What are dreams Dreams are nightmares that we allow to surface at dawning of the day Dreams are those fears that inundate our desires Dreams are those little particles of angst that seem to linger way beyond our teenage years Dreams are the unspoken hopes of memories past, that never seem to escape Dreams are the burdens of our parents who issued the weight of the world upon our shoulders Dreams are just nightmares, from the darkest corners of our souls, that we allow ourselves to recognize, if only for the slightest moment of hope.

I love my Mama Because my mama loves our entire family Every step of her life She has been there holding our hands Encouraging us to strengthen our minds To educate ourselves in the spirit of God God blessed us with such a loving woman No matter the occasion My love for her is the grandest of occasions She birthed, principled, & still loves me May she always know how much I love her Happy Birthday, Mother! Love, Louis

I feel a shadow following me. It's like nothing else. People tell me leave Louisiana like the soil is poisoned. Musicians are grown here. Get out. Just go! Rich people's solutions to poor people's problems. I'm honestly afraid for whether or not I'll have a place to stay. I've been on my own for years, but this is different. Like when my grandmother found o ut she had to raise me. My aunt gone, my mother gone. And me, a baby left behind. A third daughter to raise. The constant terror she must have felt living on a fixed income. Still cleaning houses for people who found nothing amusing about me coming with her.