ORDINARY VS. INCREDIBLE

There’s a real war going on and it can get ugly. It causes strife between nations and even within our own households. It sometimes gets even more intimate as this eternal struggle spills over into our hearts and causes us to be at odds with ourselves. It’s a simple matter of choice but the side we choose can have dire consequences.


THE ORDINARY: There are basic people who see everything through plain eyes. To them, there isn’t anything special about anything. They’re easily satisfied by sending subtle, slight, tingles to their five senses. Those are the ones who will walk through this life like machines, doing what they’re supposed to do, in the way things have always been done. They will die with the belief that if something isn’t broken, why fix it? If something is good enough, why make it better? They harbor hate for change or anything different from themselves.

THE INCREDIBLE: There are those people who were designed differently from everyone else and accept their uniqueness with open arms. They don’t run from or shy away from the fact that they see magic in the simplest of things. (At times, moving with radicals may seem like extra-ordinary behavior but it really isn’t if there’s an army of people moving in that direction too. What’s so special about that?) Incredible people aren’t afraid to go in a totally different direction from EVERYONE else. In fact, they yearn for that opportunity to go where no one else has ever been.

THE WAR: As I mentioned before, there’s a war going on. It’s destructive because it makes no sense. The ordinary people seem to despise the incredible ones which seems odd to me. After all, the incredibles, if you will, are the ones who make life interesting for the ordinary folk. Who else is going to give the world beautiful things to touch, taste, smell, see and hear? The war is fought out of jealousy I think. The ordinary ones are always trying to tell the dreamers to get their head out of the clouds. The regular folk always want the irregulars to do exactly what they do or risk being made an outcast. The battles become so fierce that more than a few people allow the creative side of them to die, slowly, without putting up much of a fight. They become empty husks of what they were meant to be and the world is poorer for it.

GENERAL REEM: (Yes, I claim the title "general" because I actually DO what many pretend to do so yeah, I'm entitled!) I’ve been fighting that war my whole life and I rep the side of the incredible ones. I’m not saying I’m amazing but I try damn hard to be. I can’t bring myself to conform….even in the face of adversity……even if it causes me pain. After all, I’ll proudly wear a few scars for a worthy cause. I believe that if you look for magic, even in the simplest of things, you’ll always be in love with the greatest gift we were given…… LIFE!



***Hmmm? Now, the catch is finding worthy recruits. To surround yourself with unique people makes life much more interesting, entertaining and happy***

THE BOOK COMMANDMENTS

Commandment #1: You ARE your work and your work is you! Treat it as such!


ALWAYS have your work with you. It doesn’t matter if you’re going to the barber shop, beauty salon or the corner store to buy a bag of chips. Always be ready to promote yourself. You should have two books in that bag of dirty clothes on your way to the laundry. At a red light, you’ll think I was asking for directions when I ask you to you’re your window down but, I really want you to check out my book. I’ve gotten pulled over by the cops and tried to sell books to the officers. It shouldn’t be a hobby or a part-time job if you’re passionate. When someone asks you what you do, you’re answer should always be, “I’m an author.” It doesn’t matter if you work a 9-5, start-up with that refund from your income tax or sling crack until you stack racks to put that book out. (DISCLAIMER: I’m kidding. I ain’t promoting selling drugs. LOL) Your books are not your hobby. Whatever else you do, no matter how much of your time it takes up, should feel like your side hustle. I remember walking out the conference room of my old job mumbling, “Man, I don’t need this headache…I write books AND I’m nice with mine.” Your books and your work are your priority iF you’re really fueled by that desire to make it happen. Wear your talent on your chest like a tattoo. There’s NO room for shyness or shame when trying to make a name for yourself in the game. Approach EVERYBODY with your books. Let them know who you are & what you’re about. EVERYONE is potentially someone who will support your movement. I know I’ve received the most love from people I didn’t even expect to hear me out. The overwhelming NO’s you’ll get can’t have you stressing because believe me when I tell you, those YES’s mixed in are a blessing. After doing it for a while, it’ll start to feel as natural as walking down the street. That’s when you’re on auto-pilot. When you go back to certain areas and they say, “Oh..that’s the writer,” then………you know what it is. Good luck.


NOW GO GRIND!

WORDS LEFT UNSAID

I used to feel “it” but did everything in my power to conceal it. If I loved you, I would never tell you even though, in my own way, I’d be sure to show you. Or, at least that’s what I thought I did. My soul would literally tear in half if I lost you but my pride was stronger so I’d risk it. The fear of not being able to recover from that kind of hurt controlled me. Only after things fell apart would I say everything I should have said to hold things together.


That was one of the many mistakes I made as a younger man. I didn’t understand that people are not mind readers. Sometimes, actions really can’t speak louder than words. In my mind, I still believe that you should pay attention to what I do and not necessarily what I say. To me, words are wind and are often spoken with idle tongues. I also understand that not everyone shares that belief with me.

The only way to give things a fair chance to work is to combine words with actions. If, in any situation, you realize that these two are in conflict, something is definitely wrong. To simply say “I love you” is not enough in this life where the term is tossed around loosely. Both have to be mirror reflections of each other for me to believe it….feel it. I’m sure it’s the same for everyone else.

So, if things should fall apart between us, it’s not because I left anything unsaid. I tell the truth about how I feel, regardless of how a person may take it. If you don’t like what I say, or how I felt about something, you have your options. I think that’s more than fair. I’m not one for deception or games. In fact, I’m as real as being real gets. This is how I can live life now without regrets. I leave it all on the table whenever I’m able and it will never be a mystery where you stand with me. Even if the nature of the situation changes, you’ll know as soon as I do. Since I’ve let go of that nagging fear of the future…only honesty lives in me.

Once upon a time in my life....I had to live with regrets because of things I left unsaid. Believe me when I say I understand the worst kind of loss. My heart is still broken due to some of the things that have slipped away from me. I could have saved a lot of it if I had only said what I felt at the time. I admit that much of the fault is mine. Believe me, when I look back, it is heavier than I would have ever imagined. The repercussions of my foolish, childish, silence echo in my life now and probably will forever. With that lesson learned, I’ve put it all out there honestly since then because at the end of the day... .....it's just easier to live without that weight.

*** I won’t drown in regrets because of words I left unsaid ever again. ***

Mixing Ink

It was the ink that peeked out of her blouse on her delicate collarbone that first made me curious about her. Her cleavage had me intrigued, more than I would have believed. It wasn’t her breasts squeezed and confined under the stress of her bra that caught my eye. It was the edge of a design I couldn’t quite make out that made me not care if she noticed that I stared. She didn’t seem concerned with me at first. Then I was relieved when I saw her take a look at my wrist when I read clearly in her eyes that she was curious to see what was tatted…….further up my sleeve. I was eager to find out what other ink she had too, concealed under conservative clothes. We exchanged contact info…and took it from there.


After agreeing that it was a good idea that we started seeing more of each other, we started to make time by making adjustments in our busy lives. The appeal of that deal was that every time we’d meet, she’d reveal a little more about herself. Like me, all of her tats had meaning. At the first dinner, she reached for her wine and I couldn’t believe I had missed the symbols on her wrist. She told me what they meant and I ended up having a whole new level of respect. On another day, I snuck up behind her to surprise her while she waited for me on a park bench. Her lower back gave a teasing taste of what she was covered with in the back. It was hot and gave hints that it was either a star or maybe even a sun. Before long, she was comfortable enough to come out with me wearing skirts short enough to expose the vines on her thighs, while still hiding all of the flowers. I became intrigued by every little bit she let me see.

After speaking for some time...we find ourselves here.......

I looked down at her hair spread loosely all over the bed, long and flowing wildly from her head. She  looked up at me. She turned to her right to stare at my left forearm. She slowly stuck out her wet tongue and licked the tail of the dragon tattooed on my arm. I slipped inside her at the same time. She wrapped her legs around my sides so I pushed deeper. That's right before her nails nearly tore the dragon's head off of the flesh on my shoulder. With her other hand she punctured the earth that the other dragon is guarding on my right arm. The inked ocean on the globe looked like it was leaking blood. She pulled me down on top of her and held on so that the trail of stars on her arm could be reflected on its surface. I felt her grip and knew she was intense with purpose as the universe I had drawn on me met with hers for the first time. Then, she bit her bottom lip as he matched my rhythm from below and rolled her hips. I put her legs on my shoulders and raised the colorful vines on her thighs to the sky. I could have sworn that I saw the flowers bloom as she swooned. Now both of the dragons on my arms begin to move and slide their tongues across her bare skin and taste her flesh. They both crawled off of my arm and got lost in her gardens. The room got hot as they set her body on fire. The warrior woman inked on her stomach calmed down their frenzy and they both fell asleep at her feet. The coy fish on my forearm, rocked in its inked ocean from our motion. Its tail waved back and forth as it fought to swim steadily, upstream in the current. She squeezed me and crushed everything as her world exploded from the inside, spilling onto me. I wasn’t done yet. I turned her over and she buried her face in the soft clouds of the bed. I gripped the art on her hips as I began to dig deep enough to create everything all over again. She let me. At first I stared at the sun on her lower back without going blind. The words that she’d designed on her spine influenced my mind. She threw it back and I could swear that the wings on her shoulder blades began to flap. I gave her my life, died, and collapsed right after that. I fell over on my side, she smiled and started to bring me back.

***I can bet you never though of mixing ink like this?***

Beautiful Monster

This is a dangerous love affair to say the very least. I can see the light of God inside you but you can also be a beast. The pain that you walk around with makes you beautifully ugly, if that makes sense. Let me show you what I see.


When provoked, your hate is unrivaled and wild, impossible to stop. To be honest, your level of “mean” is almost unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Everything in me says to stay clear of your path because it’s not worth making a misstep and risking falling in the line of your wrath. It just doesn’t make sense, it doesn’t add up and it equals bad math. I know that you can be a monster but because you’re being you, you’re beautiful.

No, I’m not blind. The beautiful I see has nothing to do with your shape, your eyes or the wicked smile that will sometimes grace your face. There’s an aura, a vibe, or what I’d call a unique energy that envelops your space. It’s there even though, behind that smile lies teeth that can tear and maim along with a tongue that can break hearts.

Despite all of that, I can feel something else fighting to be free because you’ve trapped it for fear that it would make you weak. Despite you holding it in, I’ve seen it in your tears. I’ve felt it on my fingers every time that I wiped them away. It’s only the “pretty” that you try so hard to hide, that makes me want to stay so close to you.

I’m just a man. Trust me, I’m well aware that you have enough game to cause confusion in these lames but me? I’m not exactly the same. The only thing I can promise is that I’ll always try to do the best that I can to understand. I’ll try to ease the pain that you live with and that dark cloud over everything…I’ll lift it. I’ll take my chances that you’ll injure me because of all the hurts you might inflict. The only thing I ask is that you don’t destroy me.

Speed of Light Flight

Moving past so fast it seems like I'm traveling in light years. I guess that explains why it's so bright here. I'm polite here but some people don't fight fair. See me on another day when I might care and try harder to slow me down with something that I might fear. Loving every bit of this life, my own beautiful nightmare.

Pardon My Back

What are we talking about? Are we still dreaming, getting older every day and still talking about what we WANT to do one day? Are we running our mouths and not taking any steps to make it happen? Do we still have doubts about whether or not we have enough talent to make it happen? Are we still buying things to give the appearance that we’re making major moves when we’re really standing still? Are we still taking risks that could destroy our lives when we eventually get caught up? Are we online bragging all the time but if someone took a closer look those gems don’t really shine? Are we still trying to sound busy when we’re really, really bored? Oh, we’re still on that? Well then, I’m not co-signing THAT so please……… pardon my back!

Oh, so you’re here just to see what you can get? From afar you spotted and plotted on the potential although I’m not there yet? Or maybe you just want satisfaction and like the way I can get you wet? Think you can just whistle and I pop up with the sex pistol? Or maybe your mood is always blue and you won’t be satisfied until you infect me with it too? Maybe you’ve been hurt so much that you want to hurt me too? Do you have a mind of your own or do you need me to think for you too? Could it be that I’m so comfortable being me that you want to see if you can change me? Or, is the plan to prove that I’m just like every other man? Possibly, is it a fact that I might just be the latest toy? Or maybe I’m the challenge because I’m not as thirsty as the rest? Are you looking for flaws to convince yourself that I might not be the best? Do you want to put me to the test to wrest this thing out of my chest and make my life a mess? Can’t let you do that, so in advance, I gotta ask that you excuse me as I turn my back.

Are you mumbling and whispering gossip? Are you trying to turn fiction into real life facts? Are you tarnishing good people’s names in a petty attempt to gain some measure of fame? I bet you’re the villain dressed in a victim’s clothes. Are you starting fires, spreading rumors and pumping your own lies? Then you get caught in them, don’t stand by them, jump off the hot seat, pretending to cry? Are you really jealous over things that aren’t yours? You’re worse than a dog and you should walk on all fours. Attention-starved creep, I’ll never see you because I’ll never turn around. I rather keep people like you at my back.

Thought I was crazy when I said I’d make this work or die in the attempt? Oh, so you think I should have just been satisfied with the life I was lucky enough to have and be glad? You aren’t really a rider are you? Never really lifted a finger to help in any way, shape, form or fashion? Secretly hoped that I wouldn’t last, fall back and go back to doing what you do? Was it you that tried to sabotage the movement before it even started by quietly closing doors and believed I never saw? Doubted I was really ABOUT IT? You don’t believe in it? That’s cool. Just stand back and give me room. Don’t be offended when I turn around and chuck up the deuces.

I’ll only turn back around for the entertainment and satisfaction that the sick look on your face brings me. (Told y'all, I woke up in an ALPHA MALE mood today, complete with smashing the alarm clock and then beating on my chest!)

If You Let Me………

I would write you a love song but I couldn’t sing it to you the way I heard it in my mind. I wouldn’t want to cheat you. Instead, I do it my way and give you what you deserve, every word vividly visualized in my mind, the best way I know how to express it. I have a writer’s mind, vibe, spirit and soul……..to the very core of everything I am.


I want you to close your eyes, put your head on my chest, and listen to this story that I wrote. But, only if you’re willing make that choice, to lose yourself inside the sound of my voice. I want you to tell me if these words move you. I want to know if what I’ve written on this paper causes anything to stir inside you. If you have pain that’s locked away, I want these paragraphs to steal it. I’ll keep it safe, just in case you ever told me that you needed it. I want everything to tingle even though I’m not using my hands. I want these lines to feel like they’re etched on your flesh. Every sentence heightens your senses and you can imagine you’re trapped in this world I’ve created. I want you giggle too, when these characters do and their tears become your own when they grieve.

Then, I want you to open those eyes that I asked you to close. I need you to feel like every bit of prose became a mirror reflection of everything that is you. I want you to understand that everything you thought you locked away is something that I look deep enough inside you to notice every day. I see, I believe it and I know that it’s real. I can’t write you a love song but this is what I can do.

ALSO. READ THE REVIEWS FOR MY 1ST NOVEL.....Water Flows Under Doors

http://www.amazon.com/Water-Flows-Under-Doors-ebook/dp/B003CJTZWU/ref=pd_sim_kinc_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2

The Reconstruction of Reem

By nature, human beings are predators. We basically hold dominion over most things and anything that we don’t, we naturally strive to make sure that eventually we do. It’s clear, based on our history and the way we behave that we seek to control most things. Whatever we can’t control, we deem dangerous and attempt to destroy.


Evolution is a must if a person intends to survive in this world. Any organism that fails to adapt to its environment eventually become extinct. Since I pan to thrive and survive for as long as I can, occasionally I have to become something new. As I said before, human beings are predators. As such, they’ll even resort to cannibalism in this “dog-eat-dog” world. What choice does a person have but to avoid being destroyed or devoured?

Everyone has a motive, an angle, or an agenda if you will. As you get older, you’ll find that your peers have become craftier and more skilled in manipulating situations to their benefit. If you don’t shed certain child-like tendencies, you’ll be eaten alive in a world of sharks. Sound pessimistic doesn’t it? I promise you, it’s all true.


From time-to-time, I overhaul my perception of the outside world and reconstruct myself. It’s the survival instinct in me. At my very core, I always have been, and always will be, the same old Reem. As the strategies, tactics and weapons that will be used against me change, I have to become a “new me.” Otherwise, I’d run the risk of being manipulated and taken advantage of. Never. So, as I prepare to enter a new phase of my life, I’m currently under reconstruction in preparation for the foolishness I’m sure that I’ll have to face.

Muse

‎Muse

"The Muses: in Greek mythology, poetry, and literature are the goddesses who inspire the creation of literature and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge, related orally for centuries in the ancient culture, that was contained in poetic lyrics and myths. The compliment to a real woman who inspires creative endeavor is a later idea." - taken from Wikipedia

I used to think that the notion of someone being a “Muse” from a realistic standpoint was a myth. It always sounded to me like the ramblings of hopeless romantics when I heard them speak of being inspired in such a way, by such a person. Personally, I’ve always found ways to motivate myself when it came to my own creativity. (Keyword: Motivate) I say this because I’ve come to discover that motivation is very different from inspiration.

Every day my own ambition motivates me to be “better” at my craft. I believe that talent can only be honed, sharpened and mastered through hard work combined with discipline. I mistook that determination and drive for inspiration. I guess if you’ve never experienced something, there’s no way for you to understand it or even believe that it exists. I know better now. Motivation is what makes me get up every day and write. Inspiration is what takes the creativity in my writing to higher heights.

A muse is different from someone who gives encouragement. What a muse gives you is effortless and natural. Just the sight of them will make you write ten chapters, finish that painting or compose that song. Their presence is a blessing. The sound of their voice, the way they see the world, and the way they look at you makes you want to be better tomorrow than you were yesterday. I guess you could call it magic.


Glad I have mine.