I won an award!!!!!!

I won an award from The Academia for my spoken word piece, “Gimmee Money.” Dubblex and I collaborated on the music for this. I wrote the words. Below is the list of winners in all categories plus a link to my song. I redid for the submission. 

 

http://www.theakademia.com/winners4/

 

http://www.theakademia.com/february2016_bestsong_spokenword4.html

                        

 This is what their judges wrote on the website. When you go to the website above -2nd link, you will see it plus right below you can listen to the song. 

'Gimmee Money’ calls on shiveringly intimate spoken word talent and a funk-infused beat to leave a vital impression with the listener.'

Joy Leftow 

It’s ok I said, I've been there too

I understand where you’re coming from

Just show me the dotted line and

I’ll be ready to sign

I promise I’ll make no demands

For alimony or child support

My life’s worth more than you could ever pay

The gun trained on my face

I heard the click

And saw him pull the trigger back

Imagine the surprise on his face when we

Still stood eye to eye 

the bullet jammed in the chamber

My life handed to me on a silver 

platter that day, I understand now

But for the mercy of God 

I’d be dead not only broke

Lucky not to succumb to a bullet that day

I said, “Show me that dotted line 

I know when it’s time to sign and give in

Because I’ll never get nothing from you 

except a hard way to go

You never liked sharing anyway 

so I’m glad to let you know

I’m glad to see you go

I want you to know 

I’m glad you know 

I don’t need you to have my own

I had my own before you were born

no - please don’t interrupt," I said

holding up my open palm,

"You misunderstand.

I said it's ok. Go with your government job 

and all your big benefits.

It’s ok if you refuse to share.

I swear I don’t care. 

I’ll sign it all away to you

as long as you let me go my own way.

I'll sign that dotted line, 

I swear I will!

I’m not giving in to death yet – 

it’s premature to date.

Please don’t make me 

leave my son motherless

Hand me a pen 

I’m willing ready and able to bend

I’ll sign on that dotted line

I absolve you from all your future debts to me

Please let me go by the grace of God

Thank God I’m not dead 

Here I go, I got a pen in my hand 

I’m ready to sign on that dotted line.”

The surprise registered in your lifted brows

as you pulled the trigger

and stared me dead in the eye

no remorse for what you planned to do

"An eye for an eye," you quoted,

"So bang you’re dead, gone in the wink 

of an eye," and you winked at me.

We thought it was for one last time.

Certainly for me I thought this is the last wink I’ll ever see.

Pulled the trigger in the blink of an eye

A gleeful smile on your “no mercy for the bitch face”

A New York City minute changes life

when you saw no bullet had emerged from the chamber

no bullet came clambering through 

no bullet went through me and 

by the mercy of God I still stand here before thee

So let me be me and I’ll allow you to be free of me

Free from all my demands you could no longer stand 

that made you be so cruel to me

Now I’m ready to sign on the dotted line as long as you’ll let me be

Yes I’m ready to sing there’s a song in my heart

Glory Hallelujah I'm so glad I survived

I'm so blessed to be alive

money ain’t mean nothing to me I’ll give it all up to stay alive

I got a song in my heart so glad to be alive

Paper Blues

I’ve got the blues about paper today

I walk around my house examining notes, short stories,
papers from high school written in long hand

looking through papers to throw away

Thinking about days long gone when we learned to write script

My mind jumps ahead: future generations where no one will know how to write script. Writing by hand will disappear except for a few who carry on. Handwriting will become a fine transcribed art that no one teaches and that no one knows how to do anymore.

My cabdriver explained how now-a-days, children do their assignments online on the computer so they don’t write anything down at all anymore not like we did back in the day. He said they barely learn print, they type everything on the computer.

Columbia forced me to buy a typewriter in 1978. They said hand written assignments get lower grades. Hasn’t anyone explained this to you before? I mean I ‘m sorry to break it down to you like this and feel bad no one told you before that at Columbia. Miz. Leftow, you already lost one grade this term by handing in hand-written homework. You would have gotten a B+ but because it was hand written you only are due a C+. Sorry…

When I explained how poor I was she said you’re smart, you’re here at Columbia so you’ll figure out a way to survive.

Back then all I had was two pairs of jeans a skirt a few blouses and one sweater from the $10 store. I had no money to spend but needed that typewriter. Back then I couldn’t conceive a typewriter had a memory so you wouldn’t have to typewrite the whole page if you made a mistake.

My cabbie ‘s conversation brings me back. He’s telling me how hard it is to get by with four children, two are teenagers. "The only way we get by is because my wife lies and says I don’t live there so she can get food stamps Medicaid and section 8," he said as he drove his Lincoln Town Car, working and paying for High Class radio service trying to make a buck. "It ain’t easy out here and that rent we pay would cost us 2100 instead of the 900 we pay and in this way we get by," he confided.

"Four children and us and two cats. I show the vet our Medicaid card," he continued, "and then we don’t pay. Medicaid for cats is good," he said. "We’re doing the best we can to get by and she works on the side too. My wife’s a certified home health nursing aide and she gets work a few days a week at a hospital up in the Bronx. After they take out the taxes it’s about 50 bucks for a 12-hour day then she got to make sure it don’t get in the way of watching out for our children so thank God she doesn’t work everyday."

"It gives her time off to cook and clean house and watch over our teens and younger children. We pay for catholic school – and they have to go to college. There’s no jobs out there you know. We try to get by – but it’s hard to qualify. That’s why she wants to work too. She works off the books. There’s just too many bills to pay. You know growing children need clothes and shoes - those are expensive."

"It’s a different world out there," my cabby alerts me that the ride and story have come to an end. I look around me at all the paper, the notes and each piece of paper seems to have so much meaning I don’t know how to throw it out.

They don’t do things the way they used to. My cabbie is a young man. He’s only 42. His radio comes alive. A voice asks his location in Spanish.

It’s a lot to chew on. I think about all the finagling I did to get by twenty-two years working professionally to help our young – a noble job made harder by the huge bureaucracy I functioned in.

I wanted a house but it went into foreclosure but I still have my state subsidized Mitchel-Lama. They’re hard to come by now-a-days and they don’t intend to build more. Now the Mitchel-Lama rentals are so high that when people don’t lie andtell the truth about who lives where, no one can afford to live anywhere anymore.

In Washington Heights where I live most of the people survive on a lie because otherwise they’d live so poor they’d be in deep shit .

Worked hard for that money and still

Can’t get me no no no no - satisfaction

Gimmee Money

That beat gets heated in my head
Never felt like this before cause its never been this bad before
Financially
I’m feeling those fiduciary blues now
Things are getting worse all the time
money aint everything it’s true but it sure does help to pay those bills
Money it’s what I want – gimmee money it’s what I want
Money raining down on me
money ain’t everything it’s true but it sure gets its hold on you when you need to pay those bills
A little thrill that bill got paid - a huge frill with bitter pill thrown in

The details are lost in my mind, awake in bed, mountain out of molehill
served with foreclosure papers 5 a.m. delivery
Reality sets in, bleakly I get quirky, relay the bad news
The bills are due again
money can’t buy everything it’s true but it sure does help to pay some bills
it’s getting bleary in here and I’m getting leery because I need things to get better,
today I got another foreclosure letter
But from what I hear ain’t nobody but the crooks doing better than me
money rain down on me today
I want that money it’s what I want anyway
Gimmee money – it’s what I want lot’s of money, gimmee lots of grimy money
Bring it on home, baby
so now - you say what I say- do what I do

(to audience - hold up your hands and say) “repeat after me” (Hold up 2 fingers)
money rain on me today! Money it’s what I want - gimme money lot’s of money
money rain on me today! Money it’s what I want - gimme money lot’s of money
Sing these money blues along with me today
to pass these blues away
we’re praying for our money
so we can take care of our children, our needs, if you work you can’t get things free
give us that money for free today- spread the word around – money lost now found

I want that moolah that’s coming to me
More of those extras some food stamps I don’t qualify for
but I sure am hurtin enough to use em
Only disabled can have more money and qualify for welfare too
But life’s hurtin for everyone out here these days and maybe you feel like me
It’s that money it’s what I want – gimmee money lots of money
Money can’t buy you everything it’s true but what it can’t buy you probably can’t use
I don’t know what this blue ass world is coming to
I sing these money blues today cause I know you need that shit like I do

so now - you say what I say- do what I do

(audience participation - hold up your hands say) “repeat after me” (Hold up 2 fingers)
money rain on me today! Money it’s what I want - gimme money lot’s of money
money rain on me today! Money it’s what I want - gimme money lot’s of money
Sing these money blues along with me today
Money it’s what I want - Gimme money lots of money
money rain on me today
do what I do - say what I say -
money rain on me today
Money it’s what I want - Gimme money lots of money

This poem is designed to bring money to all of us who need it - the catch is we only get how much we need not how much we want - still it beats a blank
think think think and believe - money rain on me today - yay - it's working for me and it can work for you too!

recognition -

Wonderful to have recognition for doing what you love...

This blog was listed by online colleges under 100 Great Web Sites For Poetry Lovers. I'm proud and honored, especially since they only listed 20 blogs!

Today for the first time I noticed HilariousNYC.com listed this blog and dubblex's on their blog roll. This is also a very entertaining blog. The editor first discovered DubbleX's flyer and wrote about it here.

Another surprise, found Joy's Poetry Blog on litkicks through my statcounter this instant and am dancing in my chair!

Also got an email yesterday from an online adult learning resources site that wanted to post an add in my archives under a short post titled Changes and paid me $200 for it. This particularly suits me as I am a great believer in the power of education.

This is heaven!

Busy as busy bee me...

The latest issue of the Cartier Street Review is out after some delay and setbacks. Bernard's computer was down for a while as was his server so ...
The July issue is up and everyone is saying it's the best yet. All the poetry and short stories are only short of phenomenal plus there are reviews to read too. You have got to check out this edition. The art is popping too. I'm still seeking someone to do layout and also seeking another editor /reader with some experience. If you're interested please contact me at Violetwrites@nyc.rr.com.
The Cartier Street Review will cut back to quarterly. It was too much work to get it out every 2 months so we have cut back. We still have lives to live and writing to do, not just reading and compiling. Check out my new bluetry here, Money. I'm calling it to me and so far landed one edit job (paid cash) and have two possibilities for paid writing for September. Wish me luck as I'm tired of being poor.
Thanks go out to Thomas Hubbard, new editor on board and Dubblex as editor too. Thomas came on board as we were doing the last few final edits for this edition but I expect his expertise will come in handy in future editions.
Going forward, we are considering doing an annual print edition as well. We have to see how it all goes...
Thanks for stopping by and I'll have some new bluetry up soon.

Changes

A year ago I wouldn't have believed it if someone told me what I'd be doing now. Time keeps passing whether you stay where you are or keep moving. I had a general 5 year plan that I'd been faithfully following and for some part that stayed in place. The part that stayed in place included keeping up my retirement annuity and leaving my job. I didn't plan on the following things:
loving DubbleX & finding out he's crazy & staying with him
leaving my husband in spite of loving him
plus having other reasons to leave my husband & preferring not to be with him
adopting out Mocha, a rescued Siamese I'd had 5 years
Keeping 2 of Starr's babies
Losing 40 pounds without trying to & joining a gym
Spending $40,000 of my retirement money on various things and spending more money to pay off old debts
Living on my pension
Losing half of our combined savings from our marriage because of the economy & being more poor than I've been in years
being this active on facebook
keeping up blogs for 2

Wow!


P.S. Dubble-wow reading this again a year later and I'm glad to seem time and myself moving on - still trying to be and do the best that I can!!!!