I don’t have an extraordinary event to tell you about…not this time. I’d like to get there one of these days. Tell a good tell of some glory days I may have left, but today I have my niece to talk about.

Not long ago, I saw family that I hadn’t seen in a while. It took me long enough to go see them, but I figured it had been too long. Figured I shouldn’t waste so much time on things like this, because you never know when you’re going to get that time again.

It was good to see my family and show my face. That stuff still counts for something. Well, showing up was appropriate it, nonetheless, but it was emotional for me as I thought about the hiatus of being around them and all that I had missed.

My niece was one of those things that I have missed. I didn’t know she’d be so adorable when I meet her. I had heard about her and didn’t know what to expect from her. She turned my trip into a well worth it journey. She was full of life with her giggles and smiles. Had me thinking of kids of my own for a moment. Other moments…I thought about the world we live in and what it has come to and how she’s going to have to grow up in it and navigate through it the best way she can. But I suppose that’s what we do when it comes to our younger ones…I suppose that’s what we do.

Sitting on our king-size bed in a small hotel room, just big enough for two, it dawned on me that 2024 would soon be through. In an instant, the entire year flashed before my eyes. Each memory that ran through my mind carried an emotional tie. I would smile, then sigh. It’s funny how we go through life trying to survive every heartache that comes our way, clinging to any blissful memory that helps the day’s pain temporarily fade, even if just for a few seconds. As 2024’s end draws near, going into the new year will become my favorite memory—a few moments of my life I’d love to freeze in time. The hardest question to answer is which of them will forever be engraved in my heart and mind could it be when we were in Austin, holding each other close because living in two different cities made every mile feel lonely and long? A moment of silence was broken when you looked into my eyes and asked, “Will you marry me?” My heart jumped for joy—or at least that’s what it felt like. It could have been our unborn baby moving inside me at the time. Of course, the day I heard our baby girl’s first cry as she entered the world will always stand out. That is a given. But the one memory that will always capture my heart is the one we created here in the Days Inn. We had no money to spend, yet somehow, a little tree, lights, and a few decorations were provided. The reason this is my most treasured moment is that, even though we had very little, we managed to show our three-month-old daughter the most valuable lesson anyone could ever pass on: love, resourcefulness, and the joy of making the best of what you have. Here’s a refined version with improved punctuation and flow: to surround yourself with people who love you, no matter what; to appreciate what you have; to be grateful for what was given—this will always be my favorite memory. It was in that moment I felt complete, because I now have a little family to share this Kong size bed withAnd now, life feels like pure bliss.

Let me know if you’d like to add or adjust anything further!

The year is slowly approaching its end
And I have so many great memories
It’s hard to choose only one
But I do notice one commonality
All my favorite memories of 2024
Start and end with you
My Bae and I
Did vision boards to start the year
I surprised her with a Valentine’s Day date
To see B. Simone
Later in February
We ended up going to see
Elevation Worship and Steven Furtick
We laughed a lot
At We Them One’s Comedy Tour
Hosted by Mike Epps
We missed each other for days
That turned to months
Until we were reunited for my birthday trip
To Phoenix, Arizona
That started off a little rough
But ended up with plenty of sun
Rest, relaxation and quality time
Then in September
We ended in Houston, Texas
For a much needed escape
Great food and the Waterfall Park
Were just a few highlights
Until you drove countless hours to Atlanta, Georgia
For One Music Fest 2 day music festival
Sexxy Red was a no show
But GloRilla did her thing
We had a blast
Until the trip had to come to an end
Now it’s December
You are here at my side
As the holidays aren’t the same
I’m thankful we get to spend them together
As we both are missing our Moms
This is the best time of year
And the best moment of the year
Is truly you being with me
When all I need is your support
Going to see the tree
At Rockefeller center
Brought back the Christmas spark I’ve missed
So thank you Bae for being a part of making 2024 a blessing!

My best memory of 2024? Would probably be my worst. It was a year of many worsts. But this is about the best, so back to that. Looking back over the year, the loss of my father would be my favorite memory. I know it doesn’t make much sense. Don’t get me wrong I’d give anything to have his laugh back in the room, but he found peace. His suffering and his struggle were over. Then there was the beauty of his last day. He may not have been conscious, but he was present with the whole family that day. The best part of it all, his testimony of his faith as he lay dying. It gave all those around him hope, and feel their faith in the moment. Testing his legacy. So yeah, the memory my father passing actually makes me smile a little. It’s one of my best for 2024.

Another year for the books
Many trips into the unknown
What a long journey this has been
But I didn’t go through it alone

My body is no longer my prison
But a shell that I must keep
With reconstructions here and there
It has become the home for me

I walked through a garden of roses
I walked through the streets of L.A.
Spotted “New Flowers” in cracks on the ground
They brightened even the darkest of days

Some of the flowers have withered
Dead leaves fell in their place
I’ve found new joy in bare branches
For everything has its time and place

The seasons don’t change where I live
But I change with every step as I grow
Everything is here for a moment
I welcome, I love, I let go

What will I take away from this year?
It’s hard to choose just one
Each moment was a puzzle piece
Crafted by God’s love

Open doors led to friendship
A fellowship as well
You took a plane, I took the train
And we created stories to tell

This year was a garden of memories
I’ve planted the seeds that you sent me
The kindest gesture in the form of a gift
But the greatest gift of all is your friendship

Thank you for your warm hugs
Thank you for your prayers
Thank you for all you’ve blessed me with
And always being there

They asked me what I could bring to the table. I told them the room. They said, “Why do you need the room?” I said because if not in the room, then I’m outside, and do you know what’s outside? Bugs. Things that bug and pest. Things that bug and pests tend to get noticed, raided, and even physically dismissed. But just like the atmosphere of an 8am court case, I’m standing on business, and in my room is where the table was made.

The prompt for tonight’s challenge is to formulate and attempt to describe, for a moment, the greatest memory of 2024. I can already tell you that every great memory that now submits for me for 2024 includes a desk or some sort of table, where I believe divinity manifested the return of my Unapologetic nature and Curiosities about self, immersion to my immediate and extended, perhaps even cosmically inclusive, environments and ecosystems, and why all of that matters. My favorite memory, if I had to isolate it to just one thing, that cannot overlap with anything else, it would be the first time that I got into a company designated vessel for a very high profile technological and navigationally Innovative and involved Corporation, and was able to feel the enclosure and borrowed security, vehicular security, of driving my first vehicle in over 6 years, that was not commercially licensed, and have the freedom to take it wherever I wanted it to go. For the first time in my life, being a black person with a company designated, dispensed, and accounted for credit card, with my name correctly spelled on it. Having a job and corporate cellular device that acted as the epicenter for how I would eventually maintain as well as fail and sustaining, what I would deem as consistently sufficient, communications with my superiors. I had no idea that buried within this particular memory, I sat on what eventually became my most thrilling summer yet.

A 30-year-old man, from English Avenue, which is also known as an area called the bluff, in residential Atlanta Georgia. A product and incomparable abnormality of the Atlanta Public School System, who then fought and self-educated his way to not only the University of West Georgia but also all the way out to the University of Southern California, just to enter into a six-figure debt for a piece of paper that means nothing. That same 30 year old man, who really had to grow up and become someone who not only walked the walk but had to walk the specific talks that I’ve been privy to and kind of locked into with both the rearing and the passing of my mother only years prior. The same 30-year-old man who knew what hand towels and Rags were for, which is to dab the sweat off of the face, as opposed to continuing to run a race Against Time, community, and myself, when all you have to do, sometimes, it’s just be willing to take the next step, trusting and having the audacity to consistently believe that the next step, irregardless of Road or texture of pathway, mean something, even if you have to Define what that is. The very first time I sat in that company vehicle and closed the door, certain rooted emotions began to consume and then accompany me all the way from home in Kennesaw, Georgia to the dusty and wisdom paved roads of Dyersburg, Tennessee. I remember the bends in the evergrowing flatness of the horizon line up to St. Louis, Missouri. I remember the risk it was driving to Ottumwa, Iowa and the speed I never knew I could sustain trying to escape an inevitable traffic citation in Fargo, North Dakota, only after a long and enduring overnight drive through Sioux Falls, South Dakota, which only springboarded me right to where I finally was headed…Glendive, Montana. I drove every mile. I made it to every stop, every city, and completed every assignment that was allotted to me. At just 30 I can say that I’ve seen a lot of places. At 30, I can say I’ve gone out of my state, and not just because of some academia-based program, but for work. My favorite memory of 2024 isn’t a memory it’s an ongoing experience that just so happened to start when I hit a button that said push to start. I look forward to what the next year has in store, and I hope God is looking forward to our next Journey, because I will never be able to repay him, for the grace and continued favor I managed to find like grains of sand on the beach every day this year. I found me out on that road. And I finally brought him home. I look forward to more submissions to this platform, so thank you for the opportunity.

In Philly’s vibe, where art’s alive,
Two friends meet, their spirits thrive.
Orange and black, red and white,
Colors dancing in the Sculpture Yard’s light.

“What’s The Tea?” we came to see,
Where flavors soothe and set hearts free.
Tea like coffee, bold yet sweet,
A soulful moment, a perfect retreat.

We spoke of power, women’s strength,
Of building bridges, going great lengths.
A sound bath wrapped us in dreams untold,
Spring’s fresh buds, life’s stories unfold.

With strangers near, like Wonderland’s twist,
Sisterhood formed, a moment not missed.
Girl time healing, laughter flows,
In the simplest of acts, the magic grows.

Always make time for tea, my dear,
A pause for love, for hope, for cheer.
In every sip, a spark can gleam,
In tea, we brew a brighter dream.

Dear Unsealers,

If I’m honest 2024 was a blue and so was 2023. When I think of my favorite memory all that I remember is what I’ve lost. I do have favorite moments though, that are made up in my day. The birds that I hear that sing notes when life feels mundane. The squirrel that tries to hit me with a nut because well that’s his tree, so find another. The gator that sunbathes as I go for a walk. My cat thats asks me to play when I get too serious. If I have energy and venture out the conversations with strangers. No favorite memory just in between moments on the way to my favorite memory.

My favorite memory of 2024 is walking out of those hospital doors.

I closed my eyes as the sun grazed my face.

Inside they called those “fresh air breaks,” and we only had one a day.

A group of us would gather in line to go hit the pavement.

45 minutes.

While the rest picked a movie to sit with and stayed in.

I had trauma to handle, but while I was there, I couldn’t stay in it.

Head down, take your meds and don’t complain when,

There’s pain.

No matter the headache or nausea, there’s nothing you’ll gain.

Do what they say if you ever wanna see home again.

Between the new medication and the poison they considered food, I still question how I survived.

The first 3 days I kept asking myself why.

It was then I finally understood that nothing could ever replace…time.

Covers over my head, knees to chin, just praying to get back to mine.

192 hours.

Finally, sunlight.

I tried to run to my loved one, but my body was still weak.

I moved cautiously during this release.

Feeling the breeze again, saying goodbye to the nurse who became my friend.

From day one she looked me in the eye and said, “You don’t belong here Mami,”

Day four, she prayed for me and explained soon I would see my family.

Day eight she told me, “I know I won’t ever see you here again.”

I peered into the car mirror and saw a spirit I didn’t recognize.

Crust built up on the side of my left eye.

Tears I didn’t wash away from the previous night.

There I was, just grateful to be back outside.

A new season with too much to believe in.

Misdiagnosis, but I’m still breathing.

That was just a mistake which would lead me into my best season.

Now I create bodies of work that help heal others.

Realizing this is what it’s about, this is what it was all for.

Summer 2024, my pain opened doors.

I started writing more and stopped stressing,

Channeling all the energy I kept suppressing,

The minor and the major life lessons.

‘Twas the beginning of me turning all my pain into blessings.

Imani T.
@heymanixoxo

One of my best memories of 2024 was ‘sealing the deal’ for my book
After hearing back from more publishers once they took a look
Self-publishing companies to partnership publishers and traditional ones, too
I pitched my manuscript to them to see what they could do.

The feedback was positive about my manuscript of rhyme
Poetic prayers and reflections of different lengths and kinds
Rooted in my faith
Each poem unfolded like I was on a sacred date.

I had not initially intended to write a book
But after some encouragement, the pep took hold of my foot
Stepping forward with old poems and new ones, too
Excitedly following what God was guiding me to do.

Thirty poems unfolded in a lovely way
With sentimental reason for the words at play
From faith to family, fitness, and career
The poetic topics were written with a pen of hope and not fear…

Written because I care
About touching lives both far and near
My words on the page
Expressed with peace and not rage.

Best memories often come from soulful alignment
Memories created from organic assignment
From fingers on the keyboard and pen on the page
The process for me is cleansing—like burning sage.

So, who is publishing my book, you ask
Wipf and Stock Publishers have taken on the task
To bring “Rhyming with God” to readers around the world
And I am so grateful for this publishing gem of a ‘pearl.’

Thank You, Dear God
For my best memories of 2024
Your guidance in my life, I appreciate and adore
Please guide me with writing more and more.

Amen.

There comes a time to stop
And finish a chapter in your book of life.
A time to bid farewell to the rat race.
A decision made to retire and enjoy the good life.
Except … two of my five children live at home.
One working toward an advanced degree.
The other still a teen with college ahead.
Neither fully independent yet.
Was pondering retirement irresponsible
Considering those familial obligations?
I reviewed every possible scenario,
And came to the conclusion that
It seemed to be an imprudent time to stop working.
It wasn’t that I was no longer productive.
I could still do the job well,
When I wanted to.
It’s just that my heart wasn’t in it,
And both my heart and gut told me it was time
To set aside my sales tools and retire.
But to what?
A life of morning coffee or tea,
Blending into an afternoon newspaper or book read,
Giving way to an evening of television?
I knew that it didn’t have to be that.
I have recently fancied myself a writer,
A part-time amateur for sure.
I rationalized that retirement would bring me
All the additional time I needed
To promote and sell my writings!
But would I then be retired,
Hawking my thoughts as merchandise
Rather than the equipment I once offered?
The solution was so simple.
I will be a writer without selling one single word.
I just need to write.
For myself.
With a purpose ahead of me,
I chose to retire in 2024.
It wasn’t easy to disentangle from my career.
It was difficult to set aside the ways and habits
That led to past professional successes.
It was painful to let go of career plans
That will forever remain unrealized.
There are work tendrils still attached to me,
But they grow weaker and fewer each day.
I closed the chapter of my life
That I called my job
To enjoy my retirement.
But that is not the end of my book.
I have begun writing my next chapter,
As an author,
Creating for myself.
I’m grateful for readers
Who choose to spend their time
Exploring my thoughts.
But I’m not dependent upon them
To find validation in my narratives.

Briskly shuffling my feet, brushing off the chill of the morning air. Everyone piling into the car which had been packed the night before. Sun hasn’t even risen, and we must remain on schedule. Arriving late, we cannot do, our flight will not delay. An hour’s drive to arrive, finally we made it. Finding a parking space, easy, but why am breezing by the loading dock for the second time? Check in bags, boarding pass, on to the next line. TSA, put that away, no water bottles getting by.

Done and done, now we await our plane to arrive. I’ve never flown before and for my children, bravery will I perform. Another line, but this time onto the plane we’ll ascend. Down the small hallway, I see the small entry, leading into a compact space. The engines rave and the tires roar. Into the sky, we lift, up, up, we soar, turn, then we shift. Below my feet there is no surface only streams of influx, keeping this tin can afloat. Turbulent tumults rattle my seat, but the fear I thought I’d have, was nowhere to be seen. This challenge I carried all my life must now proclaim its defeat.

The first descent lays over in Orlando; sunshine and a warm breeze. Our second descent brings us to paradise, our long-awaited event. A roar of applause washes over the passengers, and beautiful song over the intercom. A song that rings out in my heart and from my mind the words have never departed, “Yo te quiero Puerto Rico, yo te quiero Puerto Rico.” Departing at a fast pace, I make my way to the baggage carousel. I break into a Sprint eager to make your acquaintance. When I finally laid eyes on you, my contentment I did not hide. “Bienvenido a Puerto Rico,” your words dressed as fancy invitations. Bystanders stare as our affections overflow proven by shrieks and squeals.

Finally, we made it, can’t believe we’re all here. I’m standing in the place I thought I’d never see. The climate is a major change. The air warm, thick, and heavy. It sticks to me as if I’ve just been layered in sweet candy. The night sky and the beautiful landscape dazzle as my eyes dance from one side to the other. So many things to see and everything I want to discover. The homes sprinkle the mountain sides as colorful as the rainbow. Each neighbor a different flavor, though our dwelling was my favorite one of all. La Casita Amarilla, even more beautiful than the pictures told. Your face is bright and not ashamed. You’re small but very bold. Luscious green grass surrounds your exterior, beautiful mountain ranges paint the background. In the dark, it is to me, that the Coqui sings, while in the hammock to and frow I softly swing. The sun shines bright, rising early to give light, like a kiss, it also offers its warmth generously, just like an embrace. The rain comes down with the beautiful sound shhhhhhhhhhhh, it calls me from my sleep. This extravagant curtain on every side, glistening, it surrounds me, from heaven to the earth coming down, bowing at my feet.

I don’t feel like a visitor, this is the place that I am meant to be. The people are kind, smiling as you pass. A gentle nod, a Buen Dia, along with Buen provecho as you prepare to feast. The streets are full of music. The Bachata a consistent bidding. The food has made me smile. The ocean has captured my tears. My shoes are dusted with sand and seashells have my pockets full. I’ve been allowed to place my hands on family I haven’t seen in a year or more. This island has brought so much joy, enough for me to store.

I couldn’t help but shed a tear and let it wash away with the swell. The thought of leaving you behind, this story I don’t want to tell. Every year we come together sharing our day of birth. Crossing the ocean, for you, I came in honor of our day. May we both live to see it this is something that I pray for. My best friend, the girl with the same face, my lifelong playmate, my twin. Being this far away from you is a challenge proven. The love we have for one another no one can ever ruin.

As I pack my bags, I bid farewell to this Island that has been so kind. The hardest thing to leave here is you girl, my silent communicator, the reader of my mind. I take my seat, and my heart breaks. I couldn’t keep it in. Bye for now, best friend, I can’t wait to see you again. Long layovers finally bring us home to Oklahoma. The cold breeze welcomes as the emptiness makes its grip. The cold night air whips around, whispering in my ear. Already I miss you and there’s no way to make you appear. 2,232 miles away My heart now resides. I swapped it in exchange for the one I now clutch on a key chain. The chill makes me pull my jacket closer. The breeze of blue surrounds, but a warm glow is left in my heart, more than enough to warm me.

As I drive the trees wrap around my view
Of the winding road
I’ve been dropped in a kaleidoscope
Trapping me in this peaceful, natural oasis
The sun shines through the leaves
Shading the variety of colors into a hundred more
And placing a delicate warmth upon my skin
While crisp air twirls my hair mischievously
And the houses sprinkled into the long stretches of fields
Greet me with future ideals
And the bright blue sky sneaks a peek at me
In curiosity

I am not sure where I will go
But this is why I do
This moment
Reminds me to live
Reminds me to breathe
Simple beautiful things

The colors from the day take their leave
And the stars hide behind the clouds
The darkness turns the trees into silhouettes
Painted onto the sky
The air is cold and damp
A tender wind whispers in my ear
As the street lamp’s lights dance on the water
A walk with the group
No one really together
But no one really alone

The night simply is what it always has been
But it’s like each facet of its inherent nature
Was made to be admired by me
And how lucky to be me
I slow my pace
And watch them from behind
How lucky to be me

I am not sure where I will go
But this is why I do
This moment
Reminds me to live
Reminds me to breathe
Simple beautiful things

Amongst the others
One holds my attention
My eyes always chasing him
In every room we’re in
As his voices crashes into my ears
I am reminded
Not only my mind
But my entire body
I can not hide behind
The roles I’ve played to pleased
I am whole to him
He lets everything I am rest in his arms

Hours pass by like a sparse wind on a summer day
There is a sense of pride
When I foster his childlike laughter
And earn the soft serious honesty
But I feel the minutes begin to slip away
And I focus my gaze towards the ground
Allowing my hair to cover my glossy eyes
My hearts sprints off from the anticipation
Of our always fleeting time
Making my voice taste insincere and bitter
He instructs me to face him
And though my mind hesitates
My body has already begun to listen

He flashes the most particular smile
I’ve studied his many faces
This one is rare
One truly made for me
One of comfort and reassurance
It’s not candid, nor forced
But purposeful and true
It’s a hundred words in one silent action
It’s a hundred miles of distance wiped away in one close movement
I wish my eyes could take pictures
To capture this face
For it to never fade,
Never change
Forever stay still in my memory
But the only stillness is under the weight
Of another goodbye

Every natural instinct would have me run
Feel the wind wash away the numbing pain
But with you
I must fight
I must let my tears burn my face
I must let my hands stab me in the back
To pull you closer
I must conquer the following fear of loss
For this feverish feeling of love
He is-
Our friendship-
These feelings only mustered by him-
The thoughts that only his hand can hold-

I am not sure where I will go
But this is why I do
This moment, every moment we share
Reminds me to live
Reminds me to breathe
Because I can only hope to be
What you are to me
By just existing
My simple beautiful thing

I planned for control,
planted smaller flowers and mellow vegetables—
safe, tame, and predictable.
Like the way I trick myself
into settling for less, in my life,
than the wildness I truly crave.

But those wildflowers—
they grew on their own,
surviving seasons
I didn’t tend to them.
They outlasted my doubts
and outgrew all my plans.

I almost pulled them from the ground,
dismissing their potential
for survival—
a plan that was just a way to get by,
hoping for the best.

Yet here they are:
a reminder to make space,
to trust what grows unseen.
Dreams, like wildflowers,
can seem untamed and inconvenient,
but they hold the beauty
and strength we need most.

Without them,
the cucumbers would have nothing to grasp,
the bees would leave,
and I’d miss the hundreds of blooms
that make it all worth it.

I used to have an outie, and now I have an innie! March 19th, 2024, what most people know as Taco Tuesday had an entirely different meaning for me as Taco Tuesday. It is 6am and I am at the UNC Hospital in Hillsborough. I have checked in for my procedure, had my vitals taken and signed all the paperwork I needed to sign. I have met my surgical team, been asked a hundred questions. I have texted my family and friends and my friend who is staying with me while I recover has the important numbers to call to let people know I am ok. We are just waiting on the surgeon at this point. He is there by 7am and I am being wheeled off and I don’t remember a thing until almost 6 hours later when I wake up in recovery.

I was born a boy. Thats what everyone told me. Thats the anatomy I had. That was my life. It was a life filled with chaos and confusion. It was a life pretending to be a boy, trying to survive this world because back then in the 80’s and 90’s people did not understand people like me. So, for my whole life I wore a mask, I was an actor playing the role everyone wanted to see me in. A boy, a man, a father.

It was a life filled with showering in the dark, hating my own anatomy to the point I would wish for bad things to happen to it. It was a life plotting out how long it would take to bleed out if I cut it off and if I made the call to 911, waited ‘x’ amount of minutes before cutting it off and flushing it down the toilet so it can’t be reattached, I would make it to the hospital in time to survive and I wouldn’t have to worry about thing between my legs anymore. Years of uti’s because I could not bring myself to touch it unless I was self-harming it. Years of self-harm and attempts at unaliving myself because I hated my body so much. Depression and anxiety. Panic and C-PTSD. This was my life. Constant emotional pain. Physical disgust. I would smile for you, but the eyes betrayed me every single time.

Finally in 2018 after so much self-abuse and a breakdown, I transitioned. What followed was varying levels of happiness but more pain because of how society treats me. But milestone after milestone led me to March 19th, 2024. Fighting and suing my employer for health insurance coverage and here we were, the big day. A 5.5-hour surgery where my genitals and pelvic floor were going to be rearranged into a beautiful vulva.

I awoke to my friend with me and the nurses hovering over me. Everything went swimmingly. I know I was still pumped full of pain meds but as they wore off, I never felt pain, only happiness. A surgeon healed me where anti-depressants and therapy could only put band aids on my mental pain. Today I get to joke that now I only have regular people problems in my life, and I have to say I would take this any day of the week. Finally, not only does my body look and feel like it should. But my soul is healed. March 19th, 2024, my life was saved and I finally found happiness in myself. It is the day that I will remember for the rest of my life. That sense of finally being whole, of being complete, of being me, nothing will ever compare to that. In the few short months since that day, I have already forgotten a lot about what that anatomy felt like, I am only left with the memories of pain which are far outweighed by the happiness I experience every single day now.

Life may throw challenges at me still. There may be times of stress, grief, or anguish, but all I have to do is remember that day to know that I can accomplish anything.