I asked Soulbrotha to do a piece about Valentine and what his thoughts and attitudes were surrounding the holiday. As one of my favorite poets and also a good friend, I had always wanted him to do something a little more extensive with his pieces and I was more than excited when he obliged to do something for NE's February edition. When I read the pieces that he did I was even more pleased because he took it to a more dynamic level than I expected. What we have is not only a creative expression about the idea of love, valentine, and relationships but also a lesson in virtually every school of thought. Look hard enough and you will find some math, science, history, and biology. Whatever kind of literary interest you have, Soulbrotha has managed to offer something for everyone. This is just the beginning of something really great. Enjoy!
-N.K

Writer Background
Enjoys reading, writing, working out, chess, basketball, football, music. Art and Lit is a special passion esp. poetry, spoken word, short stories and novellas.
Favorite authors: E.W. Kenyon, Kenneth Hagin, Chinua Achebe, Cyprain Ekwensi, Mario Puzo, Clive Cussler, Sidney Sheldon
Currently a Bio major & socio minor in college. Plan on furthering with a career in Pharmacy.

L - Letter - 'Valentine Presentce'
O - Oratory - 'Essay on red'
V - Verdict - 'Left, here with nowhere to go'
E- Excerpt - 'Score of a relationship'

Valentine Presen(t)ce

Hotdang !

Ladybug got me buggin' out
Beyond a shadow of doubt those eyelids batting
My way be messing with my frame -
Of mind thinking of the perfect line to say
'Can't even ask for your name, peep me stuttering
just tryin' to say the right thing
As if, "what up?" or "hello" could do the trick
Yet time's running out with each clock tick
The plots thick yet this ain't no story
Girl you got me open and I'm hopin'…

Feels like its February all over again
With the way my hearts fluttering
I mean with each stare at your face
My pulse is all over the place…

I'd like to excite your mental in various ways
And diverse means
I'm not overly concerned with what's in them jeans
I'd rather you knew more about your genes
You know, your origins
What is it about God, life, love and relationships
That gets you so passionate
I hope you see where I'm going with this
Nah..scratch that…
I'd like to ask you out on a date
Say, Thursday at this new local restaurant
Around my way, maybe at about 6:30?
'Cos if that's cool with you then its cool with me..

I feel kinda shy 'cos I'm feeling your vibe
But its just something behind that smile
The way you carry yourself
Girl you got me feelin' your style…

Say Word? As much as I appreciate your curves
Its that little slur you got in your "urrs"
That seems to blur my coordination puttin' me in
Some type of suspension where I'm wonderin'
Like would I get your number before I even utter
The next letter
Next thing I know its like I'm dreaming
Believing it's the same words you purred in my ear
At Val dinner that just caused my spine to shiver
Then I shrug, ..pssh..I'm just bugged
I guess this Hallmark card right here would explain
My stance for a chance to get to know you
Invade your space on the right kind of February 14th tip
Employ my services and destroy the pink slip…for real..

I feel kinda shy 'cos I'm feeling your vibe
But its just something behind that smile
The way you carry yourself
Girl you got me feelin' your style…

Today's date ain't even that important to me
I just want time to freeze this moment for me
Make you believe that this little encounter
Will make you take me with you..

Today's date: February 12th 2005.

Red, the color of love's expression
soG

Growing up observing literary expressions of love, romance and all things attributed to the world's greatest, albeit the universe's greatest phenomenon, I often wondered why this color of our discourse was used. I remember learning fine arts in primary school (grade school to Americans), being taught about primary, secondary and tertiary colors. Red, blue and I think yellow were the primary ones if memory serves me correctly. Some of it is blurry but I shall try to indulge you. It is said that mixing these colors, say, red and blue for instance produced other colors that were an offshoot of the former, that in this case being purple.

The primary colors are said to be colors that occur naturally, red from blood, blue from the sky and seas, yellow from sunlight. Since the focal point of this discourse is red, it is important for us to understand the significance of this color and how it pertains to the subject of love, romance, valentine and all things hence related.

I like to believe in ancient times red would have been used as a color to depict some level of importance, honor and prestige as seeing this with the British during colonial times when the Royal Army was decked out in red. Till this day the Royal Guard still has red as part of its uniform's colors. In later times, it came to mean danger or to cite a precarious situation which if entered could take away life.

Enter: Valentine's Day which as you already know is the global holiday that celebrates love and romance especially amongst couples. I already have qualms with love being given one day of commemoration though that is not the crux of the matter at hand. Somehow, slowly maybe subtly red was earmarked as the patron color of romance. Pick any card, Hallmark or not (I particularly like their cards by the way), that speaks of love or romance and you will find red sneaking up on you from the corner of fake baby bottomed cupids shooting love arrows to warm big hearts.

Speaking of red hearts, I think we can infer that since the human heart is actually full of red blood vessels coursing through and through, flowing from one auricle and ventricle to the next it is therefore only right to have it as red. Supposing though, one's heart felt cold? Would blue suffice? That is a thought for another day and another story.

Perhaps pink, lavender or any offshoot of the red color family is not enough to bluntly express the feeling love gives? Could it just be more than the human heart being full of blood? Is there a subliminal reference or meaning behind love's splendor on February 14th, the holiday of love?

These are the questions I pondered too until God gave me a revelation. How do I know you ask? I know I could not have come to the conclusion on my own. It could not have been mere scientific reasoning or human intellect. As this may not be the reason behind every single person's desire or motivation for buying a card or getting a gift-wrap with red ribbons or red hearts, this I believe explains the essence of red and love.

Blood is life. Once blood stops flowing, biological life ceases to exist. Blood itself is the number one transporter of food, oxygen and other important chemicals in various life systems. This is for any order of organism irrespective of kingdom or phyla, as long as it has blood in whatever color flowing through it, once blood stops flowing or for whatever reason is let out of the system life comes to a grinding halt. According to science we as human beings are the highest order of "animals." I cringe though at the thought but I hope the point is duly noted. Since blood is life and red in human beings as well as other mammals, it is a color of life. It is the color that depicts the presence of life so to speak.

We can easily come to the conclusion therefore that blood=life=red.

All over the world, sacrifice is seen, as the ultimate expression of love for love itself is more of action than mere words. We all glorify and praise those, who give their lives for their beliefs, countries, families and significant others. It should therefore come as no surprise that a Man giving His Life for the world, for the sake of the world would be the ultimate expression of a Love so Pure, so Holy, so Magnificent and Reaching it is more than Able to leap beyond Boundaries and destroy walls built by years of hate, racism, prejudice, abuse, pain and torment be they spiritual, physical, psychological or otherwise.

It is here we see the reality of God's crucifixion on the cross of Calvary being the ultimate expression of love for us, for mankind, for the world.

Red, was the color of what flowed from the wounds created by those nails in His hands and feet. Red was the color of that blood which is said in the Bible, "speaks better things than the blood of Abel." If therefore, blood is life and the shedding of that life (blood) being sacrifice is the ultimate expression of love, it then means that red is the visual expression of love.

Left, here, with nowhere to go

(guitar melody playing in the background)
(gets louder)

1st Verse
Sitting here, hunched up on my back
(guitar silent)
On this bench of worries
Deceit and lies that hold me back
Tossing, turning in a land
That's yearning for love
Can't sleep, can't eat
Finding it hard to breathe
Oxygen, Fibrinogen
Cinnamon burnin'
Its as if I'm left alive only to die again
But I'm alive my friend

CHORUS

(Guitar plays again - band joins in)
(repeat twice)
(two more riffs)

So I sit here on this bench of
Supposed woes
Looking left and right
With nowhere to go
The wind blows no one knows
Through Him I find my Place
In His Arms I belong
So there I go

Verse 2
Startled, subtle and all things mettle
In between lies the divide of life's dreams
Lost February 14ths
Unspoken words, undreamt dreams
Everything seems a standstill
But then He comes to fill in the gaps
My teeth brim, and everything in between

REPEAT CHORUS

(Guitar wails slowly)
(picks up tempo and plays slowly again)
(one lick a time)

Verse 3
May we course the uptempo
And add another note to tote
Along with life's memorable mementos
Tapping stilettos is all
We hear these days
The grunts of boots
And work shoes
Brush the foray
Life outside Christ is painful
To watch
I'd rather be on the winning team
Even after everything stops
I'm left here right now
But hidden in the Rock

REPEAT CHORUS till fade

(Guitar re-enters playing softly)
(Band joins in)
(Trumpets)
(Saxophone)
(Tuba)
(Bass guitar)
(Acoustic ends)

I'm left here, with nowhere to go
Except to You whom I run to
You who is Love
You who gives Love
You be Love
To which I run to

Song ends.

Score of a Relationship