Stream of Consciousness Saturday.

Conscious Participant – Stream of Consciousness Saturday.

As the deer pants for water so does my soul pant for peace in today’s world. Each day I wear my big girl pants and get on with living in the face of multiple challenges, sometimes, unfortunately, doubled due to the colour of my skin. One topic that I find unsavoury to talk about is race and that in 2017 I have to justify myself as a human and my right to life.

I was raised by loving, upright and hardworking folks and I aim to be a good representative of my parents. Back home, we didn’t bother with the difference of skin colour and all the rampant ugliness of hate that currently swirls around.

I didn’t know that I’m black. I only knew that I’m a valuable human being and a fellow occupant of the world and it was not until I ventured away from my home country to the US and now the UAE that the true depth of the human psyche shows up in ways I never anticipated. It has been a roller-coaster ride.

My spirit is heavy at the moment and I want to keep my thoughts contained. It’s just that I’m sad that I’m raising children in a world where a good part of their childhood is now spent teaching them that they are no different nor less valuable than others, teaching them how to react if by any chance they ever run into a policeman, teaching them to walk away when someone decides to be flippant and call them ugly words. Teaching them that they must be conscious participants in life because they can make a difference and maybe change will come in their time. Teaching them things children shouldn’t be saddled with. Teaching them………it’s simply exhausting.

Jacqueline

Now we’ve got a spanking new badge for SoCS. Well done to all the participants and thank you, Linda, for today’s prompt ‘pant.’

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My Name Is Jacqueline.

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Black, Brown and White…
these are simply colours

I am a Living Soul
and my skin colour is black

I am not merchandise
to be labelled and put in a carton

I am a Human
and a beautiful woman

Red blood flows in my veins
just the same as yours

My name is Jacqueline
and I belong to Human Race

So tell me,
who are you?

© Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha


Below is my first just published Poetry Book “Out of the silent breath” which is available on Amazon and Smashwords.

When you buy my book, you support me in an invaluable manner.

Stars, Five Stars, Logo, Icon, Symbol, Five, Rating

Wonderful, evocative poetry by a talented writer. Left me hungry for more. Jacqueline can write! Linda Bethea

Out of the silent breath

If you enjoy my works and would like to do so, you can fuel my creativity with a slice of cake or coffee😉

Stream of Consciousness Saturday.

My thoughts of class, humans and photography…Streams of consciousness Saturday.

Once I saw today’s prompt, my thoughts automatically went to societal distinction usually drawn by the word ‘class,’ but I chose to do a reverse of thoughts.SoCS badge 2015

Talking about privilege is a topic that I’ve never been particularly fond of because, instead of building bridges, it actually plants more wedges of division in the hearts and minds of those who are at the other end of the spectrum of the division of classes, so, let’s leave it alone for today.

…But, I can’t resist the question on my mind which is to wonder why mankind chooses to create this artificial forms of segregation that in all societies, you find an existence of class division even if the lines are faintly drawn?

In some societies, the class distinction is so obvious and becomes entrenched as the tradition that it perpetuates itself as a caste system whereby progenies of a line that falls within this caste system are almost condemned to the bottom of the echelon to almost dehumanising levels.

It’s a situation that showcases ‘man’s inhumanity to fellow man,’ because it’s artificially and deliberately orchestrated to demean the worth of certain class of men while uplifting the worth of another class.

I’ll just leave that thought at that. If I continue on this tangent, I’ll probably end up writing an epistle on class distinctions as we speak.

On the other hand, it’s been on my mind to attend professional photography weekend classes, but everything in this city costs a handsome packet.

I’ve been doing a bit of DIY but I would really like to take it a step forward and develop my skill which I believe will be worth the while and pay itself over time. Still searching for an effective but cheap class, who knows, I might dig up something affordable.

The beautiful thing about taking pictures is that photography doesn’t discriminate against humans. It sees no class, race or creed. It simply captures what you show it, freezes it in time for decades to come.


Below is my first just published Poetry Book “Out of the silent breath” which is available on Amazon and Smashwords.

When you buy my book, you support me in an invaluable manner.

Stars, Five Stars, Logo, Icon, Symbol, Five, Rating

She is amazing at describing love and life in her poems. She creates such beautiful images with her words. Truly, she is a talented writer and I’m so excited to have her poetry book and to continue reading through it.

Out of the silent breath

Writer's Quote Wednesday

Flying Free…Writers quote Wednesday

“Free yourselves from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds.” Bob Marley

I totally love this quote taken from Marley’s song.

Birds

When I look up to the skies
and watch the way a bird flies
free from any inhibitions
that hinders its expeditions

I wonder if you and I
are free to fly that high,
or are we buckled down by precepts
handed over time to preempt?

True state of freedom, I find
lies in the state of mind.
For the one who seeks to be free
must learn first to master the mind.

Today’s prompt for writer’s quote Wednesday challenge is “freedom” and interestingly this is one theme that I’ve been thinking of throughout this week.

Freedom to be. Can we truly experience freedom in entirety as a human race? Freedom to be you without the silent permission of others?

I doubt it. Society can’t exist without rules. Freedom comes at the price of having responsibility and most people don’t like responsibility.

However, I cherish the freedom to pursue my passion one word at a time. The freedom of etching my words can’t be taken away from me.

P.S. You are invited to our monthly blog party this weekend. It’s fun and you get to meet fantastic folks:-)


Below is my first just published Poetry Book “Out of the silent breath” which is available on Amazon and Smashwords.

When you buy my book, you support me in an invaluable manner.

Out of the silent breath

May I live,

unafraid to breathe.

Free from a choke-hold,

that becomes a stronghold.

May I live,

unafraid to live,

clinging to my expectations,

with feral desperation.

*

*excerpts from my poem*

Hope · Humans

Everyday Beautiful People #4…

“Every one of us is, in the cosmic perspective, precious. If a human disagrees with you, let him live. In a hundred billion galaxies, you will not find another.”  Carl Sagan

1459441840886[1]#We are all wonderfully made.