#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