Did you miss me?

Peace...

Aight my people...I wanna thank those of you out there reading these updates and providing me with comments and feedback...keep them coming...as most of you know I joined the Peace Corps in May...they sent me to Malawi in the southeastern part of Africa...I was supposed to be there for 2 years...but unfortunately or fortunately I had to cut my stay short...more on that later...

This is a quick update to let you all know that I left the Motherland and that I am back in the City of Brotherly Love...nothing bad happened...I just realized that after the 2 month training period that the program wasn't for me...

For those of you reading and enjoying the story that I am telling...don't worry because the story will continue with pictures, videos and some written pieces inspired by my stay in Africa...

Even though my stay in Africa was shortened...the things I've seen, the people I've talked to and the experience I shared will remain "in my heart, in my soul, forever..." just getting the opportunity to walk on Africa's soil...for however long...is a blessing in itself...and if you ever get the chance to do it...seize that opportunity...

As you all know...my search for hip hop is a never ending quest and I'll continue to carry the wait for my people...

So stay tuned for updates and the continuation of my story...

Peace and blessings...

h.k. beverly

Down Paved Blocks, Up Dirt Paths...

Aight...so when I woke up from my daydream I looked around and noticed that I was no longer walking up familiarity...the row houses of Philadelphia were gone...the small blocks of Philly were gone...the cars blasting that summertime anthem signifying that the hot season has arrived...gone...the electrical poles that we used to hang crates on to play basketball were gone...instead the scene was replaced with black boys playing soccer on a patchy dirt and grass field...the goalposts were constructed with three big tree branches without a net...so every time a team would score or the ball went out of bounds...you would see someone run into the bushes to retrieve the ball and throw it back...the row houses I was use to seeing were replaced with small mud huts with roofs made from tree branches and straw...instead of walking down paved blocks...I found myself walking up dirt paths...

As I was walking in the middle of the path I almost tripped over something running past my feet...in one complete motion I stopped put my hands on my sides lend back a little bit with a confused look on my face and slowly said to myself shaking my head "wut tha fuc..." as I looked down I noticed a rooster chasing a hen...after a quick few seconds, the rooster eventually caught the hen from behind...planted its seed...if you know what I mean... and went on about its business...so I shrugged my shoulders confused about the whole situation and went on about my business...I laughed a little bit and thought to myself "damn, is that what you gotta do?" but before I could process that whole encounter...I was interrupted by little black boy...as I was looking at him I seen a reflection of myself from when I was 10...but he was doing something I never would've been doing at 10 years old...he had a switch in his hand whipping a herd cattle attached to a wooden cart carrying bundles of something...but before I could process that...two dirty little pigs with their dirty little piglets scrolled nonchalantly across the path sniffing the ground searching for food...but before I could process that...I saw a mama goat tied up by one leg to a tree while the baby goat roamed freely eating from the same patch of grass its mother was eating from...I also show a duck with its squad cooly waddle pass me and shit on its way to drink from the small puddles of muddy waters...but before I could process all that...I saw a man in the distance who kinda resembled my father pushing a bike...the first thing I noticed was that he didn't have on any socks or shoes...with a perplexed look on my face I looked back at the soccer field and saw that the boys playing football weren't wearing any socks or shoes either...and than I also realized that the kid maneuvering the cart didn't have on any socks or shoes...anyway...the man pushing the bike was wearing a brown baseball hat...he had on a pair of blue trousers, a long collared shirt with stripes that hung out below the sky blue jacket he was wearing...as he walked pass me struggling to keep the bike balanced with large bags of potatoes and baskets of greens...I saw two chickens tied together by the legs to each handlebar...and I thought to myself again "what tha fuc, why does he have two chickens tied to his bike?"

So with that thought...I kept moving up the path as the sun was beginning to clock out and call it a day...I saw in the horizon the most calming and relaxing picture...in this picture was the perfect sunset... creeping beyond the mountains in the near distant was a mixture of blue clouds mixed with golden sun rays that blended in with a pinch of darkness turning the sky orange that sat like a fire in your eyes...as that scene engulfed me for a second I was smacked in the face by a cool breeze that sent a chill throughout my whole body...I was even more surprised that I was beginning to feel cold and that I was shivering...for those of you who don't think it gets cold in Africa...you are sadly mistaken...luckily I had my one green hoodie in my backpack...I took it out threw it on and felt a little relief from the African wind...

As I continued moving up the path feeling tired and hungry...I took a drink of water from the bottle attached to my book bag and looked at my watch which read 5 o'clock...as the sun was closing the door to its house, it was beginning to get dark...but not too dark...with the help of the blue moon hiding behind the silver clouds I could just barely read the sign up ahead, which read "WELCOME TO MALAWI" on the top...and underneath that it spelled out "TAKULANDIRANI" which means we welcome you...

Until next time...stay blessed...

h.k. beverly

 

On the Plane...

So...on this plane I was greeted by the most beautiful Brown skinned lady...she was wearing the colors of "nationhood..." In her outfit was a mixture of Red Black and Green...as I smiled at her...she smiled back at me sayin "welcome to Black Star Airlines my brother..." she said it with a harmony that reminded of a song by Nina Simone...she handed me a glass of warm cognac and led me to my seat...I sat down in my seat that resembled a throne in the middle of the plane and sipped my drink...

As I looked around the plane I started to get this feeling of joy and excitement...as I was buckling my seat belt a Isaac Hayes type voice came over the loud speaker sayin "welcome to Black Star Airlines...seat back relax...as we are going on a journey...a journey home...where the grass is Green and the love is seen..." he spoke with the rhythm of one of the Last Poets...I was getting higher and higher as the drums of Brother ? and Philly Joe Jones began to sound...accompanied by the too cool horns of Moody and Cotrane...Jelly Roll Morton unlocked my soul with his black and white keys...as Mr. Monk timed in with a smooth deep base...I was in heaven...As we glid through the sky like a Sankofa bird...the beautiful voice of Billie Holiday sing me to sleep...

Stay tuned...

h.k. beverly

L.I.P. instead of R.I.P.

On my way Home...

This is the continuing story of my search for hip hop...refer to the previous post Mother Africa is calling me Home...

"you all tucked in...here we go..."

So...as I was looking back at my homies sitting on the steps, playing cards and gambling...I heard a thundering sound coming from the sky...I looked up and show a plane that had just taken off from the nearby Philly International Airport...it was close enough that I could see the logo...before I got half way up the block I sat down for a second and imagined that I was on that plane...

I always wondered and still do today about those planes that fly over my neighborhood to destinations unknown...I would ask myself...where were they going, who was on them...and why?

This plane was unusual...unlike any other plane I've seen before...except for in my dreams...it was painted all Black with a Red star on both sides of the back fin...inside the stars in capital letters were the letters BSA in Green with Black outlining...the words Black Star Airlines was spelled out in Green with Red outlining on each side of the plane...

As I was sitting on the steps...still imagining that I was on that plane...my vision was distracted by a tinted out old school with a hundred spokes spinning turning smoothly down the block blasting "Thieves in the Night" by Black Star...

"stop hiding, stop hiding, stop hiding your face...

stop hiding, stop hiding, cause ain't no hiding place..."

"we take the Black Star Line right on home..." 

to be continued...

Until next time stay safe and blessed...

h.k. beverly

L.I.P. instead of R.I.P.

Live in Peace