African Rhapsody
[The title has a drop shadow, slightly larger and offset above it.]

Vertical Productions
[silhouette of a map of Africa, drawn over a faded printout of a compass rose]
X-Ray Robinson

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Happy Birthday
TO ME

[abstract drawing of what appear to be stairs crossing over one another]

I want to thank everyone for sending me so many birthday cards and positive well wishing. As I counted them all at the end of the month, I received on average, two cards, or letter, each day, for the month of May.

Asante

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Impressive Depression
Digesting Artificial Ingredients
By X-Ray Robinson June 2011

For almost 50 years I have observed all kinds of people, from all kinds of cultures, and collective groupings, trying to fit in. I have given acute attention to the details of this behavior. I have come to understand the constant need for humans to belong. However, when the motivation is from pain, shame and oppression (peer pressure), social or otherwise; then true value of BELONGING is overshadowed by the greater false appearing need to let no one know or think that we do not belong. So, with this state of mind, we begin to see and increase in the masses where what's on the outside is the acceptable standard and qualifying element.

There are so many and too many workshops, classes and seminars on what to do. But there are so few on "HOW" to do. So out of fatigue, people have learned "THE ART OF MAKING AN IMPRESSION." Somehow we have misplaced the understanding that until we teach and learn HOW TO TREAT OURSELVES, the civilized, proper etiquette and social protocols that we honor, practice, and surrender to, are all tainted with a false sense of responsibility and unhealthiness that borderline hypocrisy. There can never be health outreach until there is balanced healthy IN-REACH. Humans keep finding stuff, causes, and things to preach about and then try to live that instead of realizing and recognizing the current immediate gift of light that we stand in right now.

It is extremely healthy to PREACH WHAT WE ARE ALREADY LIVING. It is also easiest to work on someone else's stuff instead of our own, no matter what's going on around us. Most often the answers will be revealed first from within because solutions come through us. I hope and pray that more so-called civilized humans would realize that if we work through everything that is within us and use all the wisdom, courage and understanding that we have, to better self, inside; then everything around us will improve. Our mothers get better sons and daughters. Our children get better parents, the Earth gets better Earthlings and God has what was intended. All the rules and ridiculous expectations that we continue to place on each other is just giving each other full-time jobs without any pay, benefit or compensation.

Belonging is not accurately experienced by doing, but it is accurately balanced and established by "BEING." Being will demonstrate itself in our doing just as sure as trees bear fruit according to their roots. The seed already has its instructions. Just as our soul. No matter what kind of soil environment it is in, the seed will stay loyal and faithful to what it is to grow into (become). It can be understood that "EXTERNAL environments" determine the quantity of our growth—but the "INTERNAL ENVIRONMENT" defines the QUALITY of our growth, relationships, and being. What would happen if we all stopped telling each other what to do and started acting in and out the "how" to do. Beginning with the way we treat ourselves.

All around us are people with on-going headaches, but won't take an aspirin. People working constantly, saying how tired they are, but won't give them a break. People whom make promises to their children, but those promises are in the tomorrow that never comes. People all around us look at themselves and delay helping the person who matters most, the self. Self sacrifice is not love. It's just a fancy dressed up phrase to keep us away from being intimately responsible to ourselves FIRST. Some of us would rather throw it all away rather than doing something about it.

I watch carefully how people treat themselves, because it is not possible to treat me better than you treat yourself, authentically. My favorite characteristic about the man—Christ is that as popular as he was and is, he always made time for "his-self" and one-on-one time with others. All around us, our false sense of SAFETY is proving its self absent. Our neglect and denial of self-love is crumbling our shallow personalities right before our very eyes and revealing our under-developed spiritual character. Our loves and likes are turning stomachs sour and all the less than truth, that we've committed to, all the pretty pride that we've dressed in formal attire and political shrink wrap, all our illusions are leading us and driving us to open our eyes and see that the cracked reflection in the mirror is not because the glass is broken, but because we are broken. We have broken ourselves with substitutes, replacements and billions of make-do moments, and continuously ignore the label on our soul that clearly states, "NO ARTIFICIAL INGREDIENTS."

So here we are looking in a perfect mirror and reflecting the shatteredness of our resistance to embrace self-love. There is no mending; the doors are all closed. We must press forward, in pieces, broken. However, I hold to the brightest "SOURCE" confidence in us all. That while we are all in some way broken up, broken down, broken away and broken apart, we shall arive BROKEN OPEN.

I am an AFRICAN CLASSIC.

[X-Ray's signature]
𓋹𓋿𓇮

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Who's Romantic?
A Little Bit of You

I have these little moments
When I don't know what to do
Then I remember that I can get some help
From just a little bit of you

I understand we struggle
I suffer with it too.
We are best of friends
It's something new
Life blossoms
With a little bit of you.

Game illusions try to cloud our true
We handle scandals and locate the foul who
Each day fresh words appear like dew
And it's amazing what I can understand
With a little bit of you

The weather in relationships,
Like seasons have to change
But for me, concerning you, my boo
In the greatest dawn pour rain
I'll have sunshine anyway
With a little bit of you

By X-Ray Robinson
29 April 2010

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Take Africa First

[drawing in top left: 𓋹𓋿𓇮]
[drawing in bottom right: a checkered map of Africa]

You created her Pangea,
The mother of human birth.
I still pray and fast to not question you
About why they are allowed to treat her the worst.
I know you're always watching
For those that hunger and thirst
I know you listen to the soul of my prayer
So please take Africa first.

She is the biggest diamond on the planet
Her back is pure granite-stone
Though she's overlooked by love's nutrition
The world needs her breast to nurse on.

Too many separated, burned away by history's wick
So much time learning whiter things
Much time NOT using wisdoms' holy wings

Our prophets are AIDS stricken,
In prison or jail bound.
I am sure we are crippled angels
That have spent too much time attending negative sound.

There is no place she has not given birth.
Millions spiritually stillborn.
Abuse, her curse, before it gets worst,
Creator please, take Africa first

The eyes of my soul
Like the rain forest weeps
The drum of my chest
Beats a longing for sacred rest.

I leave this prayer note for you, holiest spirit
On top of table mountain.
I am sure you will see it
When you pass Victoria's fountain.

Keep filling Earth's sky with grand blackness
That is the canvas of your light.
Demonstrate your accurate balance, health and might
With copper brown sunbursts of night
The God beauty unrehearsed,
And when you gather up the fragments,
Please Lord,
Take Africa first.

X-Ray Robinson
2010

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Cultural Observation
[clip art of a city skyline]

"G-SWAGG"

According to current neighborhood word, street science, urban knowledge and hood-credits,

SWAGGER (swaggah) is a healthy and powerful sexy pride personified. Usually in men and how they talk, and how they walk, and overall sense of confidence, style, and an unadulterated knowledge of and love of true 'self'.

Now when you add the practice and pursuit of accurate-balance and spiritual health to that, you get G-SWAGG. The "G" is for God.
That's what I got!!! (LOL)

I am an African Classic w/
G-SWAGG