn't take it too badly. And who knows maybe
I'd end up having a good time.
Stranger things have happened..............
**
It was about 10:00 when I finally found the Blue Cypher. It had
taken me a little longer to get there than I'd expected because
I wasn't too familiar with the village. Roger said it was a "den
of sin and deviants" so we usually stayed away from it. But
tonight I was feeling adventurous, so with some directions from
a couple passersby I was finally able to find the little bar.
Surprisingly it wasn't a seedy dyke joint like I'd expected . It
was actually a coffee bar. And a really nice one at that! The
inside of the little building was a big open space filled with
large plush midnight blue couches and tables. Towards the back
of the room was a counter where people were ordering drinks and
desserts, and off center from the counter was a slightly raised
platform. I assumed this was where the poetry reading would take
place. On the left hand side of the room was a section of the
bar that looked like a little book store. I guess during the day
they sold books here too, but at the moment that section was
sectioned off from the rest of the place.
The thing that struck me the most was the lighting. It was set
low and there were little candles set on all the tables and
around the room. The effect gave the whole place a decidedly
soft and romantic feeling.
Immediately I was glad I had come. Something about this
atmosphere just made me feel safe. As if while I was here I
could escape all the stress in my life. And to my relief I
realized that there were men as well as women in the bar. Which
meant that straight folks like me were probably welcome. I mean
yea I spotted a couple same sex couples. But for the most part
it was a pretty mixed crowd. And everyone seemed to be laughing
and talking in hushed tones as if they were all engaged in
meaningful intimate conversations.
When I realized that I was still standing in the doorway gawking
like a tourist, I decided to make my way a little deeper into
the bar to find a seat before the show started.
Just then a woman seemingly appeared out of nowhere and
approached me with a warm sincere smile.
"Hello my sistah!" she greeted with a slight west indian accent.
"Is this your first time here?"
"Uh yea...it is" I managed to respond. I was a little put off by
this woman's boldness. She was about 5'6 with skin the color of
peanut butter and a head full of long golden brown locks. She
had freckles sprinkled across her nose just like I did, and a
big wide smile that spanned from ear to ear. She seemed like a
very pleasant older woman, and under any other circumstances I
wouldn't have minded chit chatting with her, but at the moment I
just wanted to blend into the crowd.
"Well..." she continued openly assessing me on the spot "Welcome..I'm
sure you'll love it here. My name is Zamina let me help you find
a place to sit"
And with that she started walking amongst the tables. I guess
that was my que to follow her.
After looking around for a little while Zamina found me a nice
booth in the corner of the room. It was probably the best seat
in the house because from my point of view I could see everyone
who came in and out of the bar.
Upon finding me my ideal spot Zamina disappeared once again into
the crowd. I guess she worked here or something(?).
Anyways as soon as I was settled into my seat that woman was the
furthest thing on my mind and I found myself indulging in one of
my favorite past times: people watching.
It always amazed me how much you could learn just by watching
people interact with each other. A lot of the time others
mistook my sometimes quiet nature as shyness. But that wasn't it
at all. I had just learned a long time ago that sometimes
silence is golden. And that if you paid attention long enough
you'd be able to learn more about someone just by quietly
letting them reveal themselves to you rather than bombarding
them with a million questions.
Like for instance that couple on the far left side of the room
was obviously on a first date. The both of them looked nervous
out of there minds, and every time the girl would look away the
guy would sneak peeks at her. As if he was scared to make any
real eye contact with her.
And over there towards the front of the room was an older couple
drinking coffee and laughing like two young kids in love. They
had obviously been together a long time and were at a point in
their lives where they were comfortable with each other enough
not to sweat the small stuff.
Now that is sweet. I wonder if Roger and I will be like them 30
years from now.
Oh lawd Roger. The mere thought of him got my blood boiling
again. I couldn't believe what an asshole he'd been tonight!
When I got home we were going to have to have a long talk about
his screwed up priorities! But at the moment I was determined
not to think about him. Tonight I was just going to sit here,
relax and listen to some poetry. My relationship problems could
wait till later.
As it neared 10:30 the crowd began to quiet down and the lights
were lowered even more than before. A spot light was set on the
small stage in the middle of the room, and as soft jazz music
began to play from the speakers in the ceiling Zamina appeared
again on stage.
"Hello ladies and gentlemen. Welcome once again to dee Cypher.
For your pleasure tonight we 'ave a group of young ladies who
will be reciting their works for us. As you all know the
tradition of dee spoken werd is a legacy that has been passed on
ova and ova again from our ancestors throughout dee generations.
So tonight, as you listen to dese sistas share their thoughts,
there are not only baring a piece of dey souls with us. They are
also paying homage to the ancestors of days passed!"
And with that she bowed and glided off the stage while the
audience applauded.
First up was this chinky eyed bohemian sister who went by the
name of Lyric. She was a deep cocoa brown color with long thick
hair pulled into two thick braids. Her almond shaped eyes had
long lashes that seemed to sweep across her cheeks whenever she
looked down. And she had a real earthy vibe about her that drew
you to her. The minute I laid eyes on her I could tell she was
something special. And she started off her poem quietly enough.
But then as she continued her demeanor changed.
She actually looked like she was in pain as she went on to do
her piece about a young girl in the ghetto losing her innocence
to the streets. With every stanza her voice grew larger and
larger until it seemed to fill the whole room and drip down the
walls. Her words were like daggers in the consciousness of the
audience.
And just when you thought this poor woman would lose her mind on
stage from the the grittiness that was spilling out of
her.....suddenly....she sighed.
Not the kind of sigh that comes from a weary body, but the kind
that comes from a weary soul.
Everyone in the audience collectively held their breath waiting
to see what she would say next.
And then in the blink of an eye as quietly as it had began, her
piece ended.
Oh .......my......... gawd!
Never in my life had I a witnessed something like that. The
audience was on their feet at once clapping and paying her
respects. I'd been told by Eileen that at poetry readings
audiences don't clap, they just snap their fingers as a way of
showing you did a good job. But I guess in this case that little
rule had gone out the window. Lyric had touched something in
everyone in the room and they had no problem letting her know
it.
After her performance the rest of their poets did their thing.
They were all good. Actually really good to be honest. But in my
opinion they all paled in comparison to the first act.
I looked down at my watch and realized that it was almost 11:30.
I figured Rog would be heading back to my house by now so I
decided I'd get something to drink and then head back home to
let that man of mine know just how mad he'd made me.
Since the show was still going on, the line at the bar was dayum
near non existent. In fact besides me there was only one other
woman waiting to be served. She thanked the bartender for her
drink and as she turned around I realized that I was face to
face with Miss Lyric herself!
"Oh my gawd it's you!" I exclaimed before I could stop myself
from making such a stupid statement.
Upon hearing my outburst she turned around completely and looked
me over with a look that was half confusion and
half....amusement?
"Hey wasup ma ma.....do I know you?" she asked.
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