As the Incense Burns 🔥

On this episode... I'm thinking out loud.

In the run up to this forthcoming cookbook, something to consider. A cookbook, recipes? Are truly love letters and historical documents, especially when you think of the love and stories shared by way of a meal. This truth has been something that has echoed for me in my role as a genealogist and a chef.

On episode 61, I have the tables turned on me (I usually do the rummaging) as my son rummaged through my literary crates to remix some prose that I dedicated to his Grandfather, my Pops... and published in my first book: From the Water's Edge Volume I (2019). This piece which is entitled: "Taking the Mantle" is a reflection on the notions and the honor of Fatherhood and how our children are truly some of our greatest teachers. A backstory on the creation of the piece and my son reimagining it by way of sound... as part of our ongoing collaboration: The Pa and Son Adventures.

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On this episode, I talk about the dangers of bending our knees to idols, false Gods and Charlatans.

I also delve into the historical significance of a former President being convicted of a crime; the hold that conspiracy theories hold on some of our fellow humans we attempt to dodge the uncomfortable truths of our inhumanity towards our fellow man being the ugliest conspiracy of them all.

Truth be told, I am openly wondering if all is lost, because no one is coming to our rescue, but us, but are we destined to fail because we don't like each other that much?

On the last day of April 2024, I reflect on this upcoming series called: "Filling of the Cups" and the importance of us being centered on the business of our... humanity with one of my closest friends and the souls who I love the most while this music of my son plays in the background.

A dialogue on the forthcoming cookbook, I guess we can call it the... simmering.

The meeting of a culinary trinty of Pescatarian, Vegan and Plant-based juxtaposed with my 3 decades in the act of creating food poetry in the form of recipes.

On this episode I'll expand on the poetry or the connectivity of Food, Family and the intersectionality of our humanity, while living life on Earth. Case in point in families, many of our lessons are passed to us over a meal and what we eat can often serve as a spark for a love stored up by way of mementos for the soul.

In times such as this, it is important that we remember this and endeavor to feed our bodies as well as our soul. As the only ones who can save us, is us.

Food, Family and poetry is alive and well, do tell.

We face uncomfortable truths in the form of the lies that we tell ourselves.

The only ones who can save is... is us, but how can we do that when we don't like each other that much?

On this episode I reflect on the lessons

gifted to me by my Elders before they left for their reward and how that wisdom can serve to lead us to higher elevations with a mandate from my Bigmama that served to echo with the concussive force of love.

Tendered in the frequencies of narrative and poetry.

On this episode, I talk about conspiracies, contradictions, random cruelties and the duality of humanity, while digging in the crates of some old poetry and citing some findings in an article in the journal of the American Psychological Association entitled: The Conspiratorial Mind. Key takeaway... maybe the conspiracy, is us? In that we seem to be in the act of conspiring replace our humanity with ideology. I close with a reading from me... to all of us. A plea to be free, as the only ones who can save us... is us.

The link to the journal article is: https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2023/06/why-people-believe-conspiracy-theories

Food for the soul or soul food? The communal aspects of food cannot be understated, it is what defines our humanness. On this episode I delve into the poetry of food with a couple readings from some new work: origins of the forthcoming Pescatarian; Plant-based and Vegan themed cookbook (book number three); and a spark from my Paw-Paw with a reminder that beautiful histories are known to repeat, especially in families.

Say again... that food ain't poetry.

On Episode 50, I take a repreive from the dark places of grief, as I mourn the passing of one of my oldest friends, Stu from the land of the Mighty Mighty Square, my dear brother from another... and I reflect on one of the greatest gifts that we can offer to another person, one that doesn't cost much, but how can you quantify the power of a selfless act of love? Now this is something that we often take for granted... the filling of the cups.

If we make the error of serving ourselves first and worrying others after the fact, how can we hope to persevere?

This was something that Stu used pontificate on about as it pertained to me... he claimed that I was holding back, he told me pointedly during one of last conversations... "that I was not enunicating fully" he argued that I wasn't using my full voice (I get it now).

So, as a hat tip to my man Stu, I'm expanding on an element of storytelling that speaks to another instance of... the filling of the cups with a reading of a piece entitled: Of Mandates, Manifestations and Echoes, it is an orgin story of sorts, so pull up a seat.

Polawadism is the abbreviation that I came up with for this epiphany of sorts, yes I did, all by myself... it sounds mysterious doesn’t it? There's more, read and listen on.

The Poetry Of Living As We Are All Dying In Slow Motion.

A simple realization that we will be gone... a lot longer than we are here.

It was/is epiphany of sorts, especially when you consider how fleet time seems to feel nowadays.

We have a need to always be in motion, but, being still is not a punishment, instead it can serve as a segue to healing.

I speak on the creative process or seeing poetry while in the act of living and how in some instances, I consider myself just a stenographer.