Balances

I haven't posted this much since last year around this time but I guess you could say that I'm kind of smellin' myself as far as my craft goes and I'm in a zone at the moment. What I posted last night got me to thinking about one of my favorite poems/poets. My girl Nikki G. She's still as dope as she was when she popped on the scene. Her simplistic style makes me appreciate my own and, to me, this simple poem (title of the post and said poem) is a perfect pairing to what I wrote last night. This is my all time favorite! So enjoy and I'll be back....



Balances
in life
one is always
balancing

like we juggle our mothers
against our fathers

or one teacher
against another
(only to balance our grade average)

3 grains of salt
to one ounce truth

our sweet black essence
or the funky honkies down the street

and lately i've begun wondering
if you're trying to tell me something

we used to talk all night
and do things alone together

and i've begun

(as a reaction to a feeling)
to balance
the pleasure of loneliness
against the pain
of loving you

Nikki Giovanni