A Gud Man
by Neo Blaqness | November 26, 2011 | I Dream of You, Poetry | 0 Comments
CLICK BELOW TO LISTEN A GUD MAN by Neo Blaqness Wut a good man does that anutha can’t do is kno how to love u after the luvin if thru he don’t just roll ova he still wants next to u makin luv to ur mind workin up to round two thoughts and hearts intertwined in ways a...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…
Deuces- Between Destiny and Choice
by Neo Blaqness | September 2, 2013 | Observations, Reflections | 0 Comments
I have learned that the Creator and the universe gives us two sets of answers- that which has been made especially for us, and that which can be made by our actions and choices, and that both can be an equal blessing
Pontius People
by Neo Blaqness | May 27, 2013 | Faith Matters, Poetry | 0 Comments
CLICK BELOW TO LISTEN PONTIUS PEOPLE -by Neo Blaqness Inhale Exhale Pass Fail Go to jail Please us or Jesus or If you must Fade to dust Walk alone or ride Our bus Chompin Stompin Don't forget your offerin Kneel down to our sound and receive your thorny crown...Erbert Johnson and The Duality of Black Urkels
by Neo Blaqness | March 1, 2012 | Articles, Society | 0 Comments
The events of his childhood would shape the man who would later come home to lead a bank that was established to help the very communities he saw on fire. You see, five year old Erbert Johnson made a promise to himself to somehow make things better when he grew up. And from a child’s heart to God’s ears, it was a promise he planned to keep.
I Can’t
by Neo Blaqness | November 26, 2011 | I Dream of You, Poetry | 1 Comment
CLICK BELOW TO LISTEN I CAN'T by Neo Blaqness I cant fight the ghosts of every man who eva dun you wrong I can't fill the space of every place where you never felt like you belonged I cant bear the pain of every heart that turned against your own I cant battle every...The Story of B: And You’re The Only One Who Knows
by Neo Blaqness | October 22, 2014 | Personal, Reflections | 1 Comment
NEO, I heard you in an interview last month talking about your poetry book I Dream of You and you were telling some very wonderful and heartbreaking stories about which poems were related to what relationships in your life. There was one group of poems you talked...We’re Gonna Need a Bigger SeaBoat
by Neo Blaqness | May 1, 2012 | Articles | 0 Comments
And so for an African American, whether Christian or Muslim- opening a business is not as cut and dry as writing a business plan and dreaming of the riches to come. For those from families with ties back to slavery and the old south, a business is about a community, about a legacy, and about a promise.
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.
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...When a Woman Gets Into a Man’s Shorts
by Neo Blaqness | December 16, 2011 | I Dream of You, Observations, Reflections | 0 Comments
CLICK BELOW TO LISTEN WHEN A WOMAN GETS INTO A MAN'S SHORTS by Neo Blaqness Today I finally had the courage to open that drawer. The one I set aside for her to use whenever she would visit. Where she would leave the things that made it feel like home- knowing that...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.
A LETTER: In The Shade of The Son
by Neo Blaqness | October 15, 2016 | Ask Neo, Faith Matters, Letters | 0 Comments
You know we all seem so sure when we are in the presence of darkness. We usually don’t doubt it for one second. And yet how easily we dismiss the light of others in our lives or, worse still, allow others to throw shade who don’t got nothing to do with God’s purpose between you and somebody else.
A Question of Good and Evil: An Ever Evolving Epiphany
by Neo Blaqness | June 21, 2014 | Faith Matters | 0 Comments
The time will come soon when what we call gods and angels and demons will reveal themselves for what they are and we will take our unique place among them. Mankind has been given a gift to learn about life from the ground up. By having our spirits temporarily bound to these frail bodies, we have the potential of a wisdom that will surpass others who have been so richly powerful for so long that they no longer know of love in the manner that we have been so abundantly blessed to know…
Between
by Neo Blaqness | July 26, 2012 | I Dream of You, Poetry | 0 Comments
CLICK BELOW TO LISTEN BETWEEN by Neo Blaqness In the silence between each breath I speak your name between each blink I see your face when my lips part I feel your kiss between each second It's you I miss between each beat my heart does pause to hear its echo in the...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.
TRAVELIN SHOES (a modern spiritual)
by Neo Blaqness | June 18, 2013 | Faith Matters | 3 Comments
A modern negro Spiritual.
FatherHood Stories: Almost Gone
by Neo Blaqness | October 18, 2014 | Family, Fatherhood Stories | 0 Comments
How I ended up at that record player is an interesting story. I was too young to swim with the big kids so my dad would sit me in a tiny row boat tied to the pier. I would watch everyone swim. During one picnic my older sister thought she saw a water moccasin and yelled “SNAAAAKE!!!”.
Beware The Dark Angels Among Us
by Neo Blaqness | July 5, 2013 | Observations, Reflections | 0 Comments
There is a scripture that essentially says that you never know when you might be entertaining angels unaware. Here’s a wake up call people. That does include FALLEN angels…
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.
THANKS NEO: A Letter I Got Today
by Neo Blaqness | July 25, 2013 | Ask Neo, Thanks Neo | 0 Comments
A LETTER I GOT TODAY Mr. Blaqness, I saw on your website how other people have wrote you and I thought it was time I wrote you. I hope you share my story like you did with the other people. Four years ago when I was still in middle school I had a lot of anger and as...This Walk
by Neo Blaqness | September 19, 2012 | Faith Matters, Poetry | 0 Comments
CLICK BELOW TO LISTEN THIS WALK by Neo Blaqness I already know mine is not an easy heart to hold but I make no apology for being me I used to try to see eye to eye to walk by sight that wasn't mine but I might as well been blind running into things that you passed by...Looking to God for Answers
by Neo Blaqness | October 23, 2009 | Faith Matters | 0 Comments
I know a lot of people that spend a lot of time on their knees. I mean a LOT of time. In the Christian church they a praised as prayer warriors. I am one who favors the peace of mind and clarity of purpose and direction that can come through prayer. But all too often...With Love
by Neo Blaqness | February 19, 2012 | I Dream of You, Poetry | 0 Comments
CLICK BELOW TO LISTEN WITH LOVE by Neo Blaqness We had a love for all the wrong reasons you were looking for someone to believe in you for a change and not just complain about all of the things you never could be instead of the things you are And so everyday you awoke...Abundantly
by Neo Blaqness | May 27, 2013 | Faith Matters, Poetry | 0 Comments
CLICK BELOW TO LISTEN ABUNDANTLY ~by Neo Blaqness~ A life without true love is like a smile that no one sees warmth without a breeze a sky without a sea of stars to gaze upon and dream a child without laughter no hope of happy ever after just existing missing out...PART I: I Guess You Wonder Where I’ve Been
by Neo Blaqness | April 29, 2016 | Personal, Reflections | 1 Comment
I knew not to chance it. I was warned the last time that I had been only millimeters from emergency back surgery. The nature of the situation was such that the discs could slip into the spinal cord and trigger life threatening signals to my brain and throughout my body.
BLACK LIVES MATTER BEGINS AT CONCEPTION
by Neo Blaqness | July 14, 2016 | Society | 0 Comments
By indiscriminately fomenting discord at the appearance of every white cop involved shooting of a black person, the Black Lives Matter Movement risks riding in the same clown car that produced the birther movement which launched the campaign to de-legitimize the nation’s first African American President. Black Lives Matter clearly does not know how to pick its battles, nor control the narrative of its goals,
Today
by Neo Blaqness | September 26, 2012 | I Dream of You, Poetry | 1 Comment
CLICK BELOW TO LISTEN TODAY by Neo Blaqness Today when you looked at me your eyes smiled with the innocence of a girl who had never known sadness Your face glowed like a child given a long awaited gift You tilted your head and blushed like a teenager whose first love...A Home for Love
by Neo Blaqness | February 20, 2012 | I Dream of You, Poetry | 0 Comments
CLICK BELOW TO LISTEN A HOME FOR LOVE by Neo Blaqness looking sexy might catch an eye but being humble will catch a heart a compliment might stroke an ego but does your presence stir a soul when you say something you speak to a mind when you are quiet a spirit listens...Finding Your Own Way
by Neo Blaqness | May 3, 2014 | Reflections | 0 Comments
I have learned as I have grown older that your family only knows your history- where you been. Your friends know who you are- the person you let them see. Everybody else only knows what they want to believe. But at the end of the day, only you know where you are...Fatherhood Stories: Too Pretty
by Neo Blaqness | July 23, 2013 | Family, Fatherhood Stories | 0 Comments
Not one for wanting to settle for eating prepackaged food, I learned to cook. I experimented with all the things I liked that she used to cook and I took every opportunity to watch my grandmother who I also visited each weekend with my father.
Never Expect
by Neo Blaqness | October 22, 2009 | I Dream of You, Poetry | 0 Comments
CLICK BELOW TO LISTEN NEVER EXPECT by Neo Blaqness Never expect Someone to carry you If you are Unwilling to walk Never expect Someone to hear you If you are Unwilling to talk Never expect Someone to catch you If you are Unwilling to fly Never expect Someone to live...Faith Walk
by Neo Blaqness | May 27, 2013 | Faith Matters, Poetry | 0 Comments
CLICK BELOW TO LISTEN FAITH WALK by Neo Blaqness walk by faith not by sight cuz when your spirit tells you something's not right yet you follow your eyes into the night thinking the path to Heaven is between some thighs and find the devil in disguise a million reasons...Spiritual First Responders
by Neo Blaqness | July 4, 2013 | Observations, Reflections | 0 Comments
I have learned that as much as you may want to dive right in, love can’t always be a full embrace. Sometimes it has to settle for being a life ring
THANKS NEO: You Are An Inspiration to So Many
by Neo Blaqness | February 26, 2015 | Ask Neo, Thanks Neo | 0 Comments
I bless God for you being a mentor, a counselor, a big brother and so much more.
Y’all Betta Recognize: The New Civil Rights Generation
by Neo Blaqness | June 29, 2014 | Family, Personal, Reflections | 0 Comments
Those of us over 40 grew up at a time when you had to remember phone numbers, when calculators were a luxury, and when having good cursive writing penmanship was the sign of a decent education. Now our minds are lazy with contact lists, spell check, and dumbed down...Livin 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.
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...Dealing With Christians Who Have Pockets Full of Rocks
by Neo Blaqness | June 4, 2013 | Faith Matters | 0 Comments
The sword of truth is not a weapon meant to go out and champion God. God needs no champions. He needs the FAITHFUL.
Epiphany
by Neo Blaqness | April 9, 2012 | Faith Matters, Poetry | 0 Comments
CLICK BELOW TO LISTEN EPIPHANY by Neo Blaqness There are many gods but one Creator. The fear of gods is the sustenance of ignorance. The worship of gods is the suppression of truth. The wisdom of gods is the perfecting of our faith. To walk with gods is the promise of...We All Have Our Reasons
by Neo Blaqness | December 19, 2011 | Faith Matters | 0 Comments
There is a divine spirit within the brotherhood of man regardless of what name you want to give it. What this time of year should remind us of foremost is of the greatness of who we can truly become when we choose to love and to give selflessly.
Bill Cosby In Contemporary Black Context -by Neo Blaqness
by Neo Blaqness | November 25, 2014 | Articles, Society | 0 Comments
Still, the question remains. If all the accusations are true, why Cosby? And why now? The most obvious answer is social media being the great equalizer against a once insurmountable power. None of these women would have had a chance to appear credible before the age of the mass community verdict which yields even greater weight than an actual court case.
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.
A LETTER: A Conversation with Blaqness
by Neo Blaqness | March 25, 2010 | Ask Neo, Letters, Personal, Reflections | 0 Comments
More often than not, a lot of the material that makes it to this site and into my articles and books come from conversations with readers with whom I have become friends. Here is another one I thought I would share. FROM A READER: You're the Man....My Friend...That is...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...I Refuse To Be Lonely
by Neo Blaqness | October 23, 2009 | Observations, Reflections | 0 Comments
Never go grocery shopping when you are hungry. I learned that piece of wisdom only after I had blown twice my budget rushing to get food in the house before a snowstorm. I think the same principle needs to be applied to when you are lonely. The emotion of loneliness...NEO’S TOP 10 REASONS A WOMAN WILL STOP CALLING YOU BACK
by Neo Blaqness | April 4, 2014 | Observations, Reflections | 0 Comments
NEO'S TOP 10 REASONS A WOMAN WILL STOP CALLING YOU BACK 1. Something you said kicked up feelings she isn't quite ready to talk about or face. 2. She is afraid to tell you something she fears might run you away. 3. She already got what she wanted out of you and has...Indecision- A Female’s Worst Enemy
by Neo Blaqness | February 6, 2014 | Observations, Reflections | 0 Comments
We are all, often, our own worst enemy but it would seem, more so with women. I especially laugh when one of my female friends say “well you knew I was wrong and not acting right, why did you let me do it?” like I have some kind of magic powers to stop them from doing what they have chosen to do.
READY, SET, GO-D
by Neo Blaqness | June 8, 2013 | Faith Matters, Poetry | 0 Comments
CLICK BELOW TO LISTEN READY, SET, GO-D by Neo Blaqness I remember One time I told God "Nope I ain't gonna do it" and I heard him laugh hard saying "child there ain't nothing to it" and it kinda put me off "Well that's easy for you to say cuz you're God" Then he...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?
“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 -