Mood music – Heart don’t stand a chance Anderson.Paak

I’m an artist.

We are pack rats stuffing emotions into pouches. We stumble upon them when cleaning house and spend half a day reminiscing about that time the cutie we peeped shot us a glance. I know I personally get giddy when I think of a good dance partner who I wouldn’t recognize if we sat next to each other at work. It makes things exciting to know that a memory could be in any random corner of the mind.

It’s kinda amazing to imagine that we can still somehow be productive carrying so much baggage. I’ve been writing as if each emotion I store is pleasant; if you are reading this, you know better. You’ve seen the poems laced with poison and persecution. If you’re an artist, you likely have your own storage container full of bad dates, missed opportunities, and arguments you wish didn’t go as far as they did.

I recently started performing a poem I wrote over ten years ago (would you like to dance) in preparation for a two-man show I’m working on with Drew Anderson. It’s all about taking a chance to be with someone you are afraid of. Of course the feelings rushed back; not for the person, but for the risk involved in trusting someone.

It’s been far too long sense I’ve danced the dance of trust. I’ve relished in the pockets of emotion like squirrels in winter savings; and while that has been good for preservation, I don’t know if it’s been healthy for my living or loving. I don’t want to wake up, 45 and alone, shrouded in work efforts and yarn-coated secrets.

So today, I’m challenging myself to smile. If a cutie looks my way, I’ll wave. I’m gonna take baby steps. And if I find myself near music, I’m making whereever I am a dancefloor. At the least, I’ll make some new memories to store away.

At best, the world will smile back. 🙂

Peace and safety,

Dwayne B