Balancing Ball

Sitting in a dark room, developing/ These negatives will become better things/ Our pain is nothing to be compared with our greatness/ Maybe our sufferings are sacred/ Counting steps from the basement/ till our feet hit the pavement/ walk straight…why do we walk adjacent/ to what we truly desire/ Letting our fire burn to ashes/ letting our destiny turn past us/ The weight of the world cannot smash us/ we were made for it/ Triumph and Tribulation, the road was paved for it/ Operating from trust, self love was never selfish/ Regardless of what they tell us/ service was never being a people pleaser/ We serve by being us, not be being meager/ Hold your head high/ though Force was never Fly/ And Pride promotes the Fall/ Each day's a work out, staying on the Balancing ball

Dearth

9 Shorts

Found these in my notebook. Everything is short and written mostly over the last year, at different times, in different places.

New York City

The light cast the building black

Against the midnight sky

Clouds drift

Passing with a dream-like elegance

The beauty of now will never last.

Art

With the eyes of an artist

He paints a world that he sees

A world that will never be

A Nun in a Subway

The wrinkles set naturally in her skin

and did not dissuade the shine

There was this glow about her

When I looked into her eyes, I saw love

And through her love, I saw her faith

And through her faith, I saw her God.

idk

Maybe Dust is just texture

Color to life's asylums

Limestone on rocks

Golden leaves that line the street

GIVE

I'm gonna write till the ink runs dry

Yell to my voice gives out

Run till I collapse

Beast until I break.

Zoooooo4 (Daegu)

Submerged under the water

Wishing it was hotter

The scent & the steam

Trigger dreams

Calming my nerves

I can faintly hear their words

My thoughts flow

I just let go.

Untitled

Her eyes pierced mine

I wanted to speak truth

Her eyes pierced mine

My voice remained mute

Wish she was cute

Then I could just shake it off

Not just 섹시

Then she could just break me off

She broke me

Upon first glance

Resistance was futile

I had no chance

She evokes romance from a brute

She evokes sonnets from a mute

Truth. will tell itself.

Domestic

He couldn't match wits

So he matched fists

She stood there in stupor, thinking he might miss.

Red Devils?

Dragons breathe fire on purpose

They are winged beast

Their flames speak

In degrees of Heat

Mythological manifestations of our fears

Our nightmares consolidated

We shoot arrows to kill what what we are afraid of

Chasing them cause they reflect what we are made of

They're reflect our image-timid

If we kill something bigger

Maybe we don't feel as small

This beauty is beast to the one that tries to control it

But, this beast is beauty to the one who learns to hold it

When God Speaks Pt 1

Written by Elliott Ashby
Edited by Sharrise Evans

I can hear voices from The Color Purple singing that old tune, "God is trying to tell you something, right now."

It's funny when God speaks to me it seems like the world around me echoes it. Sometimes these moments are very profound, and at other times they are graceful nudges to guide us along our path.

The summer of 2008 was one of those unique experiences. I was at a point where I was being stretched in every direction; Working two jobs and taking two summer social classes. My life was a mix between working on campus, working at a credit union and dissecting social theory. I realized that I was out of balance and something in my heart told me to quit my 30 hr credit union gig and just focus on school. That sounded crazy I thought, and so did everyone I asked for input. I did technically need the money, since I was gonna be saving up to intern in DC. Plus, the credit union paid well. I knew my on campus job was only going to cover my basic necessities, so, rather than do anything rash, I waited.

After a week or so of contemplation, I needed an answer. I was tired, fatigued and mentally drained the morning that I asked God to give me a clear sign about my job. I got 2 signs. The first was when I went to the break room to grab something to eat, and I fainted. That has never happened to me in my life. Medically explainable, but still apart of my answer. I should have known then, but I wasn't sure so when I went for my lunch break I again sought divine counsel. There, inside Walmart on a bench, I prayed and then rested my head in my hands.

While my head was still down a man came up to me. I heard him say, "excuse me," and I looked up. He was wearing a blue Wal-Mart apron and from the cart behind him, he appeared to work as a stocker. I remember his gentle presence and his words. He said, "I am sorry I don't mean to bother you and I know this might seem strange but I was over there and God spoke to me and told me to give this to you."

He raise his closed hand to me, I hesitated for a moment. He urged ",please take it." With unbroken focus I took it. I realized immediately that it was money. But I didn't look at it right away, I just told him "thank you for being obedient to God." Within a few short moments, he was gone. I never saw him before, and I never saw him again. I close my eyes and asked what this was all about. Man, I am dense sometimes! When I opened my eyes and my hand, I saw what I was holding. It was a crumbled up $100 bill. That shook me. Not the amount but the symbolism of it all. I interpreted it as, "Quit your job, I will provide for you". With that, I knew what to do and I quit my job.

Mary is Superwoman

Mary Farmer: Superwoman from Elliott Ashby on Vimeo.

Wordsmiths ON BEAUTY

Wordsmiths: ON BEAUTY from Elliott Ashby on Vimeo.

An Inconvenient Truth

An inconvenient truth blasted

thought I would go deaf

Suffocated by reality, so I held my breath

Frustrated, so I beat my chest

Like a beast I ran till I could hear blissful lies

told my conscience forty years from now I'll apolgize.

But for now, I'll buy time

Distanced on the tallest mountain

I'll be fine.

Sublime, but fine.

Trading peace for a piece of mine.

Too much thinking,

Where's the the vine?

De-tagging Ugliness!

Have you ever been tagged in a photo only to discover it's the ugliest picture ever taken of you? Or simply thought, why would someone who calls themself my FRIEND post a photo of me like that? Is this some kind of sick joke!

I definitely have had those responses, so I opt to have the setting where pictures tagged by other people don't show up on my newsfeed. Maybe you can relate to this problem too. For other people it's not so much being caught at the wrong angle, but being caught in photos that don't promote the kind of image they want to reflect on the World Wide Web. I have heard all types of stories where someone's business is all up in the cyber-streets based off of a tagged photo. For less tech savvy people who are new to social networking, it’s easy to get CAUGHT UP whether that is with their significant others, family, or employers.

This reminds me of a dope presentation put together by Jarrad Henderson called "Stop Snitching on Yourself!"

Regardless of the slanted angles these pictures present, they are to some degree reflective of who we are and what we look like. Perhaps, more than we are willing to admit. Maybe it’s not the lighting or fatigue, maybe pictures simply present the uglier side of ourselves. How quick we are to tell the cameraman delete that photo. I feel like this is more acceptable with women because of the standards of beauty that are placed on them. But, I too have seen a few pics where I was looking midnight- black, nappy headed or crack-head skinny. Though I will never make these my profile pics, I am slowing changing the way I look at them and how I view myself.

Over the last few months I have seen some ugly traits in my character. Everything from self-absorption to being annoyingly presumptuous. I wish I could say that in the last few months I have changed my character completely, but that is not the case. However, what has changed is my ability to look at myself, flaws and all, and still have love for myself.

Do I own up to my ugly pictures (character flaws)? Yes

Do I Want to change them? Yes!!!!!

Do I Feel bad about myself? Hell to the Nizzaw!

I see the ugly pictures along with the good ones, and choose to be happy with who I am. I have always wanted to be this perfect image, sort of boy scout-type person, but I'm not. I can be just as much of an immature jerk as the next guy, and instead of arguing that isn't true, I chose to embrace it. I am a complex and unique individual who is ever-evolving. Each ugly picture of me reveals an area that I need to grow in and I’m thankful for them. Though I must say that Lighting is key for shooting darker skinned peoples!

What ya'll think?

Wordsmiths ON LUCK

Wordsmiths is a monthly collaboration between comedians, MC, singers, poets, and anyone else that has something to say.

This episode we focused on the word luck. ON LUCK features poet Marcus Aurelius Higgs, Comedian Brian Aylward and

Poet/ Strumtress Danielle Arsenault.

. Wordsmiths: ON LUCK from Elliott Ashby on Vimeo.

For more information about these artist please visit

www.marcushiggs.com/

www.10magazine.asia/1672/comedian-brian-aylward/ or http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=70594819792&v=wall

www.dirtbagstyle.blogspot.com

Wordsmiths: ON LOVE