Spring Time In New Orleans Stroll

These are my favorites from the photo-walk I took down McAlister Place (my street). I'm learning to spend productive time by myself. I had my iPod full blast, my eyes behind the lens and my phone on silent. I don't typically get artistic inspirations, but this day I did and I followed it and I'm glad I did. To see ALL of the pictures that I kept check out my FaceBook.I've been experimenting with focus and lighting. I only have a digital manual focus option on my camera so it's been a little difficult but I really like this one. This is the tree right in front of my building.

Why 4 different Hop-Skotch pics?? Well I actually deleted more than this becuase I was trying to get the angle right, but then I realized the critical differences in the background. 1) This was actually kept for the angle and lighting and the fact that it looks like it fades off into forever so you don't know if it ends where it looks like it ends or never does. Also the only person you can see is blurred. I like that. 2) I really like the darkness of the concrete in comparison with the white of the chalk. Also in the distance is a man in a wheel-chair and his friend walking with him. I call it "The Inaccesability of Childhood" 3) This angle gives the same ambiguous ending to the hop-skotch as well as the dark/light contrast and the upclose wheel chair plus the friend is hopping. I guess THIS is my favorite of the 3, but I love and need them all. 4) Since there's no one in close proximity, this one is ALL about the hop-skotch.
Tulane University. "Beads In Blooming Trees" gotta love it. There's even some on the trees @ the day care I work at :-)

Poetica Obscura

So the amazing and talented Dexter "WordSmith" Jones (Become a fan on FaceBook) came up with this idea to have poets write about his BEAUTIFUL photographs. Well I am honored to be one of the poets he asked to participate in this project and here is what I came up with:

Poetica Obscura

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Today at 3:30pm | Edit Note | Delete

He was the young star reflected from concrete
His father’s son all right, all he knew was wrong
But if looking to his right all he saw were whip-lashed whippersnappers trying to catch freedom in the wind would it really be logical to wear a seatbelt?
No one in this world knew how he felt because he still spoke the language of angels but presented himself with the posture of D-Boys because the reality was, he himself did not know the difference
So he watched
And he learned the slang of street pharmaceuticals before he could read the sign across the street from his house
Learned the taste of tears from the cost of health insurance before he could comprehend that life was not promised
And he is the best of us
He is the us we left behind trying to find a place in this world where black and white count as colors
Where counting dollars becomes synonymous with counting blessings
Where we kill to counteract how monotonous we find our settings
And we have been so damaged ourselves that there is no one to hold his hand and protect his innocence
So he learns to look left on his own
Cross the street on his own
Hold his own
Pay his own….rent
Break his own….promises
Fit in perfectly
Plagued by the memory of the moments he stood out and alone

R.I.P. Sulé Osagidé

Hey yall! I've been gone for a minute because I've been further rooting myself in exactly WHERE I am (New Orleans if you couldn't tell by my accent lol) and appreciating the moment and space. Ironically (or possibly perfectly) this led me to get EXTREMELY close to one of the most beautiful people I have ever met, but it also meant a lot of self exploration when he died on January 21, 2010. I'm posting a video of the memorial I made for him. I hope you enjoy and realize that reality is only what you believe it to be. Let go of your expectations and take this perfect world for what it really is. We have no way of knowing the full extent of the consequences of our actions or decisions and in all honesty, the only thing PROMISED is that everything will end. So every one of your actions and decisions will lead to the ultimate end. So why are we so scared? Do not fear death, love life.