A Little Bit of Sunshine

"I'm only following in your footsteps, sis."   We bite, we yell, we bicker We flicker in and out of love My sister...  The greatest love I have ever known Your every desire, my very own Your every step a path to follow There's no sea I wouldn't cross  no crowd I wouldn't elbow To get to you. We were all alone, trying to make a home  out of good intentions alone... I'm only following in your steps, she says And cracks my heart in two. All this time, I've been running after you My hands have gotten bigger But somehow yours have stayed the same... When did you realise you had to let go of your plans, In order to take my hand?

  The Leopard Ladies Everything great about me  came from a woman Pouring into me,  shaping and correcting me Collecting me from my cocooned Bubble of safety Encouraging me to fly, to try Their kind words wash over me  like warm water  Salt of the earth, preserving me through the drought  When I slip, inevitably  into a pit of my own making My best friend tells me I have a beautiful mind My sister practically reads mine And all around me are women old and new Bursting with happiness  The love between us sits Somewhere in the divine I wouldn't be who I am if I wasn't a daughter  A sister, a teacher, and a friend. 

As the youngest of three sisters, I have always been someone who values counsel. 'Feedback culture' makes a casual appearance on every cover letter I've written. And I mean it. I'm of the opinion that you can never know enough. You can learn from anyone; people you like or dislike; people you agree with or disagree with; people younger than you or older than you. As such I am always searching for the lesson behind any situation, negative or positive.  It's why I admire collaboration so much... how someone's contribution, support and skills can accelerate your success far better than you could. I believe in shared goals and visions, in pinky promises made across coffee tables. But even I must confess:  There comes a moment, time, or boundary line, when no one else's opinion matters. It often comes in the form of a gentle but firm voice, or a life-defining choice. That is when something deep inside me stands on its hind legs and refuses to budge. For the life ...

Always taking comfort in the fact that Maya Angelou liked to rhyme In and out of time And that John Keats fell in love too easily... We all lived on the same block  James Baldwin's nose tucked in his newspaper  While the radio crooned Marvin Gaye Across the street, Toni watered her marigolds  Alice took a short stroll A young Nikki saved a spider  caught on the path And Zora, bless her,  ran in the middle of the road. Gcina carried her wares on her head and did not leave until every last one sold. After dark, we will all gather on a table That wraps around the block Share stories of the day and pass the salt Potatoes and greens We will pour the sweet tea And sink our teeth into every morsel.