The Tongue (an excerpt from T. Semakula's upcoming book titled The Food Stamp Bandit)

The Tongue (an excerpt from T. Semakula's upcoming book titled The Food Stamp Bandit)

The tongue sits in one’s mouth like a neglected apparatus; its goal is to create. The tongue holds much prowess. This tongue of ours, so small, so loose, and so hidden. The Bible summarizes the tongue as a spark, or a catalyst, that if used correctly, creates an abundant life. However, if it is wielded in the wrong direction, it can compose total destruction.

The tongue is so powerful; that if we are apt to speak death over ourselves, without fail, we will find ourselves void of oxygen. So, why is it that very few folk heed to this bit of wisdom that graces the pages of the greatest book ever published? 

We speak so we are. We speak ourselves into poverty, divorce, depression, loneliness, black holes. We blame our situation on outside circumstances and forget that our tongue has spat out most of our destiny.

God was the first example, as to the power of speech. As the boom of his voice formed the word light, the earth became exposed to the glorious sun, the tint of the stars, and the huge glow of the moon. We thank God every day for the light as there is not much that can be achieved once the sun goes down. Without the light, we find that darkness creates the balance between start and stop, activity and rest.

The Folk In The City of Cars..

The Folk In The City of Cars

an excerpt from T. Semakula's upcoming book..The Food Stamp Bandit

          As usual, I am waiting for the 23. It’s a quarter till eleven at night and my behind is gripping the small plastic seat that is shoved inside a plexi glass bus stop shelter. The stop is housed on Fourth and Broadway, which sits across from Brown Bros. Cadillac. The famous lot is known for its’ shiny color pallet of blue, brown, red, and white caddies. I am amazed that the lot hasn’t fallen prey to the recession that has placed a choke hold on the once vibrant, River City. From the stop, I can see folk popping out of their cars and strolling up Fourth Street, headed toward one of the many restaurants that decorate the downtown. The pedestrians that flank the well-known Fourth Street Live! give the appearance that Louisville hasn’t succumbed to the recent economic back slap that has left a trail of bankruptcies, foreclosures, and sold out homeless shelters.

The Folk in the City of Cars

The 23 is one of those routes that many working folk depend on to get them to their usual gigs. I watch these folk as they board the bus donning grease stained McDonald uniforms, steel toe boots, or flowered covered nursing assistant scrubs. The route also houses unruly youth who try to impress their friends with four letter words and fancy touch screen cell phones, seniors with monthly bus passes that hang on a cloth chain around their necks, and teen mamas who board the bus with fat strollers, painted on skinny jeans, and short tempers.

As I view the mobile landscape, I attempt to fit myself into this urban community that is held together with paper transfers and updated bus schedules. Let’s face it; Louisville is a city of cars. Even the poor feel that riding the bus is beneath them and they do their best to scrap up change to purchase a ride. I have seen folk driving cars with no doors, no windows, no gas, no bumpers, no plates, outrageous dents, and dragging mufflers. To them, a car represents status and mobility.

I long to find a community of writers, thinkers, dreamers, and entrepreneurs, in Louisville, who don’t mind riding the bus. In cities such as Los Angeles and New York, this is the norm. As a budding entrepreneur, the expense of a car is not a priority, as I set my sights on a house, and an office space. I choose to invest in things that would give me a return on my hard earned change. This train of thought has made me an alien to the Louisvillians who cherish their rides. Because I ride the bus, I feel more connected to the city and the people. My view is expanded as I take in the sights of Louisville, which I feel would benefit from more enlightened and progressive straphangers.