My existence existed before and after I exited.

Little did you know you could always find me flying above still waters in the springs and summers…

Resting deep beneath the peace of its calmed waves in the coldest winters.

My presence is forever present to witness the generations of your presence.

For the ultimate present is your unity and love.

So the next time you see a dragonfly fly by,

Say Hi.

It’s no coincidence.

It’s me “Deion”

Waving to you through GOD’s presence.

The post Infinity appeared first on Linda Orji Creative Universe.

Sincerely,

Linda Orji

In my most recent Instagram post from June 2, 2018 (Me dancing to Won’t he do it by Koryn Hawthorne)  I stated,

“Look out for a NEW blog post in a few HRS. Ya girl got a lot on the brain for sure.”

Why didn’t I post anything? Well, because I was receiving a lot of judgment from the videos and my mind instantly went to a NEXT LEVEL state, as it does often. I immediately put a hold on the original blog post I was going to put up to meditate on how I can respond to the judgment in my best way possible? I shared a Facebook story:

“I’M DANCING TO CHRISTIAN MUSIC AND THEY’RE STILL PREYING ON ME.”

That was one way, but it wasn’t my best way, so I deleted the story and am writing this instead.

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So, according to the ones judging, the way I was moving in my videos was too secular for the song. The question was, how was I listening to a song about God and moving my hips the way I was moving them?

My answer is…I’m so over the pathetic, don’t got nothing better to do than complain, holy sanctified, kumbaya, smile in your face talk behind your back, jealous, Christians. Better yet I’m gonna take away that title Christian and just say ‘individuals’ because the label Christian doesn’t define you, you define you. Just like I DEFINE me.

I was given beautifully designed tools; body, mind, and soul, all of which have powers that can move mountains.  You see, there’s an art to moving and it is so much more than dancing and music. It’s psychological, it has a universal affect (philosophy), but most importantly it’s a safe haven for people like myself who are deeply and highly intuitive to their surroundings.

The type of music my body, mind, and soul move to is irrelevant here, because I DEFINE what it means when they move. I DEFINE what defines music. The wind could be music. Silence could be music. When I recorded myself I wasn’t concerned about anything other than using my tools to inspire others to get up and move (physically, mentally, and spiritually) in the midst of troubled times. To work-it-out within yourself and the God-in-you, even if means being alone in your living room, hurt, confused, misunderstood, and breaking a sweat to a dope song. I wasn’t twerking. I wasn’t naked. I didn’t show any cleavage. Because I decided to sway my hips a certain way doesn’t mean I’m “fast” or trying to be seductive. The fact that this is the mindset out here is a reflection of how much progress needs to be made among US.

I’ve recently encountered people who are scared to be honest with themselves because they are so frightened of how “loved ones” might react. Is that love? Loved ones lying to each other to instill fear in another so the individual won’t become their best and strongest self but forever be “loyal” to them. Is that loyalty? There are people out here manipulating others so much that it stunts their physical, spiritual, and mental growth. It breaks the individual down to a point where they lose themselves and are unable to define themselves. People are out here pleading for help maliciously and selfishly. That’s one scary combination, isn’t it?

Dear judgers. I DEFINE me. My third eye is open so there is no need for me to see, for I AM one with my surroundings, mentally, spiritually, and physically.

Sincerely,

Linda Orji

The post I DEFINE. appeared first on Linda Orji Creative Universe.

The title Bronx SHēk (pronunciation of ‘chic’ not to be confused with ‘chick’) was inspired by a moment that occurred just a couple months ago, when a guy questioned my “Bronx Chickness.” I guess he was accentuating I was fake; because of how I was raised and how I moved, and made decisions. In other words, I was born in the Bronx but my mannerisms didn’t fit the role.

He said to me, “I need me a REAL Bronx chick” At the time I was so distracted by not fitting into his standards of a “real chick” that I didn’t even realize how stereotypical his standards were.

Granted, there are some things I’m still learning as a woman. But how does me being a real woman have anything to do with where I was born and raised? So because my father moved me out of the Bronx and raised me elsewhere I don’t fit the role of a real Bronx chick? What does that even mean?

Fast forward, weeks later, I was brainstorming for my second Creative LLC’s Paint & Play spoken word piece at Apostrophe Lounge, and for some reason, that moment came back to me. Everything I didn’t say to him overflowed and the contractions of birthing Bronx SHēk began. It created an indescribable roller coaster of sad, angry, positive, kiss-my-ass emotions.

https://youtu.be/FcHJ96XV2gk

Ladies!

Let’s do those out there, who are dividing us by putting us into stereotypical categories to fulfill their insecurities a good service. Let’s come together and make this world better for the future, our children. Let’s show them that we are more than our hood (where we were born) and some. Yes, we may rock name brands, but they do not define us.

Let’s not get so distracted by money and possessions that we become blind to what’s happening around us. Let’s start embracing our own swag and stop trying to copy the swag of another for the sake of “fitting in.”

Let’s put all that we have learned into a pot and brew something uniquely strong, elegant, and  beautiful. I’m here to tell you, you are NOT just a chick from Baltimore. You are NOT just a chick from Bokoro or San Juan. You are NOT just a chick from the Bronx.

You are Baltimore SHēk.

You are Bokoro SHēk.

You are San Juan SHēk.

You are Bronx SHēk.

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chic

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Is an Igbo proverb my father taught me that his mother would say to him. What’s interesting about Igbo proverbs and stories is that they can have various meanings. This proverb literally means ‘take your eye’ however it also means:

• “Ensure your eyes are open”
• “Remain alert”
• “Be mindful”

Now why would I say remain alert and be mindful, then put the words “Black Power” after it? Here’s another question, how many Africans do you see from Africa walking around in colorful dashikis yelling “Black Power!” and proclaiming how “black” they are? Better yet how many Africans from Africa are on social media ranting about their mistreatment from someone of another race or ethnicity? Now please do not misinterpret what I’m saying here. The black power movement that occurred in 1950s and early 1960s was something in a way I wish I could have experienced and has paved the way for us, especially the Black Panthers. The movement was a true reflection of how powerful we are. Today it’s like the term ‘black’ has become just something to say. I’m guilty of it myself at times, which is why I wrote this blog post.

And now that I am thinking about it, I realize since birth I have never heard my father, uncles, aunts, or even grandparents say or mention “Black Power”. Their walk is power; Their accent. Their language. Their mentality. The way they teach us (children). The stories they tell. The proverbs they pass down. Now I have heard my father say, “People judge me initially but once I speak and they hear my accent their demeanor changes. They become respectful–they get friendly.” My father has also said to me, “Black says nothing about you. Not even “African American” says anything about you. You are Nigerian American.”

Africa is a continent, full fifty-four countries, from Algeria to Zimbabwe, languages, beliefs, foods, principles, proverbs, cultures, style of clothing, etc. According to my father the dashiki that African Americans wear, relates to a group of people in Nigeria called the Hausa people. Wikipedia explains the word dashiki further. The name dashiki is derived from the Hausa word ʼdan ciki, which means shirt.

This spiked my curiosity and I immediately wanted to dig deeper into the various styles of traditional Hausa attire. A popular style worn by Traditional Hausa-Fulani is very long and the sleeves are loose and kind of cut off.

Am I against dashikis?

No, they are beautiful. Have I ever worn one? No. Will I ever wear one? Probably not. What I will surely wear is my Igbo Nigerian traditional attire that will or has been specially designed for me by my aunt who sews, or a professional Nigerian tailor.

My point in all this is let’s open our eyes so we can see the African culture for what it truly is. Just because we wear a dashiki or in proper terms a dan ciki doesn’t make us more or less powerful. Let’s not get caught up in the hype of the “Black Power” business (believe it or not it is a business) so much so that we drift away from our true roots. Remember being African or of African descent is about knowledge, strength, values, and culture. That is our true power. Many African Americans who are going hard for Africa can’t name up to ten countries in Africa. Many Americans going hard for “Black Power” are still calling Africa a country.

As my grandmother told my father and my father told me…

 Kpachara anya gi . 

The post Kpachara anya gi “Black Power” appeared first on Linda Orji Creative Universe.

Because it is the most dangerous and deadliest time anyone could encounter. Thoughts pile up on top of thoughts. The head becomes heavy. The treacherous waves crash violently against the temples shores, battling the frightening winds.

CRASH! CRASH!

THE STORM IS COMING!

Quick, run for shelter, go NOW!

Find a safe place, away from harm.

No, not there!

The cement structure will break your bones.

NO! Definitely not there!

You’ll drown to death.

Try here…

Yea, here is good.

The post Current of an idol mind appeared first on Linda Orji Creative Universe.

I’ve been told that I’m hard to read. I agree. It’s hard to tell what I’m thinking or predict what outlandish thought may develop in my head and exit through my mouth. Yes, I’m unpredictable, so what? Of course, that’s so much easier for me to say today than it was back in my elementary school and high school days.

Back then, I was quiet and held back on a lot of my thoughts. Why? Because when I did speak up, no one truly understood my words. As a result of them misunderstanding me, my thoughts were immediately classified as disrespectful or mean.

A good example would be when I stood up in the middle of class and yelled across the room at my 7th grade teacher who found the need to tell me my interpretation to a story she assigned us to read was wrong. At that moment, all I could think was, “What gives her the power to be right and make me wrong about my opinion?”

It was just like that time on Sway’s morning radio show when Kanye West yelled, “You ain’t got the answers!”

You see, when you’re passionate about your feelings, and are frustrated with others misunderstanding who you are, it will build up inside of you. Then one day, it will manifest through a major action, and people will judge you again, based on that one big action. We can get deeper into that another time, but I’m sure you get where I’m going. If you don’t…just turn on the news, and then read my statement again. Here, let me help you out by saying it again:

When you’re passionate about your feelings, and are frustrated with others misunderstanding who you are, it will build up inside of you. Then one day, it will manifest through a major action, and people will judge you again, based on that one big action.

You see, the best way for me to express myself has always been writing. Mainly because I didn’t have to deal with direct judgement and people’s confusion about what I was trying to say. Everything made complete sense when I wrote it. I’ve written letters to physicians who said I inspired them. I’ve landed great jobs because of my writing. I’ve won awards and have gotten accepted into great schools because of my writing. But I’ve always asked myself, how can go beyond that?

Many people may be wondering why I am going through all this – blogging, explaining who I am, etc. – as opposed to just going to get my now completed manuscript published and selling the damn book already! This project is the reason for my existence. I say project because the book is just a tiny aspect of my vision.

This project gives me life, and I know it will give life to others. It goes beyond getting published. I view the exchange as a heart transplant. As research explains, a heart transplant is not necessarily a cure for heart disease but a treatment that can improve the quality of life for its recipient. I’m not claiming my written words to be 100% perfect and healing of what’s broken, but I am most certain that they will improve the quality of life for their recipients.

WHO AM I? I am a heart surgeon, and before I go out into the world performing operations, I must make sure people know WHO I AM through my words.

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