Briquelle

unsubscribe

this membership no longer serves me

as a customer, you do not deserve me.

every year the subscription increases

deliveries turn up in pieces.

infrequent, sub par, all smoke and no fire

delinquent, bizarre, an insurmountable pyre.

not giving all it was supposed to have gave

newsletter says, the customer is to blame.

demand is too high,

expectations unrealistic,

“look around, are you blind?

we’re the best in business!

you signed the dotted line,

can’t kick us to the curb!”

well I pay too much damn money

to be underserved.

as a loyal customer I know you can find another,

I was your first, I know what they’ll discover.

but I promise I won’t give the disclaimer away,

they’ll never believe me, the campaigns underway.

so quietly i click, no response or reply

i humbly confirm, and click unsubscribe.

love, me.

where have we been? where have we gone?

up to this moment, what’s right and what’s wrong?

in suspension, so apprehensive.

the only thing i can do, is be the one who loves you.

all trust has been lost, so we start from zero.

counting the cost, and becoming your own hero.

everything is a blur, illusions abound.

no running, no jumping on the merry go round.

the light and the dark, the good and the bad.

the joy in your eyes, the ache when you’re sad.

the gifts and the talents, the pain and the malice

the temptation to just throw the whole thing away

easily be the victim and everyone else is to blame.

but you made the choice, chose to hide and not voice,

the power and sovereignty you submitted to formalities.

to gods and men, both white and black

until it was your self that was under attack.

deconstruct, decolonize, denounce all you know,

just a seed that’s been planted and starting to grow.

your roots will grow deep as you stretch for the sun,

Spirit and ancestors shield their precious chosen one.

breaking curses, chains and traditions of men,

like a phoenix you rise, a star in the heavens.

gratitude, breathe and release the trauma,

surrender, love and flow through the drama.

you are beautiful, wonderful so creative and free,

you’ve finally learned to love, me.

Titus Kaphar – The Cost of Removal

I would like to share with you the wonder and works of Titus Kaphar. Kaphar is a amazing artist and I have created a lesson activity to supplement U.S. History units about Indian Removal, Andrew Jackson, Jacksonian Era, and Trail of Tears. I teach these topics through the lens of American Settler Colonialism using Dr. Muhammad’s Culturally and Historically Responsive Literacy Framework. Please click here to access of Teachers Pay Teachers FREE download.

Chosen Ones (The Chosen Ones, #1) Book Review

Chosen Ones by Veronica Roth

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was so excited to read Veronica Roth again. I tried to get into the Carve the Mark series but I just couldn’t get past the first half of the first book. I really enjoyed this book. The main character is flawed and what inspired me the most is that the heroine decided to stop pretending to be someone she was not. She totally owned her failures and did not let her former boyfriend guilt her for breaking up with him. That was so dope. I don’t think I have ever read a common character trope to play out the way it did in this book. The magic system and world building is on point and of course the setting is in Chicago. Roth really knows the layout of Chicago and I could envision almost every scene set in the city. This book falls in between YA and New Adult.

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The Rage of Dragons (The Burning, #1) Review

The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Dragons, magic, war, revenge and resistance against classism? Who can resist? I enjoyed this book and Winter’s writing style. The magic system is unique where Tau has the unlikely ability of the “gifted” to transport himself to the underworld and battle demons. Winter didn’t delve too deeply into the magic system and we learn, alongside Tau, more about its origins and effects on the world around him. This book has a little bit of everything and it was dope to read another fantasy novel with people of color. Excited for the next installment!

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