words for the moment...

a new black on white
with one black on black
discussions about
kicks and violence
seem commonplace
like common places
i find myself at
stepping back
and forth
with ipod in hand
and dreams of sand
in january
and stability
come april
in trying to make rent
and stay tasteful
in the eyes of my parents
im starting to think
of parenthood
and neighbourhoods
for raising
while i contemplate
black hood
or grey hood
to compliment
with my black on white
and black on blacks
battles of fact and fiction
interest and eviction
and
dedication to the diction

blackstar train...

what if we could send black kids to Africa on a "birthright" trip?
like jewish kids can...

sure, africa is a continent, with numerous countries and tribes.
i feel that could only work to the benefit. to witness the diversity of black people.
take in the good (and the bad) of locales such as johannesburg, abuja, addis ababa.

it could give the youth some appreciation of their current position, or it could compel them to help change the situation (africa and back home).
at the very least it would give exposure to different environment than they are used to and often cannot get out of.

i would go.

beyond city limits...

Take me to another place, take me to another land, make me forget all that hurts me, let me understand your plan…

Over the past couple weeks I've had a growing desire to travel, nay, to relocate. This is partly due to continual stream of friends packing their bags and finding new places to call home. But still, before the fad of travel began the in-thing amongst my peoples, the notion of getting out of the GTA, for a period of time, was a prevalent one in my mind. Montreal was the first place in my mind that I was considering post my time at Laurier. A trip to Chicago quickly put that city near the top of my list. My urban planning sensibilities put Africa or South America as places to get some international experience and exposure. Recently, NYC has been garnering some attention, with its fine institutions for graduate study. I love Toronto and have yet to uncover half of its surprises and find myself in perpetual amazement (sometimes confusion) of how this city operates, but I am of the strong belief that my love for Toronto would probably increase if it was place I made a return to. Like the song goes… I think I need a change of scenery.

can we... a reprise.

can we
go back to yesterday…
and
stand still in time
as we stood still in line
can we be olympians
in competitions
of watch throwing
and cell-phone heaving
two-thirds of a triathlon
where endurance
reigns supreme
see, supreme is that feeling
i get
leading up to
during
and
after
time spent
the one activity I long to be frivolous with
with no accounting
for credit
i give you credit
curriculum based on
chemistry
and the physics of
hand to waist
and head to chest
the best (faculty of) math
we can be.
can we.