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***First off…congrats to Terrell, TX’s own Jamie Foxx on his Oscar Award for Best Actor. Truly came along way since twisting up his face on In Living Color. I really feel he won’t go the way of Cuba Gooding Jr. with it, heh heh heh heh…***
Sup, chuckleheads…
Uncle Blak back again with some info on yet another superb poet. This cat is relatively new but he’s continued what the likes of Anthology, Presyzion, Giovanni and the rest of the “first school” of writers have done. So far as giving us well written and structured gems further proving positive that black folks aren’t inept to subtlety, ha. We caught up with Morehouse this month and um…let’s see what he has to say.
YM. You've been here for about 2 yrs now, right? I don’t think I've ever seen you caught up in any of that," Oh the boards are this..." or "the boards should be like..." Instead last September when you were picked for AOTM, your first piece was "This Board Has So Much Soul". You went on to speak of the love / hate relationship we all have with this place. Yet you own up to the fact that you wouldn't want to necessarily be anywhere where else. How did the boards become your home?
It will be two years tomorrow (Feb.25) I can't remember what friend of mine directed me to the site. I think I was a lurker for a few months other different names before deciding to post something and I'm glad I did. I've been able to connect with many dynamic souls on okp and that is definitely a "good look", as my boy from Morehouse would say. BTW, where the hell did presyzion disappear to? I miss homeboy. He is probably one of my favorite poets from the board.
Lately, I personally have not seen as much passion on the board as I did back in '03. I think it is because I take my writing so seriously and I don't see that in most of the work I read in freestyle nowadays. That's not to say that everyone has to be serious about their writing, because everyone writes for their own reason, and not everyone writes daily or is looking to writing as a career option. For me, it is therapy and I'm trying to get to the point where my "pen" is an extension of me--where the process becomes involuntary. I see this as a lifelong goal (something I may never reach, perfection as it were), where my other goals, like getting into an MFA program or becoming a writing professor or writing an original screenplay...those are temporal goals, things I plan to achieve in the near future. It is this lack of passion in my eyes that has led to me seeking out other forums, where critique is mandated and many of the posters write professionally (i.e. as a career). All in all, I'll always love okp and I'll be around for as long as the board is up, even if it is less frequently than now.
YM. "My Left Hand Is Weak"...lol, that's for every lonely dude everywhere. Really through a lot of your pieces there's a longing for affection. Do women usually serve as the muse for your work?
Yes, they often do. However, many of my works on love, a recurring theme in my writing, are not based solely on past or present relationship experiences. I often mold ideal scenarios, something to reach for in my experiences with women. However, the two things that are real are the longing for affection and the loneliness I often experience, no doubt. I would only hope that comes out in my writing and is seen as authentic, real.
YM. You definitely come across as the "nice guy". The quintessential "guy friend" to a lot of the chicks, has any of that plus being a poet ever payed off in your favor if you catch my drift? And if so, are we going to see any slick poetry from the episode(s)?
You know, my friends in college would occasionally ask me to write poems for them to give to girls they were talking to. I never did it and for the same reason I'd never write anything, solefully for the purpose of getting with a girl. However, I will say that bringing forth a certain persona does have its advantages. I've received what I will call very "positive" energy from women due to my writing, and I welcome that 100%. It's all love. And yes, I have and will continue to write about situations.
YM. Aeon had a post, The Male Freestyle Collab,right? Your contribution painted a scene of an older brother passing advice to his younger brother on what he could expect heading off to college (from internships and girls to the appreciation of Hendrix). Are you Brandon the little brother in this story? Being that Morehouse is your alias, is the school you attended?
Actually, Brandon is one of my younger brothers (I have two) and he is in his first year at Haverford College, outside of Philly. I try to be a positive influence in his life and since I've already experienced the college life, I pass on a little wisdom here and there. One can only hope those loved ones that go through it after they do will avoid some of the pitfalls that may have caught them along the way.
Morehouse is my alma mater...Class of 2004, with a B.S. in Psychology (cum laude). My roommate of two years put it best when he said, "when one graduates, it really is the case that "you can never go home again." a real homecoming would be interesting to see, since one eventually realizes that such remembrances of things past are really esoteric endeavors that reach for a rootless existence. You never really fell in love with the idea of the school; you fell in love with the experience. And that, my friend, is a fleeting thing." I couldn't have summed it up better, the idea of leaving and losing what you had when you were there...I miss it and I hold on to those memories, sometimes living again in those moments through my brother, even though he attends a prestigious majority institution, while I went to an HBCU. However, college is college. Most of all, I miss being drunk with friends...lol.
YM. You were telling me how you're considering becoming a Teacher. I can appreciate that, I've worked with "at risk" kids myself through Art Enrichment / Mentoring programs. Which discipline(s) and grade level(s) would Morehouse teach?
You know I've been griping with the teaching thing. Being unemployed is a drag and almost 9 months out of college, it is wearing on my conscience. I would like to have some impact. I was thinking of teaching in the 6-9 grade range, which I feel is one of the most important stages in education, along with earlier education. Even if I don't teach, I'd like to do some type of minority outreach work--actively impacting the community is a powerful thing, something I respect wholeheartedly.
YM. Education plays a big role in your life. How much does it define your success?
Since, I aspire to have at least one of my careers be in academia, it defines my success to an extent. I like to think of education as the foundation that everyone needs to be successful in life. It is important that this "education" not only occur in the classroom, because most lessons learned in life do not happen while listening to a professor. Earning a degree was definitely a milestone for me, a major step toward attaining a goal. Now my eyes are set on graduate school, a step of course I could not take without that undergraduate degree. I am learning every day and I wouldn't have it any other way.
YM. Any last thoughts you want to add before we jet?
It was a pleasure sharing my thoughts with you brother, and I appreciate you reaching out to me. Shout outs to the entire board of okayplayer, and anyone, anywhere that seeks to understand the power of the written and spoken word.
we speak soul,
we write heart.
we dream sun,
we live rain.
the story
of life is ours
to tell
again, again and again.
Peace, love, and life.
The Red Flag is on you...
you will like vicversus...
This for yall keeping them bills payed / gas in the car with whatevers left / keeping something on the plate.(c) i said it.
http://uncleblaksplace.blogspot.com/
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http://unclevicart.com/
me and the fellas would converge and heat up some Hot Pockets in preparation for Rap City.© Roc
dude, getting a response from the folks at freestyle is like watching water boil...© Tek
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just my observation. i could be a little BIGheaded about it.
