Thursday, September 20, 2012

Whatever Became Of You - 09/20/12

"I wonder whatever became of you...
Once my proudest sight,
You're now someone I'm ashamed to view.
I'm not ashamed of you,
Just of what happened.
We went from congratulations and people clapping
To an ideal state of romantic dates, something out of a dream while napping
To us being lost in love, struggling with mapping,
To arguments that could only be described as energy-sapping.
I wanted to get away, to leave it all and run...
But there's no such thing as a clean break when dirt has been done.
So we fell apart,
Cloud Nine disintegrating into thunderstorms,
Eden invaded by impurities,
Perfection being impugned by the mirror.
Without showers of affection,
My imagination became afflicted with drought...
Your love was difficult to go without.
Nightmares of separation had come to fruition,
While dreams of you faded without an intermission.
Intermittent regrets flashed in my mind as though beamed from a distant lighthouse,
A beacon in the emotional tempest you left in your wake.
Heading toward it was bound to be a mistake,
An error that would haunt me with the ghosts of second guesses.
So instead, I headed for the shore,
The surest sign of sanity,
The home of my humanity as I vanquished you to your oceans of vanity.
I looked only ahead as I loved and lost,
Leaning on my own strength to avoid looking back.
Eye contact would've been the weakness you needed to once again attack.
Presently, the present me is definitely greater than the one you left in shambles.
I often wonder how many others have gambled on loving you,
Knowing you can only love yourself...
I wonder how many others had to feel the whimsical whirlwind become a malicious maelstrom,
How many others had to watch intimacy fall to intense irony,
Had to have their sandcastles washed away from the inside out.
I thought you floated in on destiny, yet you drifted away on doubts.
After bouts with muddy thoughts, my picture and future both became very clear...
I healed; I am now in control of how I feel,
And I now love another with no residual fear.
But there are some times where I recall when you were here,
And how much I wanted you near.
While no part of me, not in spirit, heart, nor mentally, still holds you dear,
Whispers of the past still drift into my ears.
They remind me of current scars and previous tears...
And as I ponder if any effects that I had on you still show after all these years,
A shadow of who you were is cast yonder.
The light of my life quickly tears it asunder,
But, I can't help but wonder:
Whatever became of you?"

-A. Lewis

Saturday, July 28, 2012

I Once Fell In Love With The Sun - 7/28/12

I once fell in love with the Sun.
Bright and beautiful, she was.
Never had my heart been so warmed,
Never had my heart been so charmed.
Light emanated from her smile,
Effervesced in her eyes,
And excited my mind.
There were flings and flames before her,
But none could compare.
Even on her worst days,
I was touched by the first waves of her heat.
No cloud could obfuscate the great, innate shine of her soul.
It was as if my skies had been brightened by a molten orb of the finest gold.
I once fell in love with the Sun.
But alas, I was on the ground, and she was magnificently perched in the sky.
My admiration fell on deaf rays; no voice could reach so high.
It would soon become a conundrum,
A quandary of sorts.
I felt loved when she blanketed me with her simmering sparkles, of course,
But my feelings felt unrequited since there was no proximity or discourse.
I couldn't express myself. I could never get close enough.
Prose would prove to be a most productive outlet,
But it typically felt like I never wrote enough.
She gave me a shadow.
It was devoid of features, a clear indication that she simply saw me for me.
I once fell in love with the Sun,
And as each day comes and goes, I wish that together we could be.
Most assume that I would burn like the wings of Icarus,
And fall victim to flames behind the light,
But I know that behind the fire, a gentle soul lies.
She simply wants to be appreciated for who she is, not what she provides,
How perfectly she curves at her sides, or how stunning she is to the eyes.
See, the Sun is a star too divine to simply twinkle.
She glows in golden rays.
I once fell in love with the Sun,
And I want the story told this way:
Despite making my skies brighter and setting my soul on fire,
The greatest thing she did for me,
Was inspiring me to reach new heights and set my goals even higher.
There is no conclusion,
Only a tale for the ages.
Two lovers in the same book,
But only on different pages.
I once fell in love with the Sun,
And continue to do so daily.

-A. Lewis

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

The Sweetest Thing (Guilty Pleasure) - 7/11/12

Fields of sugarcane in my mind...
Syrupy sentiments rain from cognitive clouds of cotton candy.
You are the sweetest thing I've ever known.
My mind was running in circles until it tripped over one of the gumdrops you left...
Now I'm swimming in feelings sweeter than Southern cane tea.
The Gingerbread man must be sprinkling sugar in my dreams,
Replacing the Sandman's plans to soothe me with sands.
Instead, I smile subconsciously at hugs under Kool-Aid waterfalls,
Kisses crafted by Hershey's,
And breezes laden with the aroma of cinnamon rolls.
'Tis a love as fresh as warm, soft chocolate chip cookies,
Accompanied by ice cream dreams and thoughts of delectable things.
Each conversation is like a Pixy Stick, filled with intense flavor,
The kind that lingers like semantic Now and Laters.
My favorite three-layer cake features sexy curves,
A beautiful mind,
And a warm center, a sweet heart of caramel.
You're a slice special enough for my birthday.
So even on your worst day,
I'll still want you like I never should've had you in the first place.
My dear guilty pleasure...
I'm guilty of enjoying your love with every measure.

-A. Lewis

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Constellations - 7/10/12

Our souls are galaxies;
Our minds are universes;
Our hearts are suns;
Our traits are stars.
Passion is our suns in proximity, creating conflagrations.
Love is connecting our dots, seeing the constellations.
I can be your Orion, your warrior.
You can be my Andromeda, my strong-minded wife.
And when our love burns brightly,
It shall be the North Star for those in love who are lost,
A point of reference, a point of reverence.
What we represent will be greater than who we are,
Much like how astronomy is greater than simply naming the stars.
It is understanding what they mean, what each constellation projects.
Constellations show relations between the divine placements of celestial objects.
That proves that our souls are galaxies;
Our minds are universes;
Our hearts are suns;
Our traits are stars.
Growth is allowing stars to die and shift, forming new combinations.
Love is connecting our dots, seeing the constellations.

-A. Lewis

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Lines In The Sand (Promises) - 7/8/12

Draw a line in the sands of time, if you feel so compelled.
I'll watch the flow events wash it away with happenings you couldn't foretell.
The unexpected will change you. I am certain.
I'll say something "wrong," or some unforeseeable event will take place;
You'll be transformed by emotions, take it out on me, then apologize later to save face.
I'm all for promises, but only in a particular way.
You must be careful with what you say; life will test your word.
It's absurd to think that anything is more sacrosanct than the passage of time itself.
Nothing can encroach upon it, so do not waste your breath,
Delineating which actions are outside of your personality.
When life puts you under certain combinations of stress and pressure,
You tend to see and react to a different reality.
Time is consistent; promise me you'll be the same.
Tell me what you WILL do; not how you won't change.
Time is always running, so sand is constantly collecting on top of us.
When it rains, it becomes even more cumbersome and much more difficult to deal with.
I'd rather be sure of what you'll do day-by-day,
Than of what you won't do when you're pressed by the sand mixing with the rain to become clay.
Don't waste your time drawing lines in the sand.
Instead, focus on how you'll live and grow with the ebb and flow of events in time.
Promise what you will, never what you won't.
You can't ever be sure of what time will do, which means you can never be sure of what you don't.

-A. Lewis

Friday, July 6, 2012

Stay Awhile - 7/6/12

Stay awhile.
Indulge me with your presence, intoxicate me with your essence;
Have my mind so gone that your body leaves it a message...
Leave me lingering on the last little bits of lust left over in my eye lashes from our lascivious glances.
Our pupils so delicately danced their slow dances.
Why would I read about romances when I can study the alluring symmetry that Universe has so graciously placed before me?
It'll take time for me to find differences between one side of you and the other...
Time that will be spent admiring what you were genetically gifted from your mother.
I could sex you for hours,
Think about you for days,
Support you for years,
Be with you for decades,
And love you for lifetimes.
Right now though, I just want you here. Next to me.
As your aura gets the best of me.
Our chemistry is as natural as respiration;
We could take each other's love without needing restoration.
This moment has no expiration.
It'll last as long as we choose, with no explanation.
No point of reference, no destination.
Just here, now.
The leading edge of reality, where darkness and light fight to define our existence, lies in the distance.
We'll leave it be.
What we've done is behind us; all I need you to do is be with me.
A memory will be made in this moment;
A unique experience will be had, and we'll never be able to clone it.
Take the time to fray my mind around its edges, and I'll separate you from the world so you won't forget this. Indulge me with your presence, intoxicate me with your essence;
Have my mind so gone that your body leaves it a message.
Stay awhile.

-A. Lewis

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Five Things You Need To Know About The NBA Finals - 6/12/12

The NBA Finals are only mere hours away, and you're not sure of what to watch for (besides the big name superstars). Well, I've got you covered. From matchups to back stories, I'll give you enough info to make this the most engaging sporting event you've ever tuned into. Here are five things you need to know:

1. The "LeBron Isn't Clutch" Argument Is Asinine.
It is pointless to debate whether LeBron James is or isn't clutch (I'm looking at YOU, Skip Bayless). What gets lost in that discussion is LeBron's skill set. While he is the most talented overall player in the world, his skill set is limited in certain areas. We are all aware that his jumper is not the most lethal part of his arsenal. Furthermore, it is not an asset that he leans on when he needs points. Compounding that point is the fact that he is a FLOW player. However the game is going, LeBron will go along with it. That what he does best; that's how he gets so many assists and rebounds, as well as blocks and steals. I'm sure many of us recall some of the amazing passes he made in Cleveland, getting the ball ON-TIME, ON POINT, to shooters that were waiting. I have always held the belief that LBJ is the second coming of Magic Johnson, a tall, dynamic distributor that dominates the open court, rebounds, and can still put up 30+ points. Does that not sound like an accurate description of LeBron? He works WITHIN an offense, rather than having an offense flow THROUGH him. In "clutch," late-game situations, he is looking to run AN offense, not THE offense. He would rather run the play than make the play, and that's simply because he has an almost unrivaled ability to run it, rather than make it. He does not have the triple-threat proficiency of Kobe Bryant, nor does he create space in the same manner. Thus, he has no "go-to" move in late-game situations. He ends up taking poor-quality jumpers or awkward layups designed to draw contact rather than score points. That's not his forte, and he only did it in Cleveland/does it now because it's expected of him. Have you ever seen him 'pick his spot' in a late-game situation and knock down a jumper we've seen him make over and over? No? Precisely. That's not his game. Stop asking him to do that, and let him flourish as a 25-8-8(pts, asts, rbs) player. I'll take that over a poor shot at the end of the game. Asking him to hold on to the ball, square up at the three point line (or in some cases, at the elbow), survey the court, and find a way to score off of his action, without an actual play being set, is denying him the opportunity to be a playmaker in the way that fits him best. Analysts need to acknowledge that.

2. Kevin Durant Is A Very Clutch Player
This shall be brief. I'm stating the obvious, but it's to give a bit of insight. KD is very clutch because of his repertoire, the same reason that LBJ is limited. KD can pull up from anywhere. He can create space, create contact...he can even create MORE sneaker sales for Nike. At the same time, he's a constant threat to drive to the basket. That makes him infinitely dangerous in a late-game situation, since his length means he's more likely to finish at the basket or get a CLEAN look at a jumper DESPITE close defense. His performance in the clutch will be a deciding factor in this series, especially since he'll likely be going at LBJ.

3. D-Wade Versus Westbrook Is NOT The Match-Up To Watch
Will it be intriguing? Undoubtedly. However, those two athletic, fearless, and tremendously gifted players do not comprise the biggest match-up of this series. That takes place in the paint. Chris Bosh will have to have a definite PRESENCE in this series. His rebounding, scoring, and defense against Perkins and Ibaka will be a, if not THE determining factor in this series. Perkins and Ibaka turned the tide against San Antonio, without question. Between setting pick-and-rolls (often illegally, but that's another discussion for another day), defending pick-and-rolls (which they'll HAVE to do well, otherwise Bosh will average close to 20 ppg), and rebounding well, they really made their mark on the Western Conference Finals. Miami is in trouble here. If Bosh guards Perkins, the power forward, who will guard Ibaka, the center? Turiaf and Anthony are not equipped to stop him. If Bosh is on Ibaka, can the Heat really depend on the smaller guys (Haslem included) to guard Perkins? Look for Bosh to space the floor on offense, flaring out on pick-and-rolls to keep at least one of those big men out of the paint, allowing LBJ & D-Wade to penetrate. On defense, it's likely that Miami will struggle to defend the paint, and will more than likely struggle to control the boards, which leads to the next point.

4. The Transition Game In This Series Will Be Critical
If the Thunder control the boards, that means Westbrook, Harden, Durant, and Ibaka out running the floor. Miami matches up well, but the Thunder can attack OR hit jumpers in transition, something the Heat haven't had to defend before now. They are likely to have issues in that department, only because Wade on Westbrook and James on Durant leaves Harden and Ibaka as options on the fast break. On the flipside, the Heat will NEED buckets in transition. If Ibaka and Perkins can't get back, that may be the only time where they can get good looks in the paint.

5. James Harden and Mario Chalmers Are The Players To Watch
James Harden will put pressure on Miami's defense. If he is on the court with Westbrook, who will guard him? If Wade slides over, that leaves the slower Battier on Westbrook. If not, the slower Battier will be on the aggressive Harden. Either way, it gives the Thunder a match-up advantage. If Mario Chalmers steps up, he can guard Harden or Westbrook to help the Heat. He's an average defender, but at least Miami keeps up with the match-ups. On offense, scoring from him would keep the Thunder honest when sending help defense on the Heat's big three. The Heat's big men will be a question, no matter how they perform; Chalmers as a factor would help to offset that, especially if Battier and Mike Miller are also making shots. An honest defense is a playground for driving players like Wade and LBJ.

There's much more to know, but those are the major points. It's almost like fate that these teams are playing in the Finals, seeing that LBJ and KD practiced together before the season started. The MVP and the scoring champ; the two players that are the faces of the NBA's new vanguard. James is looking for the first official validation of his legacy; Durant is looking for the official beginning of his. A championship would bolster Wade's career, while it would only leave Westbrook and Harden hungry to combine for more. Behind it all, Derek Fisher has a chance to surpass Kobe Bryant and reach the illustrious distinction of six-time champion, a fact that I'm certain Kobe isn't pleased with. A loss for the Thunder would only make them favorites to come back next year, while a loss for the Heat would raise a world of questions, a universe of controversy, and a galaxy of speculation. In any case, the stories of this season for every player on either team enter the final chapter tonight. What will be written? The hardwood tells magical stories, and the ball doesn't lie. It's the NBA Finals: where history is made and legacies are born.

-A. Lewis

Monday, June 11, 2012

Pyramids (Working Title)

There are pyramids in the sand somewhere for you.
Monuments to your timeless beauty.
...I just hope you find them before time lays its claim.
Your purpose got lost in the minds of Barbie dolls and empty containers once filled with lip gloss...
More concerned with building a home than assuming the throne, building a life of your own.
Men litigate and promulgate rules that can't even begin to corral the breadth of your potential,
And you sit idly by, building sandcastles out of broken promises and tears, putting on makeup and searching for logic as to why this is the natural order of the world.
The pyramids would tell you otherwise.
That is why you must find them.
There is no mandate for your subjugation; you hold the power to create and house second-class citizens within your divine flesh, bringing limitless possibilities into the world with each new life.
Your mind is hardwired to love. Love is the most transcendent force on the planet.
Does that not make you a spiritual genius, if you are born with the innate understanding of how to speak to the souls of others, especially men and children?
Then why do you allow yourself to be reduced to drama?
There isn't enough theater in the world to even cover one stanza of the injustices you've suffered.
Why is it that your worth is determined by your ability to be worthy of a diamond, when you have a literal heart of gold, a timeless wellspring of priceless affection that can change the world?
You must go and find them. They hold the answers.
The pyramids might reflect your beauty, but there is far more.
Just like you, they were constructed in cosmic perfection,
Defying logic because purpose speaks to the spirit, not the mind.
Men assume that your emotions make you weak, but they give you the strength to love,
To open yourself to the possibility of being hurt by love, by the most transcendent force on the planet, the one that will transcend all barriers, all scars, all thoughts and detonate in the deepest, darkest corner of one's soul, leaving a burning flame that will ignite at even the thought of similar pain, burning both you and your match.
Only a force like that, directed by devotion, could've built those pyramids...
Is that not how men build a new life with women, loving through devotion?
You must go find them.
They await you, majestically roughened up by the hands of Father Time,
A gift from some of the earliest sons of Mother Earth,
Monuments to your timeless beauty.
If no man, not even Father Time, can take them from you, can tear them down, can understand them, then why don't you embrace them?
They are for you.
Most would say it's your destiny to bring out the best in me, a man, but that is not the case.
Your purpose is to find them.
Claim them before Father Time wins what may ultimately become a war of attrition.
Sad human logic engenders fear when something cannot be understood.
Fear begets animosity, which causes destruction.
However, the pyramids have defied this.
They still stand for you.
No one understands how you further civilization on both feet, smiling, beautiful, intelligent,
Holding your existence firmly in your grasp as you release a new spirit into the universe.
But you do it.
There is no explanation for the way you've captivated, intrigued, and triggered lust in the dark recesses of the minds of men, but you continue to do so, your curves as definite as the path of the hands of time circumnavigating the faces of watches and clocks all over the world at the same speed, one that hasn't changed since the dawn of time, much like how you've been the standard of beauty no matter the era, your color, the beliefs, your actions, or the observers.
The stars seem dim in comparison; the sun is a replica of your heart, the Earth is a living model of your mind, the cosmos is a manifestation of your soul.
That is why you must go find them.
There are pyramids in the sand somewhere for you.
Monuments to your timeless beauty.
...I just hope you find them before Time lays his claim.
Those are your thrones, places your legacy can call home.
The mystifying majesty that they capture is shared among all women,
Similar in all ways, yet different stone-by-stone.
To discover them is to discover your greatness manifest.

-A. Lewis

Friday, February 17, 2012

For Whitney...and Still For Michael - 2/17/12 (from 2/11/12)

"Michael and Whitney showed us the pinnacle of Black achievement in music...their mass appeal earned them the titles of King and Queen of Pop. But it was not their record sales that endeared them to us. It was their personalities. Beyond immense talent, they were still human beings. Mike was a fun-loving guy, and Whitney was a bubbly young lady with a stunning smile. As it would turn out, their humanness would eventually contribute greatly to their demises...and tarnish their once sterling reputations. However, such twists of fate do not resonate in the heart as they do in the mind. While we attempt to conceive how they let themselves go, what drugs she might've been on, and why Mike was on medication, our hearts are busy singing the songs that got stuck there so long ago, humming right along with the wonderful memories we have. Sister Houston now takes on a new life within us all, one of splendid moments that will be recounted to the tunes she made famous with her incomparable voice. The way that people like she and Mike could bring about feelings in us stretches far beyond what the media could ever make us believe. We know what the music did, what it does, and what it will always do. No pictures could be painted that would make us FEEL any less about her, though we might judgmentally THINK less. She now, or at least her spirit, presumably has peace. And with that said, we must find peace ourselves. How? Just by listening to those songs in our hearts and singing along."

-A. Lewis

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

There's A Fire In this Room - 2/7/12

"There's a fire in this room, but no candles...when the lights are down low, your hips become handles; rapid respiration within my ribs restrains my random rambles. Intimacy can leave inhibitions in shambles...and my hands amble up and down your spine like young kids in the mall with no place to go at all, dragging in certain spots like vowels in southern drawl. Most brothers are out to love them all, and I am too. The only difference is that while they learn hot spots, a grab, a rub, a pinch or two, I'm learning the key to burning every inch of you. Fingertips like matchsticks, the night is ripe for sensory magic. Speaking of touching though, the romance of our ensnared glances is like a passionate tango dance, with our pupils as partners, our attention as the hands clasped, and our bodies as the dance floor that is traversed as though this was all rehearsed. The intensity is so great that it could be metaphorical, though the silence is allegorical, symbolizing the categorical denial of outward displays of such raw, powerful finesse in the design of nature. It's at times like these when sexy is much less visual and much more visceral...when minds become magnets, privates become poles, bodies begin to bustle, and hormones take hold. The experience stretches far beyond the shallow waters of lust...but getting out to the sea of the feelings that lie within us means we mustn't be afraid of the depth of trust. When two beings can be open, mind, body, and soul, they can allow their innermost desires to take control..."

-A. Lewis

Beauty Is Harmony - 2/7/12

"When young men come to understand that beauty is harmony between appreciation and emotional stimulation, they will treat young ladies differently. When you can appreciate her looks AND be in awe of them, love how intelligent she is AND be captivated by how she much she knows, be grateful that you know her AND enjoy how happy her presence in your life makes you, that's true beauty. That duality is all around is life and nature. Acknowledging it is rare though. Most would settle to have one or the other; to be able to recognize, understand, and take both into account takes a great deal of maturity."

-A. Lewis

A Quote on Leadership - 2/7/12

"A defining trait of a great leader is the ability to utilize exceptional discretion when exercising influence, power, and authority; each is different from the others, they all come with great responsibility, and they all are greatly effective when used accordingly."

-A. Lewis

Thursday, February 2, 2012

A Lesson In Oppression Dynamics - 2/2/12

"When an oppressor can play the victim, the oppressed are made to look pretentious, whiny, and focused on trivialities. Pretentious for assuming the worse and feeling as though they're special enough to be targeted; whiny for constantly bringing up what's made to seem to be a non-issue; focused on trivialities for nitpicking at what is a 'minute' part of whatever the greater discussion is. The oppression hides behind itself, touting its minor improvements with major rhetoric, using the simple fact of improvement itself as a crutch, implying that the possibility of improvement makes any issue impervious to criticism. The oppressor gains an upper hand on the one issue that the oppressed always had to themselves: victimization. With the script flipped, the oppressed no longer have any ground to stand on beside the historical, which automatically is seen as 'living in the past' when coupled with the improvement rhetoric. The oppressed are left with their primary soapbox eviscerated, and the oppressor gains a new, powerful, myopic, and dismissive platform to reach people on the fence about the oppression itself. Furthermore, any former victim that is a prime example of the aforementioned improvements will become a shield for the oppressor, used to deflect criticisms as 'proof' of the improvement rhetoric with the idea that if one could succeed, all can. Despite the sheer foolishness of that logic, and the inherent dismissal of the varying degrees of difficulty facing the oppressed, the 'success story' becomes a stalwart talking point of the oppressor, providing a final line of defense: the notion that the oppression is over, that each success story is indicative of the collective and what it can accomplish, rather than a bravura in its own right and a sign of what could be accomplished if there weren't so many obstacles facing the oppressed. In making the oppressed seem as though they're just being lazy and acting helpless, the oppressor has obtained an institutionalization of his oppression, and can now watch it take place on all levels with little to no resistance at all, since his peers will either agree with him or be oblivious to it, and the oppressed will be confused as to whether they're really being oppressed or not. The subsequent division among them will completely obfuscate the matter, ironically leaving them as helpless as the oppressor made them out to be beforehand."

-A. Lewis

Full Circle - 2/2/12

"Break my heart. Smash it into pieces. Rend my hopes, dash my dreams. Make me question everything I feel, question if this is real, question love itself as I fall and kneel. Systematically raze my backbone, telling a lie to eat away at each vertebrate. Darken my happiness with clouds of doubts, and rain on me with a monsoon of sincere ignorance, politely choosing not to care about my feelings at every turn. Watch me drown in the angst; send me down the river, and push me under whenever I reach the banks. Smother me with false affection, so much that I actually think I'm your selection, then show me that it was just a ruse to get deep enough into me to leave a spiritual bruise. Have what you will, take what you want, and leave me broken, hoping that I'm no longer choking on the insecurities you bred. Destroy every bit of my trust with your eviscerating lust. Obliterate my entire ability to love. Once you're done, take a hard look at what you've become, and ask yourself a question. All of these destructive dealings came from you running away from aching feelings; so who will you run to, now that we both need tremendous healing? The only person that knows that you're reeling. Full circle."

-A. Lewis

What Is Love In the 21st Century? - 2/2/12

"#iloveyou is a trending topic. 'Married' is a relationship status. Dates take place over oovoo and Skype, and since the Internet has made the world smaller, we sift through tumblr to determine our 'type.' What is love in the 21st century? Are our ethics so far gone that unless I log on and display affection in the open, anyone can impugn my heart's devotion? Does the lack of a constant commotion mean my relationship is missing the 'reality' quotient, aka drama divided by attention? Televised lies have glazed eyes with a saccharine coat of fallacy. Love isn't take what you want and give what you can; it requires balancing. There cannot be a right selection when someone is dating in search of the right direction. We're constantly shown that we're incomplete if we're alone, so we use social networking to fill needs with hollow connections from our homes and phones. With profiles and bios available, we simply get to know each other through text. When that fails, we move a little further and do so through texts. Divorce is at an all-time high; verbal communication is at an all-time low. Networks are contracting us to normalize these relation-trips, and we should all sign 'no.' What is love in the 21st century? That has yet to be determined. With the lack of genuine connections and television inculcating us with unrealistic ideas of perfection, only insecurity and a scarcity of sureties are certain."

-A. Lewis

For Brother Cornelius - 2/2/12

"On the first day of a month that owes a portion of its lustre to him, Brother Don Cornelius passed away, victim of an apparent suicide. I don't know what drove the Brother to it, but I do know that it's a travesty to have lost such an impactful man in the incipient moments of a time where he would be honored and his legacy cherished. At a time when America was still reeling from the Civil Rights Movement and wasn't fully accepting of Black music and culture, the velveteen emcee brought Black cool and Black soul music to a platform, boarded the train, and chugged his way to a level of success that seemed unimaginable for such a television program. Artists like Al Green, Bobby Caldwell, Earth, Wind, & Fire, and others were given a chance to perform in front of an afro'd, bellbottomed, and youthful crowd like White artists; proud Black teens and twenty-somethings had an outlet for THEIR music and dance moves. Creating, producing, and hosting the show, Don Cornelius took that intersection of culture and music and made it matter on a national scale. The Soul Train was a mode of transportation that took you from your living room to a land of grooves, moves, and sing-a-long tunes, a locomotive that would take Black people and Black music into the mainstream and beyond. Cornelius' legacy is immeasurable. He was a pioneer, a visionary, and, most importantly, a purveyor of Black culture when there really weren't any. That voice, that style, that silently effusive braggadocio; it was a microcosm of his people. He was the face of his audience, of his culture. No one could've represented it better. Now, as we bid the conductor adieu, we should wish him what he wanted for all of us: love, peace, and soul. May he now ride the train to eternal peace."

-A. Lewis

Monday, January 23, 2012

Dear Joe Paterno - 1/23/12

Dear Joe Paterno,

Now that you've passed on, your legacy will be debated. Some will say that your gridiron merits are untouchable, that what you accomplished outweighs all. Others will always remember that you were markedly passive in the face of sexual abuse of boys. What will get lost is the man that you were. An entire football program was placed squarely on your back, and you carried it for decades, despite the landscape of college football changing greatly and frequently. You carried yourself with class, gave the program a reputation of class, molded classy football players, and gave each class at Pennsylvania State a football team to be proud of, even if there weren't so many wins to cheer about. You were a consistent and insistent man, sticking with your style of football for as long as you coached. No matter how big your legend grew, even with becoming the winningest coach in NCAA football history, you were always the same guy. That alone resonated at the highest levels of the sport, and will continue to do so. As the allegations came out last year, your reverence faced tarnishes that it had never seen, the likes of which may never be expunged. It's even more unfortunate that we won't be able to hear your full side of the story from your mouth. Whatever the case may be though, no one can take away all that you gave State College, all that you gave those young men you coached, and all that you gave to NCAA football. May your soul find the peace that it so earnestly yearned for amidst the allegations, and may your side be revealed to us, good or bad, to help that peace find you.

Sincerely,

A college football fan.

[A. Lewis]

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Love Notes - 1/19/12

"Do you like me? Check yes or no. What ever happened to the days of love notes? Before the complications of puberty, it was all so simple. There was much less going on between our temples. More than that, our bodies weren't developed...our organs weren't so enveloped in what they were designed to do. All that was needed was a sign or two, a wink or a wave. Then we'd act like we didn't know how to behave, running to tell someone else about what was going on. Now, we just rush around to tell what's going wrong, who's cheating on who, who we want to steal away. Back then, we didn't have so much angst to peel away. Honesty was easy; motives were years down the road. You wrote the question down, then sealed it with a little trepidation down the fold. Out of nervousness, you made someone else hand the note off. Now, we aren't even nervous when we take our clothes off...it's crazy how things change with time; if we still gave love notes out, we'd need a box for 'yes,' a box for 'no,' and a box for 'I reserve the right to change my mind.'"

-A. Lewis

Late Night Rambling, Vol. 14: Believe, but Beware - 1/19/12

"Nowadays, a lot of people want to be prodigies of their religious theologies, ignoring factual oddities in favor of who a book says they ought to be. It's not that exploring one's beliefs shouldn't be an odyssey, but why take the trip if the directions are sold with impunity like black market commodities? Make no mistake, I believe in the power of faith; it's what gets most people through to another day. I'm just saying that while religious figureheads often teach one thing, spirituality shows another way. Knowledge of the world through myself is what I pursue, picking up Mother Nature's cues by being a young man of virtue. Rather than read and practice mimicry, I choose to believe that happiness comes from spiritual symmetry between understanding what's going out and appreciating what's coming into me. Peace is a condition of the mind; when one can find balance between space and time. The heart is ironic; it is the common thread that sets us all apart. We're all on different paths with different beats. Love is hearing one song with two different beats, forging one path with two different streets. Believe in what you will, there's no right or wrong. Just beware of those who use faith as a way to procure money alone."

-A. Lewis

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Late Night Rambling, Vol. 13: Existential - 1/17/12

"There's a universe in every one of us. We are microcosms of existence; the universe and nebulae are macrocosms. Just as there are suns and moons, there are mothers and fathers. A planet is a planet despite colors and rings; a human is a human, despite colors and features. Every second is an instant of creation and destruction. We are fortunate organisms to have consciousness to be aware of what's occurring, even if we aren't able to fully understand it all. Autonomy is our distinction, though it has become our bane. We choose not to concern ourselves with the symmetry that lies between the planes of our existence, but rather with the material (socioeconomic/political) differences and idiosyncrasies that make us one and the same. Galaxies are akin to our spirits and imaginations, yet we argue and quarrel over what we believe in; what is there to gain by overlooking our inherent divinity? No matter who or what created us, it is undeniable that there is a geometry to our existence, a vibration that runs through us all. In focusing on that, we will find a great deal of love and enlightenment, which are as necessary as sunlight and water to the photosynthesis of our minds and spirits, encouraging growth."

-A. Lewis

The Making of an Invisible Man - 1/17/12

"When you have the power to give a man what he already has by birthright, you then have the power to take away what he can only lose at death. The man does not at any time cede this power; it is in place long before experiences it. What is worse is that in giving a man what he already has, he assumes that he never had it, and that your are magnanimous for giving it to him, when in actuality you are an oppressive force that in control of something that should be free to every man and woman. Then, in regulating what you have given, you make the man believe that it wasn't truly his to have, and that he must fight for the piece he was given, rather than for the whole that was his before even knew it existed. Throughout all of this, the man has been led to believe that the power lies in the 'hand that feeds him,' though the true power lies in self-determination. He doesn't believe in his own power, in himself; he loses faith in the world, and either spends time trying to regain it, or simply gives up. Either way it goes, he was never able to realize his potential, being disadvantaged from the incipient moments of his decision-making ability. Feeling as though there is nothing he can do to combat the power of the greater entity, he concedes defeat, fading as an individual to become just another body in the sea of the masses. This is how you break a man, how you make him invisible. Word to Ralph Ellison."

-A. Lewis

The Most Valuable Resource on Earth - 1/17/12

"Time is the most valuable resource on this Earth...so if I'm trying to spend it with you, you should know you're worth a lot to me. You've got to be, if that's what I'm spending. Time may be neverending, but it's also impossible to regain. Every moment is its own, and there'll never be another like it again. These instances of intimacy often engender intimations of forever. We won't exist that long, so we'll have to be more clever. Between love and memories, our energies can intertwine and form a line, a connection that spreads in any direction that allows for reciprocity and reverberation. When our love echoes in the hearts and minds of those that bear witness, we will have our own bits of immortality, we will momentarily defy the laws of reality. Imagine the grandeur of it all, but prepare for the arduous road that lies ahead. A lack of communication is like a snake in the grass: with truth at the tail, a body filled with uncertainty, and lies at the head. Sure, every heart loves when it falls, but there are pitfalls and the risk of breaks, so lets be certain about ourselves with every risk we take. Time is the most valuable resource on this Earth...so if I'm trying to spend it with you, you should know you're worth a lot to me. You've got to be, if that's what I'm spending. Money, at its root, is just paper with an ascribed value. If peace is mental prosperity, love is the universal currency of the heart, and happiness is spiritual symmetry with the world, then I'm beyond wealthy if I simply have you."

-A. Lewis

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Late Night Rambling, Vol. 12: About Walls - 1/10/12

"It's not a matter of how many walls I'm willing to knock down; the concern is how many you're willing to rebuild. If you're going to clutch so tightly onto your past and enclose yourself in a space filled with the pain and scars that remain as relics from a darker time, then I won't put in the time and effort to help you escape. It's just as hazardous for me as it is for you; the vacuum of darkness knows no discrimination, and I run the risk of projecting your failures onto other young ladies. Instead, I can place that ambition on a far different path."

-A. Lewis

A Message for the Readers


First of all, thank you for reading. It is so greatly appreciated...I can't even put it into words. Secondly, I apologize for not posting anything for the last 3 weeks...I've been doing a lot of beat-making, and that's where my creative focus has been. I just posted the last three writings of '11, and the first piece of '12 likely isn't far away. I did lose my mojo at the end of last year, and that's the main reason I haven't been writing. However, it has been recovered; I'm back and feeling better than ever, so get ready for whatever my mind's about to start putting out. The quality of my instrumentals has gone through the roof...I can only imagine what's going to happen to my writings. Thank you again for reading, and I'm ready to make this your most fulfilling year yet. More than ever, I want you to be glad you came to the blog, and I'm working to make that happen!

-A. Lewis

Wisdom for the New Year - 1/10/12 (from 12/31/11)

"Good and bad are separate conditions, with perfect and nightmarish at opposite ends of that spectrum. However, we learn more in transition than we do in stillness at any point. ...or at least we should. When we do, we often adapt, refitting our behaviors. Through adaptation and a commitment to self-amelioration, we can change, which is when we refit our minds and shift our paradigms. The greatest hindrance is fear; change is billed as a monumental, one-time moment when life is no longer the same, which sounds frightening. Change is actually a process of small steps that increasingly reinforce one thing over another, and is most akin to random acts of kindness; it's about the minutia, it's about sincerity, and it's about meaning. A small smile can mean the world; the fixing of a small habit can change a lifestyle. Kindness for the right reasons warms the heart; change for the right reasons feels lively and natural. When it's important to you to brighten the day for anyone you come into contact with, it will happen; when you're seriously out to better yourself and it means something to you, it will happen. It's important to always remember that when we change for the better, we take a step closer to becoming our best. The most important thing to remember though? It doesn't take a new year to change, only a new mindset."

-A. Lewis

Your Beautiful Darkness - 1/10/12 (from 12/31/11)

"How are you so young-minded, but your body's so grown...partying here and there, but you're always so gone? You keep your girls with you, but you always feel so alone...breaking every guy's heart just to cope with your own? So much for being a model; your claim to fame is how much you quaff out of a bottle. As soon as you drink too much, you're going full throttle. Trying to get to a bedroom; you say 'YOLO's the motto.' You only live once, and you're living in scenes. Pasting together actions to 'cut' while nothing is as it seems. It's all just a blur and you could care less. You feel most special when the guy is careless. Peerless you are, in terms of disregard. It takes a certain amount of disdain for self to let it get this far. But that's just the darker side of lust. If we can't exercise our beautiful darkness in others, it festers in us. It becomes a grotesque monument to our carnal needs. You seek to escape to greener grass, though you keep pulling at weeds. That monster is yours, your beast to contain. Breaking hearts is a dangerous game and you played it, now deal with what you created, and don't complain."

-A. Lewis

Memories Over Diamonds - 1/10/12 (from 12/31/11)

"Young men are taught to give gifts as tokens of love, with jewelry as the inexorable number one on that list. As it stands, jewelry is the only sacrosanct gift, impervious to even the deleterious hands of Father Time. I see it differently though. There's a gift that can be given every day, even multiple times in a day. It never gets old, can never be given twice, and is always available to created. It too is out of the reach of the hands of Father Time, and also cannot be destroyed. Unlike jewelry, it is intangible; there's no true limit to how many we can have. What might this be? A memory. More of a treasure than any diamond we could give, a memory is a wonderful moment frozen in time, a sequence of actions, feelings, and words that can stick with a young lady and give her a special feeling whenever it comes to mind. I'm all for material gifts, but I'd rather create a memory any day. Find a young lady that can appreciate that and you just might've found a real keeper. Just a tip from one young brother to the rest."

-A. Lewis

Mojo - 1/10/12 (from 12/29/11)

"All of these lines come to mind but they can never form a grid...a few rhymes at time, that's really all it is. Manifesting in rambles while my mojo is in shambles; my creativity is roaming while my hardiness ambles. Gambles with the heart are of the russian roulette variety. Staying true to said heart is as paramount as piety. Putting it on table is the ante of faith, believing that some force of love will keep one's core in place. I'm not much of one for the club, and I'm not fond of spades. Don't own any diamonds, so my heart's my only play. There's no card counting here, and patterns don't account for the actions that take place with causality in low amounts. It's just one-hand game, either you win or you lose. When their trump card is played, it's liable to leave you singing the blues. A win is a rarity, but it's a jackpot worth the odds. Only once-in-a-lifetime do you find true love, a gift from the gods."

-A. Lewis