Ms. Mary Black Black Black All dressed in Black Black Black with silver buttons buttons buttons all down her back back back Hazel and Beste why aren't you dress for church said Momma. Momma why do we have to go to church so much? Me and Beste wanna play said Hazel. Not today get on with dressing for church. Both said okay Momma. And Momma kept taking the clothes off the line while dressed like a fox. That's what Daddy used to call her. She had her hair done and her makeup on and her gloves and her hair. Momma was dress to kill. And as me and Beste got in Daddy shouted Girls ya get ready for church. Both said Okay Dad. Come on Beste you help me and I will help you. That's how it was when I was young. Growing up on the farm and learning about life. Did you know? I had to walk two miles to get to school. Yup Momma had to work and Daddy had to work. It was years later when I was in sixth grade and Momma and Daddy had six other children. The worse happened, Momma left. I did not know but I felt something was gonna happen after Daddy pulled me out of school. Something wasn't right. Something had happened. And Dad told me that I would have to work and take care of the family. When I asked where is Momma. He yelled she died somewhere. So I worked and worked and clean after my siblings. I taught them what I learned in school. Beste and my other siblings got to go to school and learn. I was working or cleaning or cooking. I started to grow up and one day Dad looked at me strange. He started acting strange around me. And I just knew I had to leave otherwise something bad might happened. Beste convinced me to go to the club later on. I saw the well dressed men but I was not having it. I like having fun but I am no partier. Then Luther who was fine dress man with slick back hair and a nice smile, he came close to me. I told him that I am a church woman and I do not play that. He whisper jokes in my ear and told me that he thinks he love me. I told him I would think about it. So I went home and Daddy was angry so angry he threatened to kick me out and said I was just like my mother. So I had to work off and promised to do more chores and do better. But Dad went out on trips and I got my chance to meet Luther again and again. I was grown and Luther pleaded to be with me and said we can live up North and far from my Dad and start a life. He told me that I am beautiful and smart and then he gave me this incredible kiss. That's when I wanted to marry him. So Luther told me when my father goes on a trip again to sneak out and he will pick me up about a mile. I waited and kept busy then Dad left and about an hour I got dressed and pack my bags. Just when I was about to leave Beste said Wait sister Daddy doesn't treat anyone of us right. Hazel said But Beste I am the oldest and he is easier on you than me. I am getting old and I want a family. I can't keep being Mom. I have to get a life of my own. And with the suitcase Beste hug me and kiss me on the cheek and I left. Luther and I got married up North and I changed my last name to Mack so Daddy could not find me. We built a family up North and some of my siblings left Dad because they grew up too. And they found me because of Beste and they had families of their own. And they said they saw Momma. And so I went to see Momma in the hospital, I told her I love her and forgive her but I wanted to know why she left us. Momma said Because that man your Dad was mistreating me. And I could not take it anymore. But I am sorry Hazel. And I hug Momma and she died months later in the hospital. Luther and I did not have the perfect marriage but I was not gonna do what my mother did to me to my children. I wanted my children to get an education and become something better and their children and their children.
About the Creator
Matthew Primous
I am a Black Scholar, International Scholar, & Google Scholar, & 3-Time Eber & Wein Best Poet., Nominee for Poet of the Year, 2020 Black Author Matters Winner, 2 time Akademia Excellence Essayists,& 2022 Honorary Muckrack Journalist.
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One of the Greatest Inventions of Mankind
My mother Delana always taught me to trust my instinct. To trust myself and believe in higher power. God. She raised me to do my best. She raised me to always think do your best and never purposefully failed. And if you failed to get back up. To try harder. See because she knew I had smarts. She knew I had brains. That's why the friends I grew up with nickname me "Smarts" And these friends were like siblings. I mean I knew them since elementary. I remember the year Computation integration on demand was born. It was that year of Gore versus Bush Presidential Campaign. Where the whole country was in an uproar? Many people did not know which to choose for president. It became a nightmare the counting and the media bashing the Electoral Collège System. It was all over the news and it was very hard to avoid it. It was so hard to be avoided that we talked about in school even in high school. I was not so involved with the Presidential Campaign but I remember my first one that caught my attention. It was the Bush versus Clinton presidential elections. I was curious about politics but never thought that I would ever be involved. Anyways, that year 2000 I was jammed pack. I was getting ready to graduate. I wanted to graduate in 10th grade and I would have but I could not find a scholarship. I did not qualified for any even with being in high honor roll for six years and making many 100s and A's. I however got to start high school in middle school and I got accepted in college at age 14 and I took college classes at age 15 right before I graduated high school. Then it was the Prom and Ball, a coming of age but who would I take. There were beautiful women but I had to graduate. I could not settle just yet until I see the world outside home. I was kinda too busy focus on academics like my family wanted me to. Besides working which I love and was privilege to do. And I never had a class like Economics, the history and the insights made me fall in love with business. I was already a history lover and major nothing I could not learn, and yeah science Biology and Chemistry straight A's too and yeah English got love Shakespeare and his MacBeth and Math making my own formulas. I love teaching and tutoring because the material was interesting. I would spend most of my time at the library trying to learn something and get better and better and yeah do homework and eat lunch. Scottie ain't gonna let nobody get the best of me. School taught me brainstorming. And I would love talking about what I learned. I would first practicing in the library to myself and alone because practice makes perfect and it really really does. And the librarians knew me, I was inspired by the Skim Read Author because with skim read you can read anything and learn. And even by Frederick Douglass' bookmark 'Read and Be Free'.. Anyways I was taking these classes to graduate that Fall, Politics in Government and we covered the elections and the recount. And I just like normally brainstorm an idea as I was watching the news in class over the election. What about a new voting machine? One where you can use voice, One where you can use touch, one where you can hear the candidate, one where it can talk to you. And my teacher said Scottie that is a great idea you should invented that after all the voting machines were old and out of date even controlled by large corporations. So I thought and thought and learned and learned I took a college class in high school on Productions and I had an assignment to learn about the first voting booth and do a project on the inventor. After learning the basics of businesses, my teacher Chase offered to give college credit and I pay for college credit after earning a perfect score. It was my Economics teacher Mrs. Johnson who after class presented the idea too. She asked Scottie what are you gonna be when you grow up? I said I don't know. I can't decide. Doctor or Engineer. And she said you should be an engineer. Go and build the invention. So I tried to get help from Teacher Chase but he said he could not help but I was one of his best students and I know how to do it after building a one of a kind oak wooden clock. So I graduated early in 11th grade all my friends who were like siblings were there. My mother Delana was there dressed fancy, she had her hair to her shoulders in a beautiful gold dress. And the ceremony was long many people applauded me when they said my name and some stood up. I got a Regent Diploma and was a Black Scholar with a 3.6 GPA. I had to take time away from school because my parents could not afford it. So I convinced my mother Delana to invest in my patent as I did a provisional patent called Millennium Edition Voting Booth and further research which I was good at. While researching I changed the invention into Computation integration on demand. I got the provisional patent quickly on Columbus Day. And months and months later the patent official. So that is the story behind Computation integration on Demand which had to be published by 2024.The invention was challenged many times by other inventors who denounce its claims and among the attacks where the discrepancies with a examiner. But it won since 2015, Best of Rochester Award's Computer Software and enter Rochester Business Hall of Fame. A company was created around it ordered by the Government who granted it and Congress debated over the patent. The patent even had a special High-Tech Medallion with its patent numbers that you can display on a company website. And it was classified after being researched in Germany and Japan, it was classified as one of the Greatest Inventions of Mankind. And now recognized by Time Magazine in 2024 as one of the Best Inventions with nearly 50 software applications known on the best software engineers around the world site. It is such an honor and privilege. And I learned so much and come so far. I can't stop now.
By Matthew Primous19 days ago in Confessions
No Plus One
It's nearly one AM and I just got back from my third wedding of the four in this last month alone, and I have always been alone. I hide behind my camera to pretend to be useful, hide behind a safety net of skill set. So I do not have to confront the loneliness that is sleeping alone when everyone else seems to have a partner to crawl into bed with. I love the time spent with those who decided I was worth the 30-plus dollars per plate they decided to spend on me, and I do not need to have a partner on these occasions, but it would be nice to have someone notice, me. See when I am in the corner because they know I need time to recharge and to kiss me on the head until the time has come to leave. Maybe that's the problem about being a professional storyteller, I dream of something that isn't meant for me.
By Rilee Arey7 days ago in Confessions
Why isn't Racism & Colorism From Black Africans Talked About
Tuesday, 28 May 2024 By TB Obwoge I've written about the issues of racism and colorism in Africa before, as a matter of fact it is one of my favorite topics because its the most ignored topic. Black Africans, mostly, are so quick to proclaim that they're the most accepting people in the world. Even claiming they're too accepting. Which is really odd because skin color and shade matters more to a Black African to even some white people.
By IwriteMywrongs4 days ago in Confessions
Muses & Musings
Welcome to my new series, a weekly blog on what’s inspiring me. I spent much of last week in bed with a stomach bug. I’ll spare you the details of that—but in addition to the grotesque physical symptoms, I had some fever dreams I won’t soon forget. Imagine my surprise to see Vocal’s newest challenge: Write a fiction story about a recurring dream or nightmare.
By Davina Zinn McKee6 days ago in Journal
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