You and I

Planets of the solar system floating over the Golden Gate Bridge and a chain link fence. Caption over pink inverted triangle reads "Queer As In Homes For All"

by Tatiana Lyulkin

Your eyes

Are the color of the sea

After the storm.

You and I,

Explorers and fearless voyagers

At one

With the nature and the night,

Seeking safety and comfort

In each other’s arms.

We share

What little we have

With each other

And with the world.

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Knew Ya/The Impossible Show

by Isaiah Clark

Knew Ya

Don’t act like it’s a past life
It was prolly last night
You would always gasp like
Every time that I cried

Had me fuckin capsized
I don’t need it baptized
I don’t need more time, aight
nothing ever lasts, right

I saw a flower in flight
and wonder if I ever knew ya

Fast-talkin,

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Poetry

by Rich Banichar

Thoughts of the Homeless

“Tomorrow”

Tomorrow is my worst enemy,

shallow hope sapping my worn strength.

Tomorrow is a thief,

A bluejay stealing anothers eggs.

A mist of fear, emotional toil.

It yields no fruit,

only barren branches on a

winters day.

Today’s burden is all I can bear,

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God and Me in 2023

By Lawrence Hollins

Today I’m turning the page, and I thank God for setting me free from that cage, and not sending me to my grave, because I had a crave, I was in a daze, and I walked around in a maze for days

My father God said it was just a phase, and that’s why you’re able to turn the page

From that ghetto vacation, that would have led to incarceration,

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The Flower and Me

by Clarence E. Block, shared by daughter Cheryl Block Shanks

Walking up the narrow trail
That seems to lead
To the top of the world…
It seems that I’ve
Been walking for hours
So I stop to gather my breath.

Looking back behind me
At the world I’ve left behind —
For a minute —
And now I’m walking again
Up, up …
Wow
I thought I’d never get to the top.
It’s so peaceful …
Nothing and no one is here, … READ MORE

God and Me in 2023

by Lawrence Hollins

Today I’m turning the page, and I thank God for setting me free from that cage, and not sending me to my grave, because I had a crave, I was in a daze, and I walked around in a maze for days

My father God said it was just a phase, and that’s why you’re able to turn the page

From that ghetto vacation,

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Reflections from a 40-Year-Old

by Rupal Ramesh Shah

PLAY UNO
It is an easy game to learn if you can follow numbers and colors, and
a great way to bring people together.

DRINK WARM CHAI
Nothing soothes the heart like homemade chai on a cold or hot day.
Even better, try that cup of chai with cardamom, ginger, or saffron!

GIVE FIRM HANDSHAKES
Handshakes convey both confidence and collegiality.

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Poetry

SUBTRACTED

by Dee Allen

Sisters aren’t valued

In this world of ours

Seen nowhere on the streets

Not the hospitals, malls or bars

Because they’re

Missing

Subtracted

From the city

Headcount cut down in size.

Sisters aren’t respected

In this world of ours

Yet their kin are fraught w/ worry.

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What Black History Month Means to Me

by Tariq Johnson

It is a time of Reflection to sharpen my perception of who I am and where I come from. The struggles that my ancestors went through, to overcome the obstacles of racism and achieve their goals. So the positive definition of the word N-I-G-G-A could and would become: Never Ignorant – Getting – Goals Achieved.

I am 58 years old, born in 1964 when Black Power really meant something to my people.

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Make the Change

Make the change 

Give your change 

Lend a helping hand 

Buy a meal 

Feed the soul 

Don’t feed me the processed 

Feed me the organic truth 

The fiber, the greens 

The antioxidants to give me life 

Make the change 

Give your change 

Read me a lyric,a story 

What’s your story? 

Can you smile that it makes me want to dance and sing To perform art,

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