Dreams are Illegal in the Ghetto

Back with a little more poetry! I am such a fan of Def Jam Poetry... I think they definitely elevated poetry to a higher place by placing it on such a scale forum like television. As of right now I have tons of Def Jam Poetry YouTube clips that I think are not only inspiring but engaging, well written, and mentally stimulating. This poem is called "Dreams are Illegal in the Ghetto". After I heard it, I was immediately struck by how honest and true it was for me. Growing up as a young black girl, I constantly saw the dreams of my friends crushed and their innocence stolen because someone told them "No" or said "You aren't good enough to do or have...". When you live on the wrong side of the tracks you can appreciate someone acknowledging the suffering that you may have felt. And I think whether Black, White or indifferent, we can all feel this poem pull at our heart strings. So I am sharing this with you and I hope you enjoy it.
-monet

"I Will Wait for You"

Hey all. I have been gone for awhile. I haven't had much to blog about but my friend L. Monique showed me this poem clip a while back and I came across it again tonight while surfing the web at 6:08 am. I loved it so much I had to share it with you all. I'm not sure why it was put on my heart to share it but I feel like I am waiting. Waiting for God to speak life into me so that I can go forth into the world and accomplish all that he has for me. I know that I have many of my own dreams but somehow I know that God's dreams are bigger than I will ever know. I am not what you would consider the ideal religious person but I am deeply spiritual. I will continue to wait until God feels it is my time to be the person he made me to be, and just knowing that I have a purpose drives me everyday to be better. I hope you can take something from this video. Enjoy.

-monet

Dear Claude

  Once again, I am sitting in front of my computer on a late night. I'm inspired to paint but sadly have no money for brushes, seeing as I am a college student and all. But none the less, Claude Monet popped into my head. The other day I showcased African born artist Peju Alatise, and today I just felt like a good Monet. 

  Ever since I can remember, I have been drawn to the works of Claude Monet. Believe it or not my middle name is Monet, so I do attribute many of my artistic blessings to him. Besides all of that, truth be told, I was in a funky mood today. I really was feeling burn of betrayal and I wasn't to sure how to deal with what I was feeling and I began to sink. 

  So as I was looking for my happy place, these paintings flashed through my mind, just flittering images of color and softness and somehow I still felt an overwhelming sadness. It never ceases to amaze me how life can continue to go on around us, when we are hurting. It's as if you have a wound that wont bleed, so people never really know its there. Ive heard that saying, "The eyes are the windows to the soul..." and I'm sure if someone really "looked" at me and "saw" me, they could experience, if just for a moment, the pain of that wound. The eyes of Claude Monet saw beauty and he put it on a canvas. He painted his pain away and made it something beautiful for us to see. Thats what I want for myself and you...a moment where pain is no longer pain but a beautiful moment in our individual worlds, where time doesn't stop and you can "see" yourself and the beauty of your pains.

-monet

Claude Monet-Self Portrait

Water Lilies

Palazzo da Mula-Venice 1908

The Path