Split Your Heart, Not Your Tongue

It's been over a year since I actually posted a blog. I've been writing (and taking up voice lessons again) so I haven't completely abandoned my art but I haven't been as motivated either. This is for a number of reasons but there is one reason I want to talk about in particular. I've been having internal issues about my past work I created. I still love it just as much as I did when I created it and I don't want to change a thing (major things) about it because it was work that I believed in and felt at the time. There's just something I need to address before I can go back to promoting and creating art freely: the race of the characters in my book series . I've been asked by several people in the past why my characters are not primarily black being that I am a Black woman who grew up in an all Black neighborhood and only know the Black experience. It's a question I expected and will continue to expect as long as I decide to share my book series w...

Black is what I always was So I decided to embrace it Heartache, mystery and sophisticastion They all can sum me up Just a little bit But I know what color I am, it's a perfect fit I'm the color people stay away from They can't read me To them, I'm a loaded gun But I'm not here to talk about weapons Because the words I write are plenty 24 years and they still don't get me They think this means I'm dark on the inside Yet this may be true But there's still a light that shines Because black doesn't mean I'm bad Just that I'm a mystery I think that's what gets them mad My shade is too dark to see through And they're afraid of what they can't see So they try to mold me But I was never one for conformity So color me bad or color me good It doesn't matter, I'll still be misunderstood The prompt was "Color Me Good" and to write about a color that sparks a memory or...