A Brief Philosophy: Forgiveness - 4/29/10 (from 4/26/10)

"In any situation, the struggle to forgive is a climb to the summit of a mountain; upon reaching the zenith, and forgiving the individual(s) involved, one is able to see above and beyond all that was once troubling, and is able to find peace and serenity in the altitude of the 'high road,' also known as being virtuous. To hold a grudge is to attempt to walk around the mountain, an inane, taxing, and futile path."

-A. Lewis

A Poem: I Love You - 4/29/10

The way I feel about you makes me want to cry
But it's only because I know how high we can fly
In spite of the liars, to inspire the triers
My passion for you burns like millions of fires,
Each a symbol of a trait that I admire
I am but a yeoman for hire,
Willing to work at love every day that God desires
Ready to carry our load should you begin to tire
If love's a kingdom, we're building an empire.
Let me tell you,
I would set the sun to see you shine
Your light shines through the dark pupil of my eye
Like that of the moon in the night sky,
With a smile effulgent like a constellation, your teeth but stars to be gazed upon.
Our trail has been blazed upon,
With many lovers coming before us, and more to be subsequent
Yet our love flows like poetry written so eloquent
Only the Divine could've made you, my dear you are heaven-sent
This bond has made you and I better than we've ever been...
And this is only the beginning.
I can only imagine the seeds we will plant in our time,
The depths of love that we will find
The clarity that shall pervade our minds
So that we may navigate problems of any kind.
Many sign their hearts away in angst or anticipation;
We signed in trust and dedication,
With faith in Him as an omnipotent medication
We are prepared for any and every occasion
And you can rest knowing I can't be wrested from you, no matter the persuasion.
I could've said all of this in three simple words, but I wanted to be clear
Whether you're gone for minutes or months, your home is always here
If a task be daunting, a possibility be haunting, we stand without fear
For if down goes it all, and everything should fall, in a sea of despair, love is the pier.
Within our hearts is the power to fly beyond the sky, I put nothing above you
Within me is the power to put it simply: I love you.

-A. Lewis

A Brief Philosophy: Internal Weathering - 4/26/10 (from 4/24/10)

"As sure as the temperature outside affects the interior of your home, the gusts of rumors and the heat waves of slander and libel shall have an impact on your peace of mind and character, lest you not have the central heating & air of a strong will and steady backbone."

-A. Lewis

A Brief Philosophy: Hate,The Snake in the Grass - 4/26/10 (from 4/24/10)

"Any person you don't truly love, you have the capacity to hate. This is why we must love our brethren, for if we don't, we may come to dislike or even hate them. Love is a bond forged through intents to make one another happy; hate is a slithering snake that lies in the fickle lea of your caprices, waiting for consistent iniquitous thoughts towards an individual. Then you are susceptible to its venom: abhorrence."

-A. Lewis

A Poem: [Lo]st [Ve]il: The Pen Dies - 4/22/10

There lies a pen.
Dead, no ink left within.
It would seem someone had something to say
Yet a mouth is silent, while a soul is in disarray.

The pen lies still, as does the scribe
The room is chilled, as is the vibe
A cold hold is descending upon the wrist of the writer
While thoughts hit like the fist of a fighter.

Ink is normally the medium of expression
Yet now, his thoughts meet severe repression
They clamor at his skull, desperately wanting liberation
But all they receive is due consideration.

Each idea is brilliant, more than good enough to be written
But mum is the man whose mind is smitten
Every piece seems to be of a puzzle that represents her
Clouds of wonder cluster together; a storm will soon occur.

Thunderous roars seep from his deepest depths
Lightning-fast lines keep crossing his mind, right and left
Rain now is beginning to well up in his eyes
Oh how his heart speaks as he cries.

The pain and agony now leaks from his soul
He'd rather not weep, but he has no control
All of these emotions were pent up
It would be so much easier if he could pick his pen up.

But it is dead; a casualty of life
He strove to kill his feelings, his pen to be the knife
Poem after poem, ream after ream
He wrote and wrote, but did not say what it was to mean.

These poems were not fiery condemnations
They were filled with lively contemplations
Thoughts of if he was in love, and did she know
Queries on whether he'd tell her, and how it would go.

His feelings spanned enough pages to litter the floor
Yet after all he wrote, he still held more
Now unearthed, his true feelings beamed brightly
He began to understand why he thought of her nightly.

He was a victim of theft, reeling from the effects
Left to mull over what happened and ponder what's next
The pen still lies, a sign of collateral damage
All he can do now is await the return of the vanished.

-A. Lewis

A Love Letter to the Black Woman - 4/20/10 (from 1/18/10)

My dear Black woman...

You are appreciated far beyond words. I stand tall like the pyramids of our homeland...but your love represents the hands that built me. All that I am is because of you. You show me what poise is, through dealing with me day in and day out...what strength is by tolerating me at my worst...what compassion is by holding me when I am weak...what honesty is when you tell me I can't...and what love is when you still tell me I can. Your love is that which sustains me... for no matter what, you are right beside me. Through better or worse, sickness or health, you are there. Africa was made from beauty...so many different people, great resources, various landscapes, and a myriad of animals. And you are a microcosm. Your brown skin and black hair are like dirt and rock, shielding the world from your effulgent diamond-like soul. Your intelligence is second to none, as from you came the hieroglyphics, the alphabet, and more. The light within you shines through your beauty. Your hourglass shape is so befitting, as you are a timeless work of art. You are Africa, you are the motherland, you are my heart, you are QUEEN. And I love you more than you could begin to fathom. Thank you for being the wonder of nature that you are.

Love,

The Black Man

-A. Lewis

A Philosophy: Death, Youth, and Innocence - 4/20/10 (from 1/22/10)

This note is comprised of pieces of a conversation I had with my good brougham Carlton Wilburn. Honestly, I was just kinda rattling off these thoughts to him. lol. But he was a good listener, for sure. It all started with a status of his, speaking on how young people believe they're invincible. Then he said that it could just have easily been one of us...


But that's the way life goes. Youth provides a veil of invincibility. It's necessary though...a child dealing with mortality loses its innocence. And that's the honest truth...can you imagine being 7, wishing you could be an astronaut, while wondering every night if you'll wake up? Part of growth involves blind life...oblivious to bills, wars, death, and all that, a child's mind grows...and innocence is what fosters that growth. That's why Santa is important, as well as other lies of that nature. Innocence is an integral part of our young lives. The world is constantly doling out lessons, whether we are prepared or not. However, in youth, we cannot handle those lessons; our brains are not yet developed enough nor filled with enough knowledge to comprehend them. And so, innocence insulates from it all...we may notice that we start eating apple-o's instead of Apple Jacks, but we are spared from the truth of the recession. We notice a mark on mommy's face, but we are spared from the truth of domestic violence. Of course, this constant immunity is what formulates our feeling of invincibility. Once we begin to mature, we believe that trend will continue...and one of three things happens. One, some of us don't grow up. We hold on to innocence and become immature people. Two, we believe we are invincible, free from the ills of the world until one hits RIGHT at home. Three, we accept the transformation and begin transitioning to adulthood.

Maturation is TRULY nothing more than our innocence transforming...becoming not what shields us, but what acclimates us to the world. Think about it: when people say you're so mature, what are they talking about? How accepting of the world you are at your age. A mature person is someone that is used to the flow of the world, and has adjusted accordingly, despite being young. To be an adult is not to be devoid of innocence, but rather to have it in a different light. Innocence held a light to your heart in your youth, keeping it from darkness. In adulthood, it IS the light of your heart, keeping you happy and joyful as you hold your childhood instances near and dear. People that become consumed in adulthood are those that let their innocence die...they don't have that light, so they become mindless people just going through the motions. Work, eat, sleep, repeat. Hold on to it too much and you won't properly mature; you'll start clinging to it, trying not to 'grow up,' as though it can be stopped. It can't. Life is about how you transition...and many of those transitions require the evolution of your innocence.

Carlton then said that he hates when people say they're going to change then renege(the proper spelling of the Spades term re-nig) on it, because you can't run from who you are.

It is my personal belief that the truth and reality are one and the same. People that run from reality are liars. People that run from the truth live in a dream world. Either way it goes, you're running from something that is all around you...and will always come to light. If you're not living in reality(truth), then how can you be your true self? You can't. People who are true to themselves are real. It's as simple as that. The interchangeability of those two terms puts many things into perspective. A lie is not truth, thus it is not real. Someone who refuses to see the truth refuses to see what's real. A great example is the feeling of invincibility, which is unreal, coming from being spared the truth, aka reality.

I hope this was able to shed some light on a few things for you all, and I also hope this helps you understand things about yourself as well as other people. All I can do is give you my thoughts; the rest is up to you. I leave you with what I posted on the page I gave the link for...just some words for those that have been affected by this, as well as anyone that has been affected any death as of late. I most sincerely appreciate your time.



"There is no way to replace a love lost...many people spend lifetimes trying to, with no success. Every void in our lives is an opportunity for a new patch, a new addition to the quilt of memories that we build. While not having that person in your life is difficult, you now have the chance to treasure him/her in a way that you couldn't before...they can now become a part of you. All the memories, all the laughs, that can all come together in your mind, and in your heart. And when you think of that person, you'll feel him/her. They'll become one of the lights of your life now. I'm sorry for your loss, I hope this helps you in any way."

-A. Lewis