Creativity

  2015 was a year of madness (politically, socially, etc.). A ton of good came from this madness. Protest, rallies, and good music were some out of many avenues to release one's frustrations. I myself was going through some form of madness of my own. But, if one knows that the fire inside of him can burn brighter than the noise of the world, than he shall survive.   

  Pacing back and forth became a common ritual all throughout 2015. Looking up to the ceiling and asking God why was the only thing I was left to do. My old and envious step-father (former) "Benjamin" was determine he was going to see my downfall (which I discussed in the page titled Faith). Neither did he know that he had unleashed a monster, better yet a savage. Intellectualism, in all it's forms became my calling and a place of refuge.    

  It would be through the outlets of the day that I decided to drown myself in. Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly was the gospel of the day. Ta-Nehisi Coates' Between the World and Me was the book that was on every library shelf and Barnes & Nobles in the country. At twenty-one I felt like I was dealing with more liabilities than assets.    

  When I use the terms liability and asset What I'm trying to explain to you is that at the time I was existing within a slippery paradox. The liability was that I was a young man that was trying to find himself and not being in my rightful place called home. The asset speaks to the fact that I found safety in the care of one of my aunts, and was doing a great measure of soul searching. Harlem was the cultural, social, and tight-knit bubble that I needed. My aunt lived on 5th & Madison in a complex that was owned by a church next door. The Apollo, Magic Johnson Theater, and Malcolm X Blvd were all the places that I visited/walked pass. Till this day I can still smell the frankincense and myrrh, and good cooking in my cortex. A home away from home is a phrase that I will always use to describe Harlem. 

  On November 2, 2015 I was celebrating my twenty-first birthday. While cutting the cake to close things off "Benjamin" had the nerve to call my house. To be polite my mother answered the phone so "Benjamin" could talk to my younger half-siblings. I would be forced to hear his voice on a day that was suppose to be about me. As one might had expected I was livid. Come to think of it the cake wasn't even halfway cut fully. The sixth of November would be the day that two odds would meet, and true colors would be exposed.    

  By the time our session in The Bronx Family Court arrived everything fell in place. Sitting in the company of my lawyer/attorney I was a new creature. Time would eventually pass and "Benjamin's" true colors started to show. Even his lawyer/attorney was in shock as to how downright wicked he was. Both of the cases that "Benjamin" had falsely accused me of were dismissed and sealed. Thanks to the information I gave my lawyer/attorney the referee granted me an order of protection against "Benjamin." On my way out of Family Court I can see "Benjamin's" face resembling an angry possessed demon.    

  Diamonds never come into existence without going through pressure. In today's world we are so used to seeing individuals for their outward appearance. However, what we fail to realize is that people have to make sacrifices and go through trails to be where they want to be. Some of history's most beloved figures had to fight battles (both internal and external) in order to discover their calling. Lincoln, Einstein, Baldwin, you name them. We all have dates with destiny, although the choice of when is never ours. Remember, that not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced.