#019 Expect Great Things via Autumn LaBella

✌🎉 Happy Holidays & Xtra warm hugs ✌🎉

Cheers to celebrating cadence, rhythm, fine arts, and another year of curating powerful poetry written by Afro-American women! 

It is no secret that wisdom and literature are etched into the DNA of Afro-American poets. Peace has allowed me to elevate my personal and professional thoughts and in turn, I am living in an elevated reality. No matter what happens in these upcoming months, I am dedicated to cultivating unity between myself, my Spirit, my mind, and my body. Consistent effort is the bittersweet key to making dreams come true.

The only New Year's resolution that I have committed to is nourishing the unwavering self respect that has kept me sane for the majority of 2020. Simple tasks like washing my face before bed, starting the day with prayer and exercise, eating more fruits and vegetables, drinking more water, journaling, monitoring my posture while I work, researching what I don't understand, intentionally writing/speaking affirmations, relaxing when I need to, keeping my word with associates and loved ones as best as I can, and making time for study and practice are all causing domino effects that lead back to the finish line: quality happiness. Gratitude keeps me from sinking into illusions of self-doubt, fear, and anxiety. I am crafting a lifestyle where I expect my goals to be met because I am whole-heartedly doing the work to let positive, productive thoughts create my reality. I am deserving of good things because I work my ass off to make sure I'm in a position to receive them. 

There will always be a no, a doubt, a fear, a problem, a naysayer, a barrier. There are no guarantees that we will be gifted another day to identify and define our Divine purpose. Get into the habit of training your mind to be stronger than your emotions. Do your part, and expect great things!

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Remember Me

I want to people to remember the way I made my greens,

For the way I chassed across kitchen floors.

I want people to remember the way I let the sun kiss me on summer days,

For the way I lifted chins on rainy days.

I want people to remember the way I loved my parents,

For the way I adorned my father's house with art and flora and mended my mother's heart with laughter and a comforting aura.

I want people to remember the way I beat the odds, the pain behind my smiling faces, 

For the way I never folded under pressure in colored or negative spaces.

I want people to remember the way my voice melted their senses,

For the way my drums made their hip bones slip and their backbones dip.

I want people to remember the way I wore my melanin:

Proud and humble

Salty and sweet

Soft and savage

Classical and go-go

Exotic and simple

Remy Martin and alkaline water

Vibrant and victorious

Making good memories,

Making sure my great-great-great grandchildren's classmates know of my poetry.

written by Autumn LaBella, 2020

#018 Alexandra Elle pt. 4, 2015

If you have been enjoying the poetry series on Alex Elle like I have, please feel free to devour her work via Amazon or directly via alexelle.com

I look forward to meditating on and sharing more of her poetry, and I hope you find as much joy as I did digging through her work.

#WRITESIS

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I love seeing:

Black men who undeniably love black women and not just for

our curves, color combinations, thickness, lips and breasts,

but because of our honey, our flavor, our sweetness, our poise

and the loudness of our souls. They see us as Queens; they

crown us as such. It is understood that we can be modestly

grandiose; even though some may claim our blackness leaves

us ashamed and scared to show our God given glow.

I melt seeing:

Black men who undeniably love black women for birthing their

daughters and raising their sons and who embrace that fact that

we are not just a vessel or a beautiful bold statue to show off. 

We are where they come from, we are who they love.

Black Men (Undeniable Love)

written by Alexandra Elle, Love In My Language, 2015.

#017 Alexandra Elle pt. 3, 2015

Honesty Hour

Honestly, I don't really know what I'm doing. 

Half of the time I'm just as confused as everyone else who is 

walking in circles and struggling to catch their breath. I'm

a hopeless romantic who has trouble hiding the fact that I'm

extremely transparent. You can see my truth if you look hard

enough. My heart has been broken so I try not to overwork

her. People I love have vanished and a lot of the time I feel as

if I'm standing alone. I comfort myself with the words of my

poems; I drown in my own zone. Most nights, I don't sleep...

I rather be underdressed than overrated. My personality is

vibrant, paired with a sharp tongue and bad temper but I'm

learning to turn my fire down and allow my soul to simmer. 

I'm a cry baby and a tad bit selfish but I'm relentlessly 

honest about who I'm called to be even if the girl in the

mirror isn't who I want to see. I walk alone on a slightly

wider road because I tend to wander...I've been guilty of

backtracking and I've tripped a few times forward.

I'm blinded by what I'm looking for and I enjoy the rain from

indoors. I don't apologize for my feelings because they give

me character and poise. My pride keeps me quiet and I second

guess my purpose often. I could care less if my clothes match

because they don't reflect my heart. ..

Honestly, I don't really know what I'm doing. 

Half of the time I'm just as confused as everyone else.

written by Alexandra Elle, Love in My Language, 2015.

#016 Leaning. Learning. Loving. via Autumn LaBella

New week, new blessings!

Leaning into the today's poetry while waves of gratitude, openness, renewal, and courage crash on me (totally pretending we are in a warmer part of the hemisphere because winter in the DMV did NOT come to play). In between wrapping up multiple projects that are slowly but surely serenading the masses (stream & purchase Autumn LaBella's artwork), I took my moments to lean into the beautiful poetry from Washington D.C. based author & poet Alexandra Elle.

Learning to apply my why is allowing me to move intentionally in my personal and professional life;  I have allowed humility, faith, and adventure to take the passenger seat on this demanding, but equally exciting journey of branding myself as a businesswoman. I am so ready to receive the blessings (and yes, challenges) that God has in store for me. I am cultivating new relationships with myself and others while simultaneously reshaping ones that I currently have according to my growing spiritual needs. May we never resist the process of shedding habits, thoughts, and energy that no longer serve our greater purpose.

Loving myself has taken top priority as I consistently dedicate myself to my crafts and to my community. I realize that when I am full, I can pour the Light into others. My purpose is to activate my community in a way that inspires poetry, prosperity, and positive productivity. No one can stop me but me.

Leaning. Learning. Loving.