Facing the Truth

(dedicated to Caiterona and Consanguine)

Last nite, all was still. Everything was divine. I fancied the moment, and I lived for the moment.

It had been days since I had heard the beautiful, mournful harmony. But I was soothed. I retired on my bed as the tides tossed me across the ocean. The nite was gentle like silk. As I travelled into the ewater I could hear the tides colliding against the rocks. I was lost in thought, and my thoughts were missplaced in visions.

The song began, and still, I drifted on the water and rode the tides as angels ride the wind. The violins could be heard again. Its sound grew louder as the tides diminished into the coast. The saltwater rolled down my face, and I couldn't tell if it were from the ocean or from my eyes. The water was getting immeasurable, and I began to sink.

I can not swim! I won't make it to see tomorrow.

The deep sound of the cello and teh charming chords of the violin informed me the end was near. I didn't want to believe the truth! The song would not repeat this time.

Today, all dreams came true, again.

There is no longer any peace. The doves can not mate any longer--they are impotent. I want to hear the sounds of the male enticing the female. But the creatures are beautiful, natural, and lifeless.

The Reality Show

Nothing is okay
in Tinsel Town!

Children play,
Mothers bake,
Fathers golf,
And dogs greet happily.


Doors shut,
Lights dim,
Curtains drawn,
And sadness follows everything.

Liquid Lunch

"Liquid Lunch" is a blues-inspired debut collection of poetry by Stephen Bess. Successfully sprinkling dialect of Black Americans, Bess covers topics such as spirituality, human relations, traditions, and how our lives intertwine with music.

Bess successfully tackles a male's sexual prowessness and how his 'old lady' handles him in "Here's the Situation". He states, "I just wish my 'old lady would cut me some slack / 'cause I just met this sweet, fine thing. . ." Bess cleverly challenges the reader with Black folklore in somber "Death Bells"--a highly effective, brilliantly repetitive poem detailing the connection between life and death. Poem "Sweet and Steady"--a definite read, and personal favorite--instantly pulls you in with the narrator's tongue-in-cheek, and appropriately teasing words.

"Liquid Lunch" is serious, humorous, and entertainingly completed with musicality. This collection captures Black South and, like the Blues, represents how Black Americans make the best out of uncomfortable situations. A definite must-read book. For a complementary book, I'd suggest Nikki Giovanni's "Blues: For All the Changes".

-Stephen Earley Jordan II
author of "Beyond Bougie" and "Cold, Black, and Hungry"