Tai Allen, birthday guy
today I came home to my messy apartment filled with a sense of cheer. all day long “I feel free” rolled about my head–darn, I never got to see Eric Clapton live. but if I had i would have pretty much rolled about in “I feel free”. Mostly this is because I was getting my hair done by my stylist, a young woman I deeply admire. Nadia Vassell is one of the rare Black entrepreneurs in the very now gentrified Lower East Side. Tai Allen, a fine poet and designer is working on a beer/wine festival–people make money in all kinds of ways. Charmaine Bee, a terrific artist has her own Gullah Girl Tea on the side. Atim Oton now has four stores and is running around probably working on Store #5. I think all of these young(er) Black people are so smart, so energetic and disciplined and they make me pleased to alive to see them make a difference. They make me smile. They give me hope.
Someone sent me a link to a piece I wrote in 1998. It’s about poetry and how one could use poetry. Lorenzo Thomas urged me to write this essay. He is my poet/spirit being. I miss him. His encouragement kept me going when things went wrong. If he had not ask for this work, it would have been written. Enjoy.
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/learning/article/250738