Text Tuesdays – New Prose – “Years”

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40, adidas, Atlanta, Blue Hurt, Blue Lines, Blue Lines Blog, California, children, Diamond, Georgia, Instagram, iPhone Post, Key Yemaya Walker, Keypsiia, Keypsiia Walker, Keypsiia Yemaya Walker, Los Angeles, New York, New York City, North Carolina, poetry, Prose, Queens, Sacramento, Text Tuesdays, Time, UNC, UNC Chapel Hill, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Years

3/27/16
Days, hours, and minutes,
Spread out the span of a country,
You from Queens,
You from Los Angeles,
You from Atlanta,
Many places converging as we graduated,

What I Learned Sundays – Lucky

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2013, Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary, Atlanta, Blue Hurt, Blue Lines, Blue Lines Blog, Chicago, children, Circus, Corey B Brooks, Corey Brooks, Deonta Howard, family, Father Pfleger, Illinois, Key Yemaya Walker, Let The Children Play, Loyola University Chicago, Lucky, Michael Louis Pfleger, Michael Pfleger, New Beginnings Church, Pastor Corey Brooks, Photography, Priest, Roman Catholic, Tay-Man, University of Saint Mary of the Lake., UniverSoul Circus, Violence, Washington Park, What I Learned Sundays

What I Learned Sunday…wow…Lucky

It has been well over a year since I had something to write about that I learned. Have I had learning lessons…yes, but there came a time to walk away from the monotony and detritus of what was going on at that time.

Enter 2013…Chicago…

Late one night, while on location for work in Chicago, several days of violence erupted and the results were murders retaliation and a 3 year old child being shot in the head. The events themselves were disappointing, and the threat of violence frightening to many. But, one sits in a situation wondering what they can do, especially after learning that the young child would survive the violence he as a child should not have had to face.

Our response, we as an organization were able to promote and support the Chicago area children with a campaign called, “Let the Children Play,” with a focus on just that. Giving children an outlet to simply be…children. During that process, I was lucky enough to meet the child and his family. I also got to speak with them about their concerns, gratitude, and the fear that was instilled in their children’s lives, and the Chicagoland children. The experience was heart wrenching to state the least.

Blue Lines Blog – #PhotoADayMay – Day 7 – Someone That Inspires You – The Little Ones

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#PhotoADayMay, Blue Lines, Blue Lines Blog, children, Cuban, daughter, Day 7, family, Japanese, Key Yemaya Walker, Someone That Inspires You, The Little Ones

When I have questions, or need to figure out balance, I look to them and think on how to be there for them.

The manuscript Blue Lines is the fictional coming of age narrative of a young California woman Key Yemaya Walker, and her 2 year growing journey through school, love, and life period piece, written by Kenneth Suffern, Jr., taking place at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill between the years of 1997 – 1998. Loosely based on true events, and experiences during that time, told through the eyes and voice of the main female protagonist, a freshman first attending the school.

30 Day Photo Challenge – Day 15 – A Picture of Something You Want to Do Before You Die – Jump Out A Perfectly Good Plane

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30 Day Photo Challenge, A Picture of Something You Want to Do Before You Die, Blue Lines, Blue Lines Blog, children, Coachella, Day 15, fear, Jump Out A Perfectly Good Plane, Key Yemaya Walker, Little Dragon, Please Turn, Ritual Union, Scared, Skydiving

I want to have a kid, and I’m doing the Coachella thing, so I think this is it. Scared crapless thinking about this. The song by Little Dragon, “Please Turn,” the line “please…pull the string now,” and I could see myself running and jumping out (yes, I doubt it’s like that), and i felt my head get light and my chest tighten up. Gonna do it though.

The manuscript Blue Lines is the fictional coming of age narrative of a young California woman Key Yemaya Walker, and her 2 year growing journey through school, love, and life period piece, written by Kenneth Suffern, Jr., taking place at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill between the years of 1997 – 1998. Loosely based on true events, and experiences during that time, told through the eyes and voice of the main female protagonist, a freshman first attending the school

Blue Lines Blog – Prose – “For You” – a poem for my unborn daughter.

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Blue Lines, children, daughter, Fatherhood, For You, Key Yemaya Walker, poetry, Prose, What I Learned Sundays, write

“For you”
KS 07/24/11
When you came, my world changed,
More than she had,
She led me to you, and I thought she was all,
Your eyes big,
Wide,
Innocent,
Do you know me,
The pure recreation of your mother and father,
Our days stay tied in mutual understanding,

Recipient of my kiss,
Symbol of my love,
Product of my lust,
Owner of my heart,
The only ONE for me,
You slept in my arms,
I promise you everything,
I live now for you,

My love is your love,
My words are your words,
I wrap you in my protection,
My love, my heart,
My soul,
Yes, you are the recreation,
Of your mother and father,
Me and her, her, her…
My beautiful unborn daughter.

The manuscript Blue Lines is the fictional coming of age narrative of a young California woman Key Yemaya Walker, and her 2 year growing journey through school, love, and life period piece, written by Kenneth Suffern, Jr., taking place at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill between the years of 1997 – 1998. Loosely based on true events, and experiences during that time, told through the eyes and voice of the main female protagonist, a freshman first attending the school.

What I Learned Sundays – 9/25/11 Some Thoughts, Some Memory

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A Poor Man's Memory, Birthday, Blue Lines, children, CityScape, daughter, Echoes Silence Patience And Grace, Expolsions In The Sky, Foo Fighters, Friday Night Lights, Georgia State University, Georgia Tech, Houston, Key Yemaya Walker, Libra, MW, Photography, Son, Texas, What I Learned Sundays

First off, Happy Birthday, Cuzzo!!!

On the treadmill at half strength, our team doctor, friend, and co-worker tapped me on my shoulder. I, still running at full speed, removed one of my earbuds to listen as he smiled broadly, and, while pointing at ESPN on my treadmill’s screen, pointed and began to tell me about how his 6 year old son was practicing with a golf pro while we were on our road trip with our team. Though we both smile, I looked at him, and knowing that he played with my high school friend, and is a year younger than I am, thought about he and his 6 year old and younger daughter, and myself with no children.

The band Explosion In The Sky’s “A Poor Man’s Memory,” (made famous by the film Friday Night Lights) began to play on my iPod Nano, and I increased the volume as I began to run toward and for something…what, I didn’t know.

I thought of what I have now, the work, the challenges, the good, the bad. I realistically looked at how a child would, or realistically not fit into my life as it currently is, however I had to look at how a child would fit, if they were already here, or as old as 6 years. I looked at how, possibly as everything is playing, it is setting up for that child(ren).

I also thought about the small things that my life can provide, and how my friend, talking of the golf pro, and how I could have a young sports fan child, and the events and players they may have been fans of, that I could have introduced them to. Though not that important in the scheme of things, still my ability to offer.

What I Learned Sundays – Private, Public, and Words

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Blue Lines, children, Classic Night, Coldplay, cry, daughter, Fatherhood, For You, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Kanye West & Jay-Z, Key Yemaya Walker, Midnight Marauders, Myla, Myla Watson, Neice, Private, Public, Q-Tip, sing, Til Kingdom Come, What I Learned Sundays, write

Private and public self…this was the original theme of this post as sat trying to be more prepared in posting “What I Learned Sundays” this week. Lately, I seem to have many thoughts and experiences big and small that I want to constrain to this small post summing up my learning process of the previous week.

“What are you always doing on that thing? Playing games,” she asked.
“No, I’m writing,” I turned the iPad around to show her the book cover.
“Wow, you write,” she asked this evening, her mind still clearing out from the previous night.
“Yes, I wrote a manuscript, and I have a blog, I’ve actually written a lot in the last few weeks and months.”
“My friend published a book of poetry,” somewhat intrigued, simply because with my current works, and to piece published in compilations, that may be my foot in the door with Blue Lines.
“I would have never thought you write. You just sit there (pointing toward the table), and seem very quiet…reserved.”

I smiled realizing that though you allow parts of you to be public, you can also hide behind that public persona. I’ve done that a lot lately, where depending on the level (knowledge, time, quality, proximity, familiarity, context, touch) my message, or distributed message has been different. But then you (well) I realize, there are some people that blur the lines of these relationships, because you arrive at that place where if I say this, in this way, now the person that it directly impacts has just as much, or more access to it, and a different investment in that forum.

I continue…
“Who is that a picture of? Do you just write, or do you write about someone?” Therein my internal brake and filter come into play. I’ve told my story different ways many times, but this was a moment that I had to respectfully censor myself publically.
The first question I let die, the second is a plain “yes.” There was not really anymore to say regarding that.
“Read this,” she offered passing her phone, “my friend (the aforementioned author) wrote this.”
I read and found the piece thoroughly well done, not that I can judge, but if your piece is broken between 10 different text messages, and I’m patient enough to read it, my interest is captured. I’m not going to use the word “amazing,” because I have too much lately.
“Well read this,” I pull out my writing card, “I wrote this tonight while I was sitting here.” Not that I was very happy about the piece, I rewrote it totally.