31

Self Prime

Stand-alone

can multiplied by many

and divided by none

odd

WHOLE

lucky

negative

natural

"understanding knowledge" in supreme mathematics

real

atomic number of gallium

-a metal

that melts

in your hand

Black v. African American?

I am not a color, I'm a person. But when asked by my Chinese roommate what I'd prefer to be called I told her "Black". I added that being referred to as African-American in this country has a different implication that yesteryear. Today it can be used to describe those who were born in Africa or whose parents were born in Africa then chose to move to America. This is not my or my parents experience, so I choose Black. Nevermind the fact that the title of Black Americans has changed so significantly over that last 50 years that my mom, sister, and I, although all the same race, are described as Colored, Black, and African-American on our birth certificates, respectively.

Maybe my response to my inquisitive roommate was abrupt. Sometimes the simplest questions about race and identity can spawn a heated debate and to save her from that, and to save myself from over-explaining I offered to her a comparison. I asked if she'd rather be called a Chinese American or just Chinese. Although her Chinese identity in America and my Black identity are different issues because of our varying histories, the heart of the answer in my opinion goes back to personal preference.

I choose Black because James Brown said "Say it loud, I'm Black and I'm proud" and because Huey P. Newton was a member of the "Black Panther Party", not the African American one. Also attempts to call Black people African American usually come off very awkward, like whoever is saying it is overly politically correct. People who feel the need to be that right scare me...as if they're not really saying the words that are in their heads.

I'm bringing this up to my Black/African-American/People of African descent blog followers and friends, What do you call yourself?...please post your response.

What I Remember of Rome

In Rome they said,

and read,

and beat it in my head

the art, the history, and the structure.

But after reading the Stolen Legacy

I wanted to ask, "didn't they steal this from a brotha?"

Feelings

What I hate most about feelings is my inability to control them. I was talking today via FB to my friend who advised me that she saw a guy I was previously interested in. Except I’m still interested in him and I’m not sure why. I’m currently traveling abroad and feeling particularly lonely on most days. I reached out to him a few days after arriving, knowing that he was already aware of my apprehension in traveling. I got no response. But what’s more is that when I was in the US I’m afraid that what I saw in him might have been all in my head. Things were complicated, and admittedly I had my part to play in it all. I could have been a bit more forthcoming with my feelings but so much of it was new for me that I didn’t know if the sparks were because of him or because of the excitement of new attention that Lady Fate finally decided to bestow me with.

In any regard the conversation with my friend made me less sure of where I stood with him. Prior to her bringing him up I had fancied someone else (in my head, no actions had been taken -yet). But now I feel that maybe I should tie lose ends…

…What makes feelings even more complicated is the lack of definition. If we had any definition at all it would be that of friends, so if a friend didn’t reply to my message I would be a little disappointed but I wouldn't feel the need to ask why my message received no response. So here I am. Lost, feeling like I shouldn’t have this particular person on the brain but finding no way to resolve it.

That’s feelings for ya.

Dating Myself

Found this poem on Youtube.com and thought it was hilarious and wise in a way. Enjoy :)