As we enter into the final week of February and look toward a new month, a new season; I am reminded of a poem by E.E. Cummings…

I am reminded of how marvelously black the month of February has been…

I celebrated a decade of marriage in one of my favorite places: New Orleans, Louisiana. 🖤  I made heart shaped pancakes for my beautiful  daughters on Valentine’s morning. I witnessed my father receive his Doctorate in Christian Training from the historic Harper Baptist Seminary. I produced a successful celebration of literary arts and oral history for my non-profit, furthering our mission to provide opportunities for local writers of color. I spent much needed time with my family. I loved on my MSA students and gave them candy! We (my students and I) met and learned a lot from New York Times’ Best Selling Author, Angie Thomas, via Zoom. I celebrated Black History by returning to my alma mater, Tougaloo College, to speak on two separate occasions. One being the Student Government Association’s Black History Convocation and the other occasion being a symposium on Civil Rights and the Arts. I taught my 22 dancers a routine to “Oh, Freedom!” Finally, I was  inspired this month to write a ritual of remembrance to honor the elders in my family and the Ones I feel connected to.

I know that my God has a hand on every aspect, every move that has been made in my life so far this year. This is definitely my year of reflective living and I look forward to sharing more precious moments with you.

From the poet, E.E. Cummings:

Spring is like a perhaps hand
(which comes carefully
out of Nowhere)arranging
a window,into which people look(while
people stare
arranging and changing placing
carefully there a strange
thing and a known thing here)and

changing everything carefully

spring is like a perhaps
Hand in a window
(carefully to
and from moving New and
Old things,while
people stare carefully
moving a perhaps
fraction of flower here placing
an inch of air there)and

without breaking anything.

Clinnesha is a writer, wife, mom, meta-artist, and social entrepreneur who feels most accountable to southern, black citizen-artists, elders, children, and families. Her work is at the intersection of arts, culture, innovation, and community.