A Long Time Coming - A Poem

It started with a low rumble, them a mild boom, until finally a fiery eruption with ear piercing claps of thunderous cries. We … the people are beginning to see - shit ain’t so sweet hanging from those old oak trees. To feel like a broken tree limb falling from a mighty tree. Mental manipulation from the start; loathing and fear fed to the heart filling the mind with a pool of rage. Drown.

To take the help from the oppressors is social suicide - they are not here for the greater good only the bottom line. This web is so tangled, stop supporting here pick up support there, where does this all stop? Voting? Yeah right, what a tangled web they weave. More lies and even more deceit - there will always be a war on BLACK and not by the community. Black is evil. Black is sin. Black is inhuman. Black. is bad. Black is animal. Black. Black. Black.

To be hated so, to be pushed in to urban pens, jailed to no end - it’s so unfair. The weight of it all, from birth you have all the strikes against you. Don’t think about it, the weight is so crushing. Think about it, the weight is so crushing. Think of, all of the ancestors taken, the healers, the teachers, the lovers, the mothers, the fathers, the brothers, the sisters. GONE. SOLD. KILLED. GONE. Mass extermination since day one, disposable bodies since day one, nothing since day one.

The People. The Humans. The Beings. The GREATNESS. We forget about the resilience, we forget about the strength; taught to hate one another, taught to hate where we came from.

NO MORE & NEVER AGAIN.

We have learned. We will not forget. We embrace, love and respect our history. Oh how we are angry over our history. and cry over our history. The future is now. Take the dirt and take the glory, but know who you are and know your story. There is empowerment in knowing!

Self Quarantined - We All Stuck In The House

It’s been almost two months since we here at Donna Di Colore have been self quarantining and trying to navigate this, dare I say it, new normal. This is a historical-global event, from the unfortunate mass casualties to the earth being able to take a break from the havoc we wreak and heal. There is so much that we know and a ton of things we don’t know about covid-19 (coronavirus), especially what the future will look like. This ain’t easy, this event has been extremely difficult for so many - even introverts are ready for things to normalize.

There are so many feelings and emotions we have been forced to deal with; some for the better and sadly a lot more for the worse. People say “this too shall pass,” - well duh, we know this will all be over at some point. When? Hopefully sooner rather than later but the scars, the scars will remain. What will be the new norm? We’ve learned to work from home. We’ve learned we don’t know how we are going to keep our business open. We’ve learned how to reach out to those a bit less fortunate. We’ve learned how to start an online dating profile. We’ve learned how to start taking care of our loved ones. We’ve learned there will be a lot more people going hungry. We’ve learned a shit ton of information - overload.

We have to continue to look out for one another - it’s so easy to wear your blinders and choose not to see what’s going on in the world around you. There is no room for doubt and this is no time for selfishness, we all need one another more than ever. We’ve been disconnected for so long - of course it’d take a pandemic for a lot of people to realize what’s important in life and to realize how much we take the outside world for granted.

Yeah, some will choose to continue to walk around with those blinders on and choose to not participate in the greater social good of us all, but there’s always a few bad apples, right?! We are definitely doing this isolation thing together; it sucks, it’s relaxing, it’s challenging, it’s a break from the world, it’s time with the family, it’s overwhelming, it’s project time, it’s get to know self better time, it’s call that old friend time, it’s try a new recipe, it’s catch up on reading time, it’s literally time to do those little (or big) things you’ve been itching to do. Most importantly it’s time to show support for your loved ones and of course our amazing heroes local & abroad - thank you to those that have risked it all to help keep the world running, there is no way we can truly thank you (we can absolutely try though). Just know your time, sacrifices, energy, mind and spirit are all in our prayers - we thank you, thank you, thank you.

We’ll see each other again soon, until then wishing you nothing but safety & wellness.

Laugh More - It's Infectious

When was the last time you had a good laugh, like a really good one? Most adults don’t even crack a smile, rarely belt out a laugh out, not even a giggle or two . Yeah, life is stress, sometimes caused by self sometimes not, bad things happen. Blah, blah, blah, yeah we know. So when times aren’t bad or stressful what are we doing?

Bruting. Stressing. Steaming. Hurting. That shit is going to happen no matter what. It’s life, in all her glory however long or short; this is our only known shot. Are we appreciating the peaceful moments? The moments when kids are laughing, the moments when a funny story is being told? Are you even being social, in real life? Whoa!

A true smile means and says so much - we should be striving to make one another smile & laugh more. We humans truly know how to be miserable - hell, we’ve mastered it. We all need to and can do better; stop giving and being misery’s company. Give happiness & gratitude your energy, find reasons to laugh more, discover what makes you smile more. Make something for someone. Spend time with one another, we seriously have got to be better to one another.

I wish you 1000 years or joy and happiness & strength to see the good through the pain.

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Embrace perfect Your Features

Your features are everything.

Your features are your own and no one else’s, even identical twins have differentiating features - no matter how subtle. It seems to be we are always searching for what we ‘think’ we should look like. The grass always seems to be greener on the other side; curly wants straight, straight wants curly, slim wants curves, curves want slim, some want to be lighter in skin tone while others would prefer to be more sun kissed. Is this true for all? Absolutely not.

How dare you frown upon what took so long to create? Do you even know the odds of your actual being? You better go google the odds of your daddy's sperm meeting yo’ mama’s egg and get back to me. Now, real talk - your features have literally been perfected by your dope DNA. So what you have a few freckles or birthmarks, a full nose, or thick & kinky hair. Hell, you got big feet? Hooded eyes? So what, embrace that shit - you’re more beautiful when you love yourself fully!

It sucks that so many of us have been trained, maybe even brainwashed into thinking their darker skin was and is not good enough. Why would any sane human that has been kissed by the sun want to bleach their skin or wear makeup that is 4 shades entirely too light? It does not look good. I repeat wearing foundation that is 4 shades lighter than your actual skin looks TERRIBLE & truly AWFUL. Period. End. Of. Subject.

Your hair is your proverbial crown - no matter what your hair type there is a product out there for you. The more you care for your mane the more you will be able to style & appreciate it and if that’s too much trouble, there’s always wigs or a great set of clippers! There are so many perfect ‘imperfections’ being masked in the world - let your guard down, let us fall in love with YOU. People that truly love & accept you will always want nothing more than the real you.

Beauty At Any Age

Beauty truly comes with age and experience - life can either make the most beautiful creatures out of us or the most vile and truly wretched out of us. It’s all up to you and how you’d like your future self to end up. If you’re one of the fortunate ones, you will be blessed with a long life, trials and maybe a few tribulations but in the end you will be better for it and so will the world around you. No one will ever walk in your shoes, it’s all you,

Since it’s just you walking your life’s path, what will you do while on your journey? What routes will you take? Are there any detours? Maybe a few bumps in the road? Who knows? Life is what it is (what you’ve made it), but that doesn’t mean you have to remain stuck in a ditch. That does not define you. We have so much free will it’s nauseating. How will you leave your mark? What have you selflessly done for someone else lately? You have truly earned every minute and second accumulated on this earth (for better or worse) - what have you OR will you continue to do with your time?

Life, yes, is what you make of it - step outside & take a look at what you’ve made of yours. Things don’t have to be perfect, but you should feel the light & damn good about what you have created and what you will continue to create. Here’s to you; mature brown, seasoned sand, everlasting ebony - we are so thankful for you. We appreciate you & we are here for you. Keep the community going.

We have vibrantly youthful living breathing history right in our homes, communities, countries and beyond. Yield & cater to them, because without them yo ass wouldn’t even have the privileges you take for granted and you probably wouldn’t even be here. Period.

See the beauty of the, life lived within one another…

And The Future Goes To…

You.

You are the future, your are strength, you are worthy, and yes you do deserve all abundance.

That shit ain’t coming easy though and you better be willing to work for it. Yes, it’s true what they say - do that shit while you’re young. Whatever it is you want to do to better your life and those around you, do it before the real world and adulting take hold.. For those that are hard headed and walk to to the beat of their own drums; get ready to work your asses of 3x as hard. Your work schedule, kids,finances and so many other factors will come into play once you start to get settled into a life you never imagined (for good or bad).

Your future self is just around the corner and there is going to be a future version of you that looks back and wonders, why? Why didn’t you take that chance? Why didn’t you go to that school? Why didn’t you take that job? Why didn’t you move? Why him? Why her? I think you get the point!

Have faith in yourself and your future - everyday plant a seed in your garden of dreams. Work hard, help where you can and step away when you can’t. Surround yourself with those that are positive for you and get rid of all that isn’t. Ask for help when you need - build a strong community of support, even if that community is just you and your local shop clerk or us, your Donna Di Colore online community.