I may never see you again,
at least until I die, Christ-like,
but in every Life.
In every life,
come say hello, for our understanding will always grow
and, if you’re silent enough, you’ll recognize me.
We’ll sip Sauvignon Blanc, skate,
listen to music and reproduce,
but we’ll stay sober,
cuz sober reveals the truth.
In time.
Shila Iris
I have high gratitude for the almost supernatural experiences I have had on this planet,
alone as an alien, or in groups.
I’ve been touched and massaged and molded and left out to dry,
reconfiguring the algorithms that enable my existence.
Of course, you’ll have to open your mind to comprehend what this means >
It is an intercourse (ask Siri or Webster to define this word if you’re unsure of its definition).
Touch extends far beyond the fingers or a grasp.
It is everything that is happening around you all summed up in a moment of recognition.
Touch is full of misunderstandings and harmonious moments of triumph;
touch is painful, touch allows you to take flight.
Touch is that staggering moment where you go home to analyze the depth of your decisions.
What is home?
Touch involves and it evolves,
you descend and ascend in the act of it.
It drains you and fills you up alike,
for a draining is a cleansing,
and filling up is becoming overwhelmed with the opportunity to know.
Do you want to know?
Touch is this thing that pushes you back to the beginning to figure out why things happen the way they do.
Touch is that anxious feeling that pulls you away from someone or something;
it is also the feeling that holds you close.
Do you remember that time when you fell in love?
Touch is the reason why.
You can fly in love too.
I’ve seen it.
Go down, then up,
back, then forth,
and at some point may you find balance, if you so desire it.
I desired it.
So now, comes peace.
I have no feelings that I wish to hold on to,
only just knowledge of the people who orbit me, and of those I orbit.
I can say hello
or I can say goodbye.
It means the same to me,
a coming or a going of a divine flow that will lead me to where I was always going.
Let my mis-education be your education.
Let my no, be your yes.
May you always find yourself under every rock,
behind every corner, in the mountains, in the valleys,
and in the eyes of the person you judge.
It’s all you.
Don’t feel like you ever have to say anything to me
because you know and I know, we talk.
We both know what happened- we know of the garden…
of the soil, of the seeds planted, that formed roots, that grew flowers, that bloomed, then died.
We think together.
Our declines lead to our risings.
Let it be beauty, let it be understanding.
All I was ever looking for was me.
Through your eyes, I could see.
AQUA QUEEN
RaShimba, my darling
I will follow you into the sunrise under desert sky
We fly, rise together with our hearts, upon our sleeves for all to see
We two will breathe, aqua queen
though vast distance between us, heart sails with love
for you, I, love you, I, love you, I do
Love you, I, love you, I, love you, I do
RaShimba sweet red earth
will hold you like the strength you bless to me
true, we engage humility
Watch me struggle with your words
However truthful they may be
We’ll see in time, opening our hearts
And nurturing our minds to shine
I love you, love you, I, love you, I do
Love you, I, love you, I, love you, I do
Oh, it sets our hearts to fire, sweeps you and I
Honey don’t you, know
It sets our heart to fire, sweeps you and I
Honey don’t you, know
We two will pulse love in through this light
Honey don’t you, know, we two will pulse
I’ll always love you
*This selection of images is from a time when I could feel more than I could see.
I want to give thanks for this season of remembrance.
I acknowledge those that stay loving the flow of water that comes from some Aquarius-born souls. While I don’t render myself inert in staunch Aquarian verse, I swim in these waters, so I know the score. I explore all 360 degrees of the zodiac, shifting and changing as I arrive in each. This evolution is inevitable.
The instability of the water I was born in allows me at times, to rise and to fall. All of the zodiac encompasses this ability, under different elements. I’ve experienced a great deal of myself through others born in water. Brandon and Valentine, RaShimba, Kinayah, Jahi, Lesley, Myia, and all the others born to breathe in water, under water, and aloofly float on top of it. We struggle walking on land, but we do it because we want to meet you. We go back, then forth, remembering the times, giving birth. to fish. Unbothered, but agitated.
There are many stories to tell with lessons that become clearer and then fade to black.
I am grateful for the stories pictures tell. I remember.
Don’t think I’m not there because you can’t see me.P.S. Lick shots to @jAfterDark for knowing how to take pictures and filter them without losing the authenticity that sometimes light blinds us too. Thank you for capturing us in the Dark. 🙂
A photograph can reveal the things you miss.
The seduction imposed on us by vibrant reminiscence
can drag us into the despair of continuous repetition of sad memories,
just as easily as it can lead us…
into the highest triumph of freely creating a new counter-gesture: the dance.
From then on, our movements become lighter than air,
ethereal gestures into space, away from all heaviness.
Rhythm, cadence, syncopation reach ear and eye,
and man is unobtrusively dragged back into the very beginning of his existence,
together with others he undergoes a common regression.
Close your eyes and see.
I’m dancing, dance with me. Dance with my children.
we know the truth,
Coming here was part of the cure
walking into this place of silence
into the aloneness of the unknown
into the darkness of creation
I unfold
Unravel, unwind
I search the valleys of my mind,
of myself
wandering, I wonder
Where am I?
Somewhere behind the mask
I could feel
I had eyes beneath the surface
eyes planted so deep inside of me
unlike belief, intuitively bequeathed
The memories teased my release
until the streams of me became oceans
The heat of my questions melted glaciers
until the landmass of walking matter which was once me,
the iciness
became something different
something shifted
something changed
something closed
something opened
Asking, I asked, I’m asking
I passed, I drifted into suspension
until the material world became the bottom
the abysmal abyss of dismemberment
Looking up
I could see
Complex equations made simple
Turning as if on a wheel
dying as if it were living
The utterance of oneness
Let these numbers lead the way
Let these choices extend the day
Let this pressure be calming…
as I maintain peace
by Shila Iris 
LYRICS: Click here.
Thank you for coming here,
I am Shila Iris ♥
Midnight hour 12:12
P.S. Do you ever feel like the English language doesn’t have the words to express what you are feeling? Like, it’s not your native tongue? But it’s your first language, the one you’ve been taught, but somehow, it isn’t fulfilling? Get at me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DM7hpeFtkVI
LYRICS: CLICK HERE
Thank you for coming here,
Shila Iris ♥ 11:11
Ebb and flow…
What if spirituality was learning how to keep the peace in the face of challenge?
Having been through so much pain, my reaction isn’t the same.
Having been through heartbreak and betrayal,
and having had my life flipped, my reflection isn’t the same.
Having lost and gained, and lost again, I learned what God can do.
My spirit isn’t the same. Changing faces, shifting perspectives,
these things only made me better. They made me whole, again.
What if nothing in the world was against you? Every experience was happening to make you grow?
Modern-day thoughts and proverbs by Shila Iris ♥
Thank you for visiting.
… who reflect in their balanced relationship the larger universe.
It is important that we gain knowledge of who and what we are in order to be in a balanced partnership with another. You are the UNIVERSE. Study it. It is our nature to be together, not with many, that is a form of imbalance, but with a twin spirit. And by twin spirit, I mean the person who will compliment your existence. If you look at the concentric zodiac calendar, it can sometimes be the person completely opposite of you. What I’ve come to find is that often times, this person won’t be like you, behaviorally. Of course, you’ll share similarities, but they will be the other side of you, and together, you create a whole. We’ve been trained to be narcissists, looking for someone just like us when by Universal Law, that doesn’t measure. It isn’t so natural. With a twin spirit, you love them for not being you! You are enamored by their gifts, as they are yours. The two of you represent balance. Different sides of the same coin. It’s so beautiful to find peace in a union like this!
The G.U.N. = God, Universe, Nature = 1
Whatever the case may be with who you’re with, the important thing is for you to be at one with yourself, and then co-create, harmoniously, with one person at a time. It’s healthy to be able to connect with a person in a spiritual way whereas you’re not involving or running to many many people for validation. Let go of drama. In order to see this, you’ll have to be willing to be alone. If you’re already married, find a space to be in silence daily, for as long as it takes to connect with and love yourself.
Being by yourself allows you to hear the most important voice of all, yours, and in you, is God. Meditate. Embrace being in a state of solitude. It isn’t easy, but it is the most rewarding experience, for in this silence, you’ll hear the voice of God, and, you will hear and see yourself. Be quiet. Sit still. Listen.
So grateful for a Sunday afternoon, in the park, filled with butterfly kisses…
peace and joy!
P.S. By being in solitude, I gained this uncompromising love for myself. It’s unconditional. And now, I reflect that love out into the world, in a reciprocating manner. I no longer feel confused and challenged by other people’s truths or realities. I embrace the All. I feel free! And I’m growing and changing the traumatic patterns in my DNA constantly. Must we all?
… music that inspires higher stages of consciousness…
Modern-day proverbs and thoughts by Shila Iris ♥
Thank you for visiting.
The water heals
so, I swim deep
the depth of it all
just seems so out of reach
so I fetch, dig deep in my memory
the spirits rise, so again I can see
at the bottom of the ocean
in Labadi beach
The horses, they come for me
I am the master of this ceremony
new life, new mind
3 dollars and 6 dimes
Cause the woman that knows something,
knows that she knows nothing at all
Change
-by Shila Iris
Back in 2009, my girlfriend and I met each other in Atlanta, Georgia for a weekend of fun and to get fitted for bridesmaid dresses. One afternoon, we stumbled upon the art district, Little Five Points and wandered into an attractive shop called Moods Music. I got really excited. This was the first music store I had ever gone to, that catered to my personal tastes. It was amazing! I wanted to buy the entire store, but settled for a really wonderful CD by Quadron and a copy of Wax Poetics Magazine that I cherish to this day with Gil Scott- Heron on the cover. Since I liked this magazine so much, a friend of mine, who has always gotten me the best and most thoughtful gifts, decided to buy me a subscription to Wax Poetics for my birthday. On the cover of the 1st issue I received was Ms. Nina Simone. Reading the article, I fell in love with her spirit. They dubbed her “the Black poetess of protest.” I learned that she was a child piano prodigy, was great friends with Amiri Baraka, Langston Hughes, James Baldwin, Richard Pryor, and Lorraine Hansberry, and that most people who came into contact with her thought she was fearless and revolutionary. They say, Nina Simone didn’t give a fuck, meaning, she was going to do her thing no matter what. I felt like I had a lot of catching up to do on this woman who had an attitude that I could relate to. I wrote and performed a tribute to Nina Simone soon after I read this, and I have listened to her music since, mostly adoring the unconventional sound of her voice and her unapologetic lyrics. We are forever connected, Ms. Simone.
Peace & love.
Thank you for reading,
Shila Iris
A few years ago when one of my good friends was a med student, he changed his online alias to Imhotep. I didn’t inquire about it, but in my heart, I acknowledged the change. Then, I realized that instead of taking the Hippocratic oath that students of medicine are required to recite, perhaps he decided to invoke the spirit of the true Father of Medicine. If you’d like to know about him, I encourage you to research the greatness of Imhotep, the world’s first physician, who laid the foundation for the healing arts. I’ll say this: we are forever connected to the past and to our ancestors, each and every one of us. We value their traditions because it makes us stronger. We stand on their graves and ask for guidance and offer our devotion. Imhotep, I honor You, for I am You. My heart told me to dig deeper, and I found jewels, gold, stories, hidden colors. I went above and beyond mainstream education, to find out who I really am, and now I know my worth. I value history. In this age of information, we can uncover truths faster than ever before. This is necessary, because being Black is tough. This is not rhetoric, it really is. That double consciousness that W.E.B. DuBois taught, that invisible man that Ralph Ellison described, is a part of our everyday realities. It can be exhausting, and it can drive you crazy. But, I learned, through a Master Teacher, not to give up, and settle, and make excuses for my ignorance. I need to be healed. We need healing. My ancestors look over me. I swear by Imhotep. That is my oath. Peace.
Thank you for reading,
Shila Iris
My thoughts, my dreams,
by Shila Iris
Peace and love,
Since the first time I heard her voice, I have been in love with the sound of her. I don’t care how she looks, or how she wears her hair. I don’t care how crazy they say she is, or how many kids, I just love to hear her speak. I see myself reflected in her eyes, and I get weak. Her art is ministry. Her words are from the most high, she is god. And sometimes, I kneal, for, I am thankful for the gift of her experiences, revealed, through her poetic verses, Lauryn Hill… I hear you, as your soul transitions into happiness, keep blessing the best of us. I hear my ancestors speak through you, triumphant woman of the moon, peace to you.
It’s national poetry month ya’ll… Selah… and then he came…
Nothing can be done against the truth
No matter how we remain in denial, yeah
Wasting time, replacing time
With each empty excuse
But that’ll only work a little while…
Coping with despair
Knowing you’re not there
Ashamed to just admit I’ve been a fool
So I blame it on the sun
Run away from everyone
Hoping to escape this ridicule
Trapped in misery
Wrapped so miserably in this deception I wear it like a skin
Dying to maintain, oh I keep trying to explain
A heart that never loved me to begin
Oh I’m such a mess, I have no choice but to confess
That I’ve been desperately trying to belong
Lying to myself and everybody else
Refusing to admit my right was wrong
And then he came, selah
Oh and it means praise and meditation
And then he came, selah
Oh and it means, did ya think about that
And then he came, selah
Oh and it means, praise and meditation
And then he came, selah
Oh and it means that it is sieved
How beautiful his fruits, still in denial of its roots
My guilty heart behaved so foolishly
This treason from within that reasons with my sin
Won’t be happy til it sees the death of me
Selfishly addicted to a life that I’ve depicted
Conflicted cause it’s not reality
Oh what’s left of me, I beg you desperately,
Cause me to agree but what I know is best for me
Please save me from myself
I need you, save me from myself
Please save me from myself so I can heal
The choices that I make, oh have been nothing but mistakes
What a wasted use of space
Should I die before I wake?
In all of my religion, I’ve fortified this prison
Obligated to obey the demands of bad decision
Please save me from myself
I need you to save me from myself
Please save me from myself so I can heal
And then he came, selah
Oh and it means praise and meditation
And then he came, selah
Oh and it means did ya think about that
And then he came, selah
Oh and it means meditation
And then he came, selah
Oh and it means that it is sealed
And then he came
And then he came, then he came, then he came
And then he
And then he came
PRAISE & MEDITATION
-Shila
P.S. Nothing can be done against the truth.
Grace-full💜🌙
seeking solace in the horizon of life and beyond
When is Kwanzaa and my daily Kwanzaa practice
"Enlightening Through Words Of Wisdom"
"I saw the Angel in the marble, and carved until I set him free"
BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH
Prime my subconscious, one hint at a time
WE CREATE YOUR FAIRY EVENTS
Earth & Ether 