Love and Trust
by Neo Blaqness | October 12, 2014 | Observations, Reflections | 0 Comments
"I have said this in many ways before but it bears repeating. Life is not about trusting others. It is about trusting yourself to know what is right for you. Most times we are hurt by the lies we tell to our own face, more than the lies of others. So if you learn to...Social Media While In a Relationship- It’s Not Worth It
by Neo Blaqness | October 15, 2013 | Personal, Reflections | 0 Comments
When there is always somebody online who will lie to you and tell you that you are right just to get in your pants, the relationship in front of you doesn’t stand a chance. In the absence of real mothers and fathers, the conscience of relationships has now reached a the new low of whatever the friends list thinks.
Somethin’s Broke
by Neo Blaqness | June 3, 2010 | I Dream of You, Poetry | 1 Comment
CLICK BELOW TO LISTEN SOMETHIN'S BROKE by Neo Blaqness Somethin's broke but it ain't my heart cuz it's still beatin and it ain't my spirit cuz it's still leading me wherever I need to be but it rattles my brain when I walk it swells up my tongue when I try to talk it...I Dream of You
by Neo Blaqness | October 22, 2009 | I Dream of You, Poetry | 0 Comments
CLICK BELOW TO LISTEN I DREAM OF YOU by Neo Blaqness Somewhere in my nights I dream of you Tho your face I have not known nor the colour of your voice or the brightness of your smile But still I see you in that warm glow that remains long after the sunset Rippling...Priorities and Options
by Neo Blaqness | October 23, 2009 | Observations, Reflections | 0 Comments
I have recently had the occasion to browse through some online profiles and have found the phrase repeating through quite a few as a tag line: "Never make someone a priority who views you as an option"- or something to that effect. On its face it does look like a...The Never Ending Echo- Ghosts of Internet Past
by Neo Blaqness | July 25, 2013 | Observations, Reflections | 0 Comments
These were the days when people still sneaked into liquor stores, parked their cars in dark back parking lots late at night to visit the porn shop, and waited til the video store was empty to race into the adult section and get out before the Deacon returned his movies. A lot of people never knew who they were really married to until their mate got caught at something. I guess that is still true to some extent today except the internet leaves evidence forever- long after you got saved and moved to another town.
Matrix Free Blackness
by Neo Blaqness | October 23, 2009 | Society | 0 Comments
What is Matrix Free Blackness?Although I am unaware of the phrase existing in use elsewhere, Matrix Free Blackness is a phrase I use to describe a point of view that requires the questioning and revisiting of all history and traditions regardless of its sacred place...Sweet Aisle of Prayer
by Neo Blaqness | January 17, 2015 | Faith Matters | 0 Comments
I was startled to see her half smiling but her eyes were swollen. I think she had been crying. She said “I seen you in this store shopping late for a long time now and you always have a smile and everybody says how safe they feel when you come in to shop at night because we get some pretty creepy people in here. Please don’t think I am crazy but could you pray for me?”
It’s The Inside That Truly Counts
by Neo Blaqness | October 10, 2013 | Faith Matters | 0 Comments
That story in the book of Samuel is where we get the popular quote that “man looks at the outward appearance but God looks on the heart”. I have always tried to have my outward appearance be a reflection of my heart.
It’s Late
by Neo Blaqness | June 29, 2011 | I Dream of You, Poetry | 0 Comments
CLICK BELOW TO LISTEN IT'S LATE by Neo Blaqness It’s late and here we both are you staring at my words you can’t sleep but somehow this makes you feel closer we don’t really kno each other but I guess sometimes you think I might kno you even better than you kno...Blessed and Highly Favoured
by Neo Blaqness | October 27, 2013 | Faith Matters | 0 Comments
I am no more favoured than any other. Everyone has a path that is uniquely theirs to follow. They need only acknowledge it
Empty Nest
by Neo Blaqness | June 4, 2016 | Family, Fatherhood Stories | 2 Comments
For five years I had the honor of being a trustee to his growth- imparting to him everything that coursed through my veins. And although my blood does not flow through his, I never realized before how immaterial to him that had become.
Sistah Friend
by Neo Blaqness | August 16, 2011 | I Dream of You, Poetry | 0 Comments
CLICK BELOW TO LISTEN SISTAH FRIEND by Neo Blaqness Holdin on that was the easy part it is the letting go that breaks your heart that shakes your faith in all that you are because you believed in a love that didn't last as long as you thought it should but if you...Don’t You Remember You Told Me You Loved Me Baby
by Neo Blaqness | September 18, 2014 | Personal, Reflections | 0 Comments
I was doing my usual rounds on YouTube today and thought I would catch a little bit of Luther Vandross. I was halfway through enjoying one of my favorite songs of his when this completely ignorant youngin had the nerve to call Luther over-rated saying he ain't got no...Fatherhood Stories: Of Sons and Gods
by Neo Blaqness | May 29, 2013 | Family, Fatherhood Stories | 0 Comments
No longer afraid, the little bugger raised an eyebrow. He learned that from watching Buzz Lightyear and had perfected it. Then in a very irritated tone said, “but I need to sleep.” Well, me not thinking I simply said, “then I guess that is between you and God” as I tucked him in and left the room.
A LETTER: I Think I Chased Him Away
by Neo Blaqness | September 1, 2014 | Ask Neo, Faith Matters, Letters | 0 Comments
I have learned that love must always be embraced with the wonder of a child; that the more freely and without fear two people are able to set aside past pains, that the walls between them fall flat and become the foundation of faith and truth upon which a home is built wherein an unfailing love is eternally warmed by the fire of spirit filled wisdom.
THANKS NEO: You Don’t Have to Act Holy to Say What’s Right
by Neo Blaqness | January 27, 2014 | Ask Neo, Thanks Neo | 0 Comments
You know sometimes when you got a deep problem it hard to want to go talk to somebody in church because all they want to do is give you a Bible verse and pray and then you feel stupid like they perfect and something must be wrong with you.
Closed
by Neo Blaqness | May 27, 2013 | Faith Matters, Poetry | 0 Comments
CLICK BELOW TO LISTEN CLOSED by Neo Blaqness Closed hearts Closed eyes Closed ears Closed minds Cost souls Cost lives Leaves holes in the wisdom of timeLivin Large- On Subsistence?
by Neo Blaqness | September 1, 2013 | Observations, Reflections | 0 Comments
Now we are so addicted to whatever the government hands us that we think we doing something and think we got our own when in reality we are the ones owned and enslaved by Section 8, and WIC, and Food Stamps. It has become our new slavery and social services has become our new overseers as we tell them all our business to keep getting a check.
THANKS NEO: In Memory of Mama & Me
by Neo Blaqness | October 30, 2014 | Ask Neo, Thanks Neo | 0 Comments
Caregiving was at times challenging for me because, in never having given birth to any children, I was new at not only now parenting, but at my child actually being my mother. Wow! Thank you for in a sense having co-parented with me through countless phone calls and emails.
Autumn
by Neo Blaqness | August 19, 2013 | Personal, Reflections | 0 Comments
People often ask me what is it that I find so appealing about autumn? Is it the color of the leaves? The briskness of the air? The grey cloudy skies? The coming of the winter snow?
Glimmer
by Neo Blaqness | May 27, 2013 | Personal, Poetry, Reflections | 0 Comments
CLICK BELOW TO LISTEN GLIMMER by Neo Blaqness There is a joy I try to live by and that I endeavor to share with every soul I have been blessed to encounter; To try to be at least that one human being to understand the reasons for the absence of joy in the life of...But Why?
by Neo Blaqness | November 3, 2013 | Faith Matters | 0 Comments
In a sense … God does send us to each other, but not in the mysterious way people think.
The Woman for Me
by Neo Blaqness | July 17, 2012 | I Dream of You, Poetry | 0 Comments
CLICK BELOW TO LISTEN THE WOMAN FOR ME by Neo Blaqness I have never been into the wifey types A woman who just gives up her life to a man and bonds herself to his every wish as though she exists for his every command I always thought there’s got to be something better...THANKS NEO: A Long Forgotten Sin
by Neo Blaqness | September 20, 2013 | Ask Neo, Thanks Neo | 0 Comments
Neo, I been watching your career grow and grow. Twenty years ago both of us was much younger when I had it in my head that I knew everything about men. I remember like it was yesterday when you started your first paper and would show up at the salon in a tie with...PART IV: ReBoot
by Neo Blaqness | May 5, 2016 | Observations, Personal, Reflections | 0 Comments
When we sleep, it is not for the sake of our bodies, but for the sanity of our minds. As long as we get proper nutrition and rest from physical activities, the body itself can manage without sleep, but a lack of sleep will eventually drive us insane.
No Tights Required
by Neo Blaqness | May 25, 2014 | Personal, Reflections | 0 Comments
I have always been accused of having my father's stubborn discipline and my mother's relentless heart. I suppose, for a man, that can make for a dangerous combination. I grew up watching my mother do so much for others when we had so much less. Less money. Less...Weren’t They?
by Neo Blaqness | May 15, 2014 | Society | 0 Comments
I awake to see my blackened face in the mirror and ask myself what shall we wear today? a touch of white? or perhaps half tone, or would it be impolite to be black to the bone and chance losing my life simply walking home…
Real Fears No Competition
by Neo Blaqness | September 3, 2014 | Personal, Reflections | 0 Comments
NEO, I am not too proud to admit I would be scared to date somebody like you . I would feel like there is too much competition all the time. -VETTE MY REPLY: I remember Chris Rock making the joke that even J.J. from Good Times could get any girl he wanted. That was a...THANKS NEO: After All This Time I Think I Finally Get It
by Neo Blaqness | October 4, 2014 | Ask Neo, Thanks Neo | 0 Comments
I am a church going lady but if I had to pay you for every time you called me out and stepped on my toes I would be broke. Sometimes it is easier to go hear a sermon than to read some of your answers to people. Not because you are mean, even though you do bring it when you need to, but because you are real.
While You Were Sleeping
by Neo Blaqness | July 26, 2012 | I Dream of You, Poetry | 0 Comments
CLICK BELOW TO LISTEN WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING by Neo Blaqness Before the dawn of each day when your face is at rest I gaze upon my love looking her best no makeup no glamour no rush to impress at peace in the skin God made you in perfection at last til you open your...PART VI: A Postscript- My Journey Home
by Neo Blaqness | May 14, 2016 | Observations, Personal, Reflections | 1 Comment
Now I was being presented with REASON. But was it reason enough to choose to live. What would really change by turning back toward life?
Snow Day
by Neo Blaqness | January 5, 2014 | Personal, Reflections | 0 Comments
Sometimes, I don’t know who to feel sorrier for-my friends who have no idea what a day like this can be, or for myself and others who, when faced with such a day alone, truly know what we are missing.
An Awakening Moment from Sweet L
by Neo Blaqness | October 2, 2014 | Personal, Reflections | 0 Comments
Sometimes God sends you a message through people in a way that you never expect. I get a lot of stuff sent to me and, most of the time it is an old skool song that someone around my age is just sharing to everybody, or a gospel artist they wanted to share in response...Some 411 Before Your Next 911
by Neo Blaqness | September 11, 2016 | Ask Neo, Thanks Neo | 3 Comments
After reading her text I was left with a question to myself: What is it about so many of us that we tend to take better care of others then we do our own selves?
A LETTER: The Sexuality of Love
by Neo Blaqness | October 16, 2014 | Ask Neo, Faith Matters, Letters | 0 Comments
I have the same problem with ALL promiscuous people regardless of their sexuality. It breaks my heart that they cannot love themselves enough to see how beautifully and wonderfully made their lives are. Some of your profiles make me weep when I see you half naked looking for love. But then how can you expect gay and transsexual people to act any different when half of us hate on them without even wanting to know who they are?
Life Lessons from a Blues Legend
by Neo Blaqness | January 8, 2013 | Articles | 0 Comments
JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI (TBP) - When you mention the name Bobby Rush to people, many immediately think of the Congressman from Illinois who co-founded the Illinois chapter of the Black Panthers in 1968. They don’t think about the blues man born in Louisiana and...Chivralry: Where Have All The Flowers Gone
by Neo Blaqness | March 9, 2010 | Observations, Reflections | 0 Comments
Between semesters at college I needed a job so I answered an ad looking for a floater for a local bank.They sent us to teller training at their operations center where I was the only guy in the class. There was a girl in my class who took the bus to training but it...A Gud Woman
by Neo Blaqness | November 26, 2011 | I Dream of You, Poetry | 0 Comments
CLICK BELOW TO LISTEN A GUD WOMAN by Neo Blaqness Wut a good woman does that no other can do is sho you the luv even when life happens to do you wrong in ways sometimes you even deserve she wraps you in her arms and says I love u first but then she don’t leave it...The Doing of Love
by Neo Blaqness | July 11, 2013 | Observations, Reflections | 0 Comments
Today it seems we strive to be so much in love with ourselves that we drive everywhere with our face in the mirror complaining that someone needs to fix the bumpy road and clueless that those bumps are actually the people we are running over.
Handle with Care
by Neo Blaqness | June 2, 2013 | Observations, Reflections | 0 Comments
When yours are the only arms protecting a fragile spirit, even when others appreciate what you have done, nobody notices what you had to absorb on behalf of that person.
Choices
by Neo Blaqness | August 5, 2011 | I Dream of You, Poetry | 0 Comments
CLICK BELOW TO LISTEN CHOICES by Neo Blaqness There are many reasons we let go sometimes our burdens are too heavy to expect another to hold or we lack the strength within our grasp to find the faith to simply ask someone dear to stand closer by our side focused only...After Glow
by Neo Blaqness | February 8, 2012 | I Dream of You, Poetry | 0 Comments
CLICK BELOW TO LISTEN AFTERGLOW by Neo Blaqness Its been a while now perhaps even longer on my part Time never moved fast since you been on my heart maybe its because I never wanted it to I wanted each second to last a moment moments to last hours hours to be a...Love and Loneliness: Nature Boy Revisted
by Neo Blaqness | August 30, 2014 | Faith Matters | 0 Comments
Yes I love God. Yes I have, as Paul the Apostle also wrote “learned that whatever state I am in, therein to be content.” But I also heed to the wise words Nat King Cole immortalized in song that “the greatest thing, you’ll ever learn, is just to love, and be loved, in return.”
THANKS NEO: Fellowship Without Walls
by Neo Blaqness | December 22, 2013 | Ask Neo, Thanks Neo | 0 Comments
when you “touch a nerve” I’m forced to stop and take a moment to at the very least acknowledge that there are some I need to face or consider…
A LETTER: Reasoning, Religion & Repentance
by Neo Blaqness | November 7, 2014 | Ask Neo, Faith Matters, Letters | 1 Comment
The thing you need to understand first is that religion and faith are two different things. Religion requires a name and a book. Faith requires only a yearning for the wisdom of God and a willingness to accept it. Jesus said I will leave you a comforter- an inner spirit to guide you to all truths.
Love, Lonliness, and The Internet
by Neo Blaqness | February 7, 2011 | Observations, Reflections | 0 Comments
People talk a lot about how crazy and desperate it is to look for love online. What they fail to realize is that times have changed. Today more than half the people who get married in America have met in some way online. The internet is also the second leading cause...THANKS NEO: And Upbraideth Not
by Neo Blaqness | December 23, 2014 | Ask Neo, Thanks Neo | 0 Comments
I don’t know if you realize how much of a endangered species a brother like you is compared to all the crap we usually have to put up with so I can’t blame a sister for trying
The Epitathe of Real Men
by Neo Blaqness | August 6, 2013 | Observations, Reflections | 0 Comments
You sistahs got to stick together and stop hatin on each other and stop thieving from each other over these worthless men who don’t value nuthin but controlling you and gettin in your pants. You already should know that if you can steal him, you can’t keep him.
FatherHood Stories: The Heathen, The Holy, and The Hypocrite
by Neo Blaqness | October 18, 2014 | Family, Fatherhood Stories | 0 Comments
But the man whom I thought was my father was just the opposite. A womanizer and sometimes even a thief- a non churchgoing heathen
“Love is a state of mind. It is a choice of living. In my life I have witnessed human beings’ boundless capacity to love and countless accounts of cruelty in the name of something other than love. But if the greatest of the gifts to our existence is truly love, let me then die in defense of it, and not in the offense of hate.”
- Neo Blaqness -