T H E B LV C K E X H I B I T I O N Copyright Š 2017: Jade Novelist, Sapphire & Maira Wolfe
A museum of the artworks featured in BLVCK INK & BLVCK BOOK. It is the soul of the creative minds that offered their contribution to this anthology, a closer look at emotions birthed by words from the minds of writers who embody the good, the bad, incomplete and the challenging weight that comes with the hue of their skin. The BLVCK EXHIBITION is a way to allow readers to live and experience the rebirth of life through art.  
1. BLVCK Wordsmiths By Jade Novelist & Maira Wolfe Serving as an introduction to the poetry BLVCK WORDSMITH is a poem that started the writing, the connotation that has been following creative of colour, the black before an artist s field of expertise. It serves the purpose of telling society that the greatness of a black artist is not limited by the colour of their skin, that their shades don t highlight the intensity of their artistry. Quotable: is the prefix to my being a creative way for you to rate me with unsung heroes? to remind me that my kind had a late start
2. BLVCK Religion By Jade Novelist & Maira Wolfe Religion has become a key structure in the preservation of life Africans have lived for centuries with practices of their own that have become a celebration of our culture and beliefs. BLVCK RELIGION is a prayer, that there is a creator, a creator who never abandons his own, yet Africa lives deprived of the wealth she produces. Deprived of life she births, and left to live o the remains following struggles imposed on her. Quotable: we seek answers in avenues unknown to our culture praying to ideas given by free world leaders who imprisoned my kind with what religion should be our own, transformed into taboo practices
3. BLVCK Me By Chiemeka Can you identify with your reection in the mirror? Can you truly say you know who you are? The entirety of your being, and of your race? BLVCK ME, written by a daughter of one of Nigeria s greatest tribes, is a body of work that draws attention to what black children were taught by the media; what constitutes as beautiful, and that beauty having nothing to do with what the mirror held. It is a conversational piece between a young girl and her grandmother who instills in her truths not taught in the world... Quotable: will the labor of your forefathers who gave you your roots be in vain? will the values of your disappear because you are enamored?
4. BLVCK Questions By Vintage Write Black child, how do you see yourself? Appreciating one s beauty is a freeing privilege held by he who knows the pain brought by being called names not close to the one you were born with, labeled as if to make it easy for those who spent decades taking from you. Self love and appreciation is a lesson found in this piece, appreciation with the bloodshed, that it matters not the pigmentation of your skin; the black nation is a beautiful nation. Quotable: my skin is beauty infested in the night with constellations my name, the reincarnation of ancient diplomats
5. BLVCK Concious By Jade Novelist Are you aware of your insigniďŹ cance? the suggestion of a self introspection, that even with evolution and ags of democracy; a black man remains the last one to be served at the table. Even when some of us have become household names, many of us are yet to be a name around the corner, and the contents within the pot of gold, even near our reach, our unable to be attained due to chains moved from our bodies to our minds. Quotable: they refuse to share knowledge worried you ll get ahead of them So they teach you just enough to break bread with them but not really eat
6. BLVCK Sheep By Jade Novelist & Maira Wolfe Have you heard what they call you? Like the unseen child in a home of many, a black person has become society s black sheep, he has become the child whose efforts only matter when backed by those unlike him. Holding all the keys to change, yet the only change he finds are the locks to his doors. It is a letter to a generation yet to be born, a letter leaving behind truths found by black people in society, an urge, a please for them to never give up the fight. Quotable: being black is not easy it is both a blessing and a curse never be ashamed of who you are I named you so never change your name to make it easier for them
7. BLVCK Freedom By Jade Novelist & Maira Wolfe Is freedom a luxury unattainable by black people? slavery may have faded but the shackles shave not fallen, the whips have transformed into credit. We have enslaved ourselves in believing that wealth equates freedom, which to an extent is true because a black man is denied to move up in life due to his inability to aord it. WE ARE NOT FREE. Quotable: the worth of your capabilities is measured by the model of your car calling us free is ambitious when we wrestle with gaining knowledge
8. BLVCK Allure By Delve But can captivity be attractive? Imagine being held captive, imagine yourself as a slave, kept for longer than you can tally, kept to a point of being unable to tell your captor from your saving grace. BLVCK ALLURE explores a reality unique from the anthology, a reality where a soul ďŹ nds itself enchanted by the spirit of its oppressor, where it is drawn by an inexplicable desire to submit oneself to what wishes to diminish it or uplift it. Stockholm syndrome to an unwilling attraction or addition. Quotable: is let me profess in soliloquies how ensnared I am of you a captor has captivated my inner enthralled my beating spirit I am yours
9. BLVCK Trash By Jade Novelist Men Are Trash Women chant the phrase like it were a national anthem, in fact it is the new national anthem, an anthem that screams women s frustrations; spoken from the pits of rage and fear of what has become the new normal for black women. Written by a man angered by the appalling actions of his bothers; BLVCK TRASH highlights the truth of a 2017 black man, a man who is feared by women he should be protecting, women meant to carry his new generation. Quotable: trash mindsets inhibit soulless bodies ďŹ lled with self validating thoughts only monsters confuse no for yes stop for go and decorate truths with lies
10. BLVCK Threat By Mayor Mimi Will you ever forgive us? From a man who is angry, to a man who is ashamed; a man humbled by the connotations following his gender. Black men have gone from being heroes to being threats to the present and future generation of women who birthed them. The writer says ip the script for a second , inviting his brothers to wear the weight and depth carried by women daily, to imagine how women are overcome with fear for men with whom they share their roots. It is a prayer, by a young black man, begging for healing. Quotable: Here, on bent knees, kneels a young and prominent male ďŹ gure, Who would've ever thought that your birth resulted in the fear and outcry of the opposite sex?
11. BLVCK Touch By Jade Novelist & Maira Wolfe Permission, a privilege or a right? Unwelcomed touches and taunts to innocent souls; rape and molestation, a misfortune that has befallen our country and the world. The piece narrates the events leading to a child losing her purity, having it forcefully taken from her, and having to ďŹ nd the strength to carry on from a dark place that will eternally taunt her. Many young girls grow up forced to be strong because their monsters move on freely and unharmed, and help, honest help comes from within her empty corners. It happens to male and females. Quotable: because men are strong, he showed strength because men are wise he convinced her with lies and because she was raised to respect men of colour she believed black men respected innocence
12. BLVCK Ghosts By Jade Novelist & Maira Wolfe What do you become when you live haunted by memories of being underserving of pleasant experiences? The body of a survivor of sexual assault is a grave for the spirits buried without consent, deaths without funerals, and ceremonies without eulogies but the stench that remains on her soul years after they have dissolved into her being. The soul of the broken hearted does nothing but reect the pain from false promises of love. Quotable: the bearer of stereotypes turned to reality inescapable statistic to sadistic fantasies ghosts turned angels claim you
13. BLVCK Lights by Jade Novelist x Diamza & Maira Wolfe & Sapphire When do the long gone but never forgotten get to read their letters?? Lights turned o before their time; Facebook posts for obituaries, hanshtags and Retweets for investigations. BLVCK LIGHTS is a piece written to acknowledge and tribute our sisters who lost their lives to the power hungry men they entrusted with their safety, men turned beasts in the hunt for shortcut wealth. There has never been a scarier times to be a woman, a black woman than the present, when the kings have taken it upon themselves to rid the world of queens. Quotable: blind hearts wishing for love receiving nothing but condolence hashtags fake job interviews resulting only in sorrows bodies in black bags, black ditches black lives put out like night lights
14. BLVCK Severance By Jade Novelist & Maira Wolfe In a torn world, how do you make the pieces ďŹ t? BLVCK SEVERANCE is a statement piece, reasons for our severed land, cementing what has become of our land with our supposed democracy and freedom, it shares of how even when we as Africans are united, our foundation remain cracked because we have turned against each other, our leaders have forgotten about the people who voted them into their oďŹƒces. Quotable: Sharp words. Painful thoughts. Salted wounds still bleed. Closed minds. Open wallets. Politicians and greed. Xenophobia. Racism. Segregation.
15. BLVCK Birds By Maira Wolfe How do you teach when you've never been taught? BLVCK BIRDS with clipped wings still soar. Black girls aren t taught to fly, yet are expected to be wonderful mothers when it's their turn, many of them are raised to conform, because it is safe , that their body shape is never the right one and their skin is faulty. The piece, told through the voice of a flightless bird, speaks of lessons a mother failed to teach her daughter, it speaks of a bird learning to fly on its own, realising that she is enthroned and she is phoenix that rose to own the sky. Quotable: Our black mothers and aunts never taught us to believe in ourselves They align their failures with ours reliving through us the moments they could not stand for their own born to carry a nation on wings clipped from your birth
16. BLVCK Nights By Jade Novelist & Sapphire Do tears cried in the rain carry the same weight? A telling of prostitution, a path taken by brave hearts; faced by women as one of the last resorts at creating a life of her own, where here nights become days, and days nonexistent. BLVCK NIGHTS tread in waters avoided by many, women judged for circumstances the public knows not of. It is a piece that shows one of the fearless lengths a woman is prepared to take, willing to lose herself to feed those depending on her. Quotable: fading out of sight presuppositions made about how she chose to be a daughter of the night ignorantly forgetting the possibility of the choice picking her
17. BLVCK Motion By Sapphire As the world rotates, does our resolve evolve? A monologue that narrates our immobile progress; the world rotates but for the black being it is stuck in an era where women are subjected to justifying the texture of their hair, and men raised with the belief of being kings, still go into the world belittling those they deem beneath them. Our history from the beginning of time has been written by people with no resemblance to us, while our own translations get discarded. Quotable: the oppression has subsided but still we remain chained to the thoughts of feeling insigniďŹ cant our vehicle for change has crooked wheels
18. BLVCK H.E.R By Poetic Vixen Can you do more than lay on your back waiting for your soul to be consumed? Half loved, half respected, fully undermined. Her; a wonder, a sight, the centre of life itself yet taught to believe that all she can be is a pretty wife on a shelf of achievements by a man, by society. To be a black woman, to be an evolution of the human species; an unshakable force, has never been a great blessing as it is now. Her name is important, her story matters, she is more than her ďŹ ne exterior. Quotable: it seems women missed more than being created second like Adam and God had a secret handshake about provision
19. BLVCK Aphrodite By Diamza Does it bother you, that I know my worth? Goddess of love and beauty, empress of seduction; BLVCK APHRODITE is a bold woman who sways to the melody of her own orchestra, she waits for no validation because we have always had a one up where sexuality is concerned; it is okay for them to take pride in their body count but a woman doing the same is a sferb. She sings her own praises, matching her own strength with each stride, a leader, a goddess. Quotable: i carry the same black cross as other women do am I the only woman deserving to seek love on my own terms? independent and headstrong does not mean promiscuous
20. BLVCK Sketches By Jade Novelist Mona Lisa, can I paint your smile without sarcasm? A praise and worship, a worded portrait of undeniable grace and unfiltered flaws translated as a view, scenery, a look, a beauty beyond sight, a poetic adaptation of the timeless motion picture that is a black woman. A celebration of woman. Quotable: landscapes covered in stretched markings tapestry reflecting scars branded on by society this is a whispered ode to queens in broken kingdoms
21. BLVCK Girl Magic By Maira Wolfe Do you know of a spell, that can make them notice me? For black girls with voodoo, and hands that know the pain of hard work. A revolutionary to an army of sisters, a threat to societal norms. For black girls with magic, with superpowers to stand beyond violation and oppression, black girls who rise seless, black girls with sauce. Quotable: we led the sun in the mornings with pales on our heads we rise shaking the grounds of their privilege we rise strong and untamable taking our crowns owning our witchery, owning our BLVCK GIRL MAGIC
22. BLVCK Love By Jade Novelist & Maira Wolfe Can darkness give birth to beautiful light? The ranges of black love are forces that can build and tear homes, love that heals and hurts. SacriďŹ cial love, love that knows no limits, knows no fence between lovers, between its kind. This is a piece that proves the patience of black love, its resilience, its violence and unchangeable forgiveness. No truer love than this love. Quotable: delicate as a ame a river merging souls and conquered strives it is a misunderstood. Misconstrued. Underestimated. Black love is BLVCK LOVE and BLVCK LOVE is ours.
23. BLVCK Kite By Jade Novelist Can we offer love, carefree like before? Being faced with unconditional love is a crippling feeling when fear looms and you are king born in an era where breaking hearts is a tradition. How do you tie your fears to a kite and set them free, when it is the very fears that kept you safe? BLVCK KITE floats around confessional sentences of a life-saving love, where doubt is the choir humming in the back of your leaps of faith thoughts, mirrored by two strings to appear to be flying together, uncontrollably. Quotable: I wish to be your anchor, not to ground you but to be your link to reality as you fly through life s winds
24. BLVCK Lust By Diamza & Jade Novelist Can moments made by shadows in the dark create constellations worth studying? Uncontained lust, immeasurable desire, glimpses of a scarred love in sacred meadows. Documenting intimate encounters that lack emotions, a war between two egocentric souls who only seek in one another the valleys of passion and sensual satisfaction found in them. Quotable: seeking treasure in forbidden escapades darkness colliding with dark skin Long strokes. Short breaths. Loud screams. deeply buried explosion in battles
25. BLVCK Silence By Jade Novelist Which secrets scream at you? It has become a tradition in the black community to keep silent the pandemics that have plagued our homes. They say it is to protect the growing generation; but how do we confuse secrets for protection? The piece BLVCK SILENCE, focuses on the silence that our kind, those who cannot afford first class care are still the test subjects of the remains of care given to those with the funds for it, care that heals them right back to their death beds. Quotable: you fear loss of your humanity so you suffer in shame afraid all they will see will be the virus unspoken words from head to heart, your death is sealed
26. BLVCK Tears
Intermission
By Jade Novelist & Maira Wolfe & Sapphire When will you drain the black rivers you water like plants daily? When a child of the African sun cries for his burden to be lightened, crying for his barren land to bear fruit for his brothers and sisters; he is cloaked with invisibility, walking among men, unseen and unheard. Quotable: like love letters, written in black ink on black pages read in a well lit room I am barely seen even my shadow no longer follows me
27. BLVCK Diamonds By Jade Novelist When last was a black man a hero? What good is a rough diamond when those who touch it are cut? What good is a diamond when those who hold it know nothing of its value? Black women have risen their own; rose to take thrones as kings, what weight does a man trying to worship her carry when he is labeled controlling and his faults are weighed against his successes? Black men have lost their relevance in society, and BLVCK DIAMOND is a poetic cry by a man, a realization of roles rapidly switching, and a plea by a man who wishes to be acknowledged by his queen and heirs. Quotable: unspoken words never said, like silence echoed in an empty cave black men are unappreciated till buried in unmarked graves
28. BLVCK PSYCHOLOGY By Jade Novelist & Sapphire Do you know their story? Our every day clock is a memorial service for losses we will mourn until our final hour, until deaths and sacrifices of those who laid their own get recognised for the true impact they had on our timeline as Africans. Our struggle songs are anthems that help us find healing and purpose for our fight. In memory of the lives lost during the events of June 16th and the Sharpville Massacre. Quotable: as we march on, our voices harmonized songs sung by a united people massacre never to be forgotten hearts struggling to forgive
29. BLVCK MONARCH By Jade Novelist If the world goes to hell because good men do nothing, where do you fit in? Like caterpillars transforming into monarchs, black children have become the youth that challenge governments and institutions alike; they have risen beyond the struggle, rose to fight for their own. An dedication to the fearless fighters of our generation, for those who risk their lives for all our names. Quotable: monarchs who continue to fight are made martyrs you are world leaders without titles young revolutionaries considered political rivals
30. BLVCK FLOWER By Maira Wolfe Does your souls blossom overshadow the thorns shrouding your beauty? For carefree black boys with flowers in their hair and their masculinity unquestioned; a black man in bloom is man whose glow lights up the others, man whose roots run deep within the soil that created him. Quotable: you are the trees from which the flowers find life there is wealth within the crop wealth brought by your resilience
31. BLVCK MOMENTS By Maira Wolfe Did you forget how to smile while history was being recorded? Capturing in sentences how black is sentenced to being seen by society; as a threat, a disruption when we fight for what is ours and for what is right not only for us, but everyone as well. It is a piece that speaks of the moments where a black person is honoured in our country, unfortunately that honour is rarely for his inventions but the sacrifices he made, that fall forgotten with dawn of a new day. Quotable: our greatest moment are in the bullet cases carpeting the battlefields of our promised revolution our greatest moments are in the refusal of surrender
32. BLVCK SONGS By Maira Wolfe Do you know the words to your life's anthem? Songs replaying and relaying our stories, a narration of a time that changed our history as Africans. Lyrics that sing songs of our time in a world that seek to mute our chant, to render our notes soundless. Quotable: poetry written in shackles we hum to the chains tying us together from our lips we sing freedom dreams
33. BLVCK CARD By Jade Novelist & Maira Wolfe What makes you black? Many of our brothers and sisters fall neck deep in debt because of the what will people say voice in the back of their minds, subjected themselves to living a faรงade, some who have truly made it forgetting their roots. BLVCK CARD is a plastic rectangle that has people choking above their m make means, and the piece is a calling to make them aware that we are still at the beginning. Quotable: weekly worships from strangers Saturday nights that revolve around heightened debts carrying you to the top of the chain only to drop you back down on Monday s morning
34. BLVCK MENTALITY By Maira Wolfe Do you reason with your heart or the colour of your skin? A black mind is a tsunami of threats to those unlike it, and to other black minds; it is a factory of critique and undermining clap-backs, a pool of words that when set free can either build nations or burn them to the ground. Quotable: a black mind holds the truth to what is wrong with the world a black mind is a double edged sword it is the river from which life is born a pit at which life is lost
35. BLVCK SHAME By GM Nova Have you ever crossed over into foreign territory? We carry the shame of others because like everything they did to us; it is our fault that they feel how they do. BLVCK SHAME addresses facts that still weigh even in a supposed free land; it addresses the truth of being denied your identity because part of coming into yourself means becoming a rival and that dating outside our race, is still considered a taboo. Quotable: they are ashamed of you ashamed that you have the potential to be better they attempt to limit your potential your ability to y
36. BLVCKXOTIC By Thandolwethu Is black a commodity only to be desired but can have no desires? Dating explored in a piece where a man ventures outside his racial barriers only to tell a black woman that he has only been with blondes. A piece that explores a reality that to many non-black men, black women are the gardens of forbidden fruits they want to harvest for their own fantasies. Quotable: ladies, don t let colourless men sweep you o your feet with the meagre words like exotic as if you had no knowledge that your existence alone demands the sun to rise
37. BLVCK ART By Thandolwethu When last did you celebrate yourself? A translation of blackness for the artistry that it is, the fluidity found in out every step as we dance, the versatility in our speech and the effortless manner at our creations as Africans who rise to bless the earth with our greatness and anoint the moon with our magic. Quotable: it is it is and it is
black skin against a canvas black skin as a canvas painters with monochrome pallets ‒ you are ‒ black art
38. BLVCK EXCELLENCE By Jade Novelist What prevents you from being great? A celebration of BLVCK EXCELLENCE in every ďŹ eld, from single parents giving it their all, to graduates with pending student loans, sons and daughters who had to become parents before they got over being children. This is a statement that black people were born to excel, that no condition limits our abilities, even when denies help, we thrive without privilege. Quotable: this is for the dark winged angles who never got to testify this is a thank you from the ones who conquered by means of hand me downs you will never hide you name in shame
39. BLVCK TAX By Jade Novelist & Maira Wolfe What is the price you pay for existing? Black child, your success is not your own, but your downfalls are solely yours. BLVCK TAX is the bill a child pays for parental responsibilities, as if to say taking care of you was optional. Being billed while encouraged to build your own. Quotable: hands stretched monthly leaking pockets being a black child is being a role model at 18 and a breadwinner at 19
40. BLVCKLIST By Maira Wolfe X Vintage Write Where do you ďŹ t in? A BLVCKLIST for a black king and queen whose crowns are gold and silver dusted rust metals, that however much they claim their thrones, however much the number of times they rise; their scripts are not written by them and they are extras in their own ďŹ lm. Quotable: black narrative on white pages misplaced truths no seat at the table just a bystander in your own frame
41. BLVCKCASKET By Maira Wolfe Does it feel, like sometimes, you are suocating? Buried alive, buried taking steps to ďŹ nding parts of you that appeared pure until tainted, until broken into and shot for no reason. A black body is a bag that holds funerals of people it does not relate with, a body belonging to deaths it has seen, in a world set to rid itself of black people. Quotable: I am a casket carrying lungs that draw air to contaminate the earth barely alive with every breath fading with every beat
42. BLVCK CLICHÉ By Maira Wolfe Do you answer to stereotypes? Black connotations by people who have never been black a day in their lives, always tagged in every move we make that even the mere act of blinking our eyes around them seems like a daredevil move. Clichés that follow black people around because our success can only come from criminal actions and our hard work … what is hard work? Quotable: standing for our own has become a rebellious act an injustice to the system we were forced to live under an order that when reversed is called racism
43. BLVCK CULTURE By Jade Novelist & Maira Wolfe Do you represent your heritage? Being African is being a walking culture; it is being a visual presentation of praises and traditional ceremonies, a recital of languages and a variety of heritages. BLVCK CULTURE is a celebration of us, of who truly are when the world is not using our culture as a documentary subject for their ratings. Quotable: praises to the rebels who question the state of the norm revolutionaries who refuse to be westernised in order to feel like they matter to the one who live on their clan names
44. BLVCK CONDLENCES By Jade Novelist & Maira Wolfe Serving as an introduction to the poetry An oering for those who conformed, switched to ways of their oppressors, those who forgot the importance of their skin, and those who deny themselves the beauty of their true selves. Condolences for previously known black bodies who have transformed to shades unrecognised by their ancestors, to conďŹ dence lost to foreign practices. Quotable: here lie the remains of black pride buried deep within their shame for who they are sold to wishes of dreams never to come true
45. BLVCK HEART By Jade Novelist & Maira Wolfe What does your heart beat for? A hopeful heart despite pain that adds on, a heart that still beats even when knowing that the hardships are still not over. This is a heart that no longer beats for itself but for a whole nation of back people, a heart with no choice but to be strong. A warrior. Quotable: beating for fallen nations and nations struggling to rise black heart, my heart echoes worship to the ones who conquered before me
46. BLVCK CHILD
INTERMISSION
By Jade Novelist & Maira Wolfe Did they ever tell this before throwing you to the sharks? A letter of hope to a child, bottled with faith and prayer. Words urging them to always have something to believe in, to guard it as if to guard their minds, that the world may not see them but their lives and steps are not in vain. Quotable: your steps are giant leaps you are ruler, a leader, a titan guard your mind, your soul never forget you are your own strength
47. BLVCK INK By Jay Kophy Does ink serve a purpose greater than simply writing your name? Is ignorance really bliss? When Africans continue to lack knowledge freely owing in their land? When we wait for westerners to discover our minerals for us to realise their worth? When will a black man s knowledge be relevant? Less undermined? A piece of writing that shares of how African minds are lost even when our history is at our disposal, that we are allowing our ignorance to be the weapon that ends us. Quotable: illiteracy is the sickness that is killing our self identity why is Africa locked in cells of poverty and inferiority? our minds are suering from malnutrition
48. BLVK TIMES By TrVze Whose turn to rule has arrived? From the school of hard knocks, the hour has struck; knowledge in every ďŹ eld, the evolution where we shatter rules set against us, where black culture becomes the change, seeking no approval and no judgement. This is a time where black blood shall no longer be shed over petty crime, where none of our creations will fall duplicated. A time where the world goes back to revolve around Africa and return what belongs to her, where it humbly stops and says bows. Quotable: It is BLVCK and it is beautiful in these pivotal times
49. UNAPOLOGETICALLY BLVCK By BLVCK People Do you have the strength to be proud of who you are, unapologetically? A public service announcement to a society by the people it keeps trying to silence. This is us saying our comebacks will no longer go unnoticed, that our forces comes ready to be reckoned with, bearing no shame. Quotable: he sun has risen and we are it darkness and light combined we are BLVCK, UNAPOLOGETICALLY
50. FADE TO BLVCK By Jade Novelist & Maira Wolfe Serving as an introduction to the poetry can Fading into a new era; coming into ourselves, into our own, and for our own without conditions; without being told how to do it by people who have conditioned us for centuries. Rewriting our story, replaced a forced history by creating a history we were meant to live. Quotable: black is changing from a colour to a statement
T H E B LV C K E X H I B I T I O N Copyright © 2017: Jade Novelist, Sapphire & Maira Wolfe
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memoir ˈmɛmwɑː/
noun
1. a historical account or biography written from personal knowledge."in 1924 she published a short memoir of her husband" synonyms: account, historical account, history, record, chronicle, annal(s), commentary, narrative, story, report, portrayal, depiction, sketch, portrait, life, life story, profile, biography 2. an essay on a learned subject."an important memoir on Carboniferous crustacea"
BLVCK Memoir By Jade Novelist
i wonder if sometimes you think like I think sometimes do words carry messages or do they disguise secrets unsaid aloud all I do is tell coded stories but what if some of it were recollections sharing bits of real life events happening to me simply playing around with hers, his, you and me would you then give more attention to letters if they were a mirrored memoir let's say God played games all wasn't as seen like these words weren't mine But yours
serendipity ˌsɛr(ə)nˈdɪpɪti/
1
noun
noun: serendipity; plural noun: serendipities
the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way."a fortunate stroke of serendipity" synonyms: chance, happy chance, accident, happy accident, fluke; Moreluck, good luck, good fortune, fortuity, fortuitousness, providence; coincidence, happy coincidence "technical innovation may be the result of pure serendipity"
due to my society induced insecurities not being enough to feed the shadow that would outshine my existence "He drives like a pro", he boasted "Your son does well in school", she exclaimed "He will make a lot of money", they prophesied "Are the dishes done?", was my daily conversation starter I feel it's because it would somehow pop up during negotiations over my bride price After all, what better way for a female to bring in money If not through the man she will marry and his family
BLVCK Serendipity By Jade Novelist "It's a boy", he said "It's a boy", she said "It's a boy", they screamed "It's my replacement", is what I heard It was God's attempt at correcting the error made 15 years ago Now they could take on the title of parents and exorcise their shame, live and let go "He's a doctor", he said "My son's an engineer", she said "Try something new, an accountant", they advised "Darling, you're so beautiful, can you cook?", was how they greeted me Because the new king needed a servant to cook his meals while he studied So I needed to be trained properly,
"Find a good spouse", he hoped "Marry a woman like me", she wished "We foresee greatness in your future", they acclaimed "Stay away from boys or you'll get pregnant", was the warning I got accustomed to Well, he got all the blessings, so there were none left for me The ďŹ rst shall be last, and last shall be ďŹ rst, and all that Jazz "Where are you going", he yelled "What are you waiting for?", she shouted "Do you see your life?", they asked And silence was my response I followed instructions well, so I don't understand why I'm called barren instead of obedient "Do you know anything?", they asked "Can you do more than cook and clean", she asked "Whose child are you?", he questioned And silence was my response After all I was never educated, so I never learnt how to respond to rhetorical questions
hurt həːt/
verb
1. cause pain or injury to."Ow! You're hurting me!" synonyms: injure, wound, damage, disable, incapacitate, impair, maim, mutilate, cause injury to, cause pain to; More
2. be detrimental to."high interest rates are hurting the local economy" synonyms: harm, damage, do harm to, be detrimental to, weaken, spoil, mar, blemish, blight, impair, impede, jeopardize, undermine, ruin, wreck, sabotage, cripple; informalfoul up "high interest rates are hurting the local economy" adjective 1. physically injured."he complained of a hurt leg and asked his trainer to stop the fight" noun 1. physical injury; harm."rolling properly into a fall minimizes hurt" 2 synonyms: harm, injury, wounding, pain, suffering, discomfort, soreness, aching, smarting, stinging, throbbing, pangs;
BLVCK Hurt Intermission By Jade Novelist Every man wants a queen Even those with no kingdoms Misery loves company So I walked into the friendship with open arms seeking blessings before my time Living off comatose views on marriage and broken hearts Drinking away bad memories only to find them living at the bottom of empty bottles Lighting up trees because I couldn't get something considered natural Only mom and dad ever put me on a pedestal Black men saw me a stepping stone or an obstacle Either way I was part of the journey but never the destination Lecturers offering extra credit for activities outside the curriculum
Wrong brain functions in parts motioned by the cerebellum So I hate men and what they stand for I hate life for never letting me shine And I hate my parents giving birth to me in a time where feminism is misunderstood and even though we have voices we singing notes in octaves crowds can't hear Misery loves company But even jealousy can inhibit a happy heart So life humbled me and I had to sacrifice the hurt I'd become accustomed to To make way for something new
protagonist prəˈtaɡ(ə)nɪst/
noun
noun: protagonist; plural noun: protagonists
1. the leading character or one of the major characters in a play, film, novel, etc."the novel's main protagonist is an American intelligence officer"
◦
the main figure or one of the most prominent figures in a situation."in this colonial struggle the main protagonists were Great Britain and France" synonyms: chief character, central/principal/main/leading character, chief/central/principal/main/leading participant, principal, hero/ heroine, leading man/lady, title role, lead, star, (leading/key) player, (leading) figure, leading light "the very first line of the play is spoken by the protagonist
2. an advocate or champion of a particular cause or idea. "he's a strenuous protagonist of the new agricultural policy"
synonyms: supporter, upholder, adherent, backer, proponent, advocate, promoter, champion, exponent, standard-bearer, torch-bearer, prime mover, moving spirit, mainstay, spokesman/spokeswoman/spokesperson "the EC is a great protagonist of deregulation"
BLVCK Protagonist By Jade Novelist She said... Thank you for saving me In a world of monsters and demons, fathers rejecting responsibilities and becoming fallen heroes, Sons aspiring to be maintenance payers instead of care givers brothers objectifying sisters conforming to trends while subjecting them to verbal violence, you choose to let your rebellious spirit take the lead You take love as an action and not a word, so you make it to me all night I experience your greatness in multitudes It is in the simple gestures, painting nails or combing hair Daily echoes of "you are beautiful" accompanied by whispered prayers to the Most High In my head I imagine you are a fugitive who escaped from a dream The counter part to my insecurities You ďŹ ll me wholly and completely Promoting my self conďŹ dence I can say I'm in love with someone who is almost as in love with me After all, you can't love more than someone whose heart had to face ancient demons to learn to love unknown angels
aphrodisiac ˌafrəˈdɪzɪak/
noun
a food, drink, or other thing that stimulates sexual desire."power is the ultimate aphrodisiac" synonyms: love potion, philtre; stimulant
adjective
of the nature of an aphrodisiac; stimulating sexual desire."the aphrodisiac effects of ylang-ylang oil" synonyms: erotic, sexy, sexually arousing, stimulative, stimulant; rarevenereous
BLVCK Aphrodisiac By Jade Novelist Sometimes even getting on top of you, I long for long nights with a lover who
rushing thick long trains into tight dark
forgets my name
tunnels
One who sees it fit to use profanity in
To pull it out and grace it with my lips
the presence of a lady
kiss
To feel his hands caress my inner thighs
Performing this ceremony ritually,
and toy with my hormones as his fingers
making it disappear and reappear from
dwell in my lower abode
multiple locations
Only seeking surface air when he is in
Even giving into primary instincts,
need of licking his finger tips
imitating animal behavior,
Faces pressed down against cold floors,
balanced by knees parallel to elbows
warm bodies entertaining desires of
and howling your name as your hands
flesh and soul
grapple my breasts
Echoes of "give me everything"
As your long strokes filled with deep
Amidst long strokes and short breathes,
intentions cause loud moans and
kissing pauses and quick breaks
convulsions
I long for magic tricks,
Hair pulling and drinking liquids form
making staffs disappear into welcoming
part of our routine
holes, slobbering on a stick to clean it of
I long for long strokes. Short breathes.
natural exercise
Loud moans. Deep intentions.
Back and forth locutions of who my
With a lover who knows the right time
mound belongs to while your tongue
to forget my name
devours my flower, whispering sweet nothings to my inner walls But in making sure long talks with our unborn children are meaningful you never stop till I beg you to communicate with other parts
soul səʊl/
noun
1. the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or animal, regarded as immortal.
2. emotional or intellectual energy or intensity, especially as revealed in a work of art or an artistic performance."their interpretation lacked soul" synonyms: inspiration, feeling, emotion, passion, animation, intensity, fervour, ardour, enthusiasm, eagerness, warmth, energy, vitality, vivacity, spirit, spiritedness, commitment;
BLVCK Soul By Jade Novelist So I put less effort in letting you know me Young hearts corrupted at an early age
More effort into ways to numb the pain
turn into black souls learning to hate
When all I should have done, was ask
Deaf ears to life giving words spewed
that you notice me
from familiar faces
Yet I assumed it should be inherent
because of lessons learnt in foreign
What parent brings a child into this
places
world to miss all the precious moments
Lessons reshaping a taught history
Little did I know, I was the one missing
Shaken lands still harvest purest souls
out on you
to sell them to the façade of a life of no
Counted with my one hand the times you
struggle
told me you were proud of me
Taught parenting through multimedia
The nights I spent hugging my pillow
I seek flaws in your methods
instead of you
Shutting out memories of your knees
Your I love you was draped in loud
kissing floors begging God for favors
screams and criticism for my
Questioning why I never got "I love you"
imperfection
before bedtime
My soul lay out for you to step on
Why was I told to always be strong by
Failing to realise the well wishes encased
those who shared blood ties
in your criticism
Owing to ill advices and a black soul I
You never gave up on me even when I
failed to note the sacrifices made behind
came last
closed doors
Made sure there was always food on the
I was so focused on missed prize givings
table
and performances
I could have been forced out your womb
I wasn't there on long nights you stayed
but you chose another route
up thinking up ways I could afford the
And for that, I thank you
uniforms or get to those shows where strangers showered me with praises In that I grasped that love only came from the outside
sandcastle ˈsan(d)kɑːs(ə)l/
1
noun
noun: sandcastle; plural noun: sandcastles
a model of a castle built out of sand, typically by children.
BLVCK Sandcastles By Jade Novelist
Breaking my sandy heart, failures at school, jobs I could never get and things I could
Sand castles built in a dream
never aord
Surrounded by silver streams
Yet we are sand castles and we remained
Pain can be unbearable
dead set in our pursuit of happiness
Sometimes we use metaphors to explain
Not dead, eternally committed
simple things that mask complicated
Eternally committed like you became
emotions
when life's waters washed away your
So to me, we are sand castles
existence carrying the sands of your soul
Sand castles with the sun to brighten days
to places I can't reach
and moon to light up nights
After all we were sand castles, so I have
Sand castles have no legs, so I grew
no hands to touch you
secure you would never leave,
I have windows that sweat but because
they have no lips, so I knew no evil would
the sun is bright,
part from you mouth
they dissipate before they touch the
And because you were built before me,
ground
I lay my foundation in you
And because howls under the moonlight
You housed my fears and because you
are a norm no one sees inside my smiling
were always close by,
exterior a loud voice screams to the place
I leaned on you with all my strength and
where sand castles are built in the sky
you carried the weight of my souls
that the master builder reinstate your
architectural aws
design and bring back the place I could
We are sand castles on a beach
depend on
Surrounded by life's waters and passers
Pain can be unbearable
by entering in and out of our space
We use metaphors to explain simple
Leaving their footprints on our shores
things that mask complicated emotions
Some added layers turning castles into
But I just can't think of a metaphor for "I
kingdoms of queens and kings while
miss you"
others found pleasure in kicking down our exteriors
privilege ˈprɪvɪlɪdʒ/
noun
1. a special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group."education is a right, not a privilege" synonyms: advantage, right, benefit, prerogative, entitlement, birthright, due; More verbformal 1. grant a privilege or privileges to."English inheritance law privileged the eldest son"
BLVCK Privilege By Jade Maira Wolfe
It is in the colours of our clothes, we're a rainbow of sunrise and sunsets The texture of our skin draped in dashikis and head wraps that mirror our mountain peaks The animals that clothe our kings in priceless fur The drums, a thunderous applause to ancient tales of out comings told by storytellers by the ďŹ re Legends that become historical icons of our creation The crackling of the wood as the ambers air to fade in our star lit nights Our days marked by moons that travel the skies to bring us home The huts that mansion our families Handcrafted castles that host our dreams Painted in patterns that narrate our beauty The ranges of our languages and the melodies they sing From pyramids that hold hieroglyphic blueprints of the beginning of man to the caves that mural our travelled roads It is in us, the African spirits
genesis ˈdʒɛnɪsɪs/
noun noun: genesis; plural noun: genesises
the origin or mode of formation of something."this tale had its genesis in fireside stories" synonyms: origin, source, root, beginning, commencement, start, outset More"the hatred had its genesis in something darker" formation, emergence, development, evolution, coming into being, inception, origination, birth, creation, shaping, formulation, invention, engendering, generation, propagation
BLVCK Genesis By Jade Novelist
Smoke filled lungs inhalling fumes of hate ignited by burning souls caught in delayed remorseful flames Memories of unity used as gun powder ashes to fire off warning shots to chase away peaceful prospects To a generation lacking in love, war is a norm In a world of silent heroes, nothing is louder than the firing of guns of rejection or slamming of opportunity's door Consuming the notion of less is more, we break more hearts than build homes tell more lies than live in truthes and know less beginnings and celebrate more endings
unlearn ʌnˈləːn/
verb
gerund or present participle: unlearning
discard (something learned, especially a bad habit or false or outdated information) from one's memory."teachers are being asked to unlearn rigid rules for labelling and placing children"
BLVCK Unlearning By Jade Novelist Preprogrammed concepts cloud my judgement Are my thoughts even my own? Raised to acknowledge an enemy who has never done anything to me, today But I'm not allowed to forget what he did to my ancestors, yesterday According to society I must forget everything father taught me Men build to break and women pretend, so their hate is love Does that mean mother doesn't love me? And all they had to oer are the second hand memories I pass to my children's depository as an inheritance Second hand because even though they are experiences lived by others I was expected to embrace them as my own Thus I carry the hopes of malome and tantine in my subconscious When others speak of rainbows, I see black and white
What happened to my other stolen hues, my purples and blues Or did another opress my chances at having a life by dictating that people from other lands are only here to steal and kill Like speeding vehicles, they traďŹƒc through and with our women and children bringing nothing but disease Crime is what they breed and pain is their reward for being explorers So it seems like death is mercy Burning tires the perfect burial jewelry but like many youths we live to die another day To die in other ways We spend so much time trying to be black and participate in trends We miss the bigger picture There is someone with an answer for everything So where is the one to help me unlearn black and get my priorities straight Before black skin, I'm the person within So with that, what we have in common, is we are all human