I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Hola Everybody,
Anyone in the issue of the struggle against racialized social control and mass incarceration, should come hear us at Old Soul’s Church. For details, see the flyer below:

I usually leave the art stuff for Saturdays, but in preparing for tonight’s panel, I came across the following poem in my notes. It’s from a poet that not too many people may know about. Many people know of Maya Angelou’s memoir I know Why the Caged Bird Sings, but not as many know of the poet who inspired the title, Paul Laurence Dunbar, the first African-American to gain national prominence as a poet. He died much too young, at 33, but his work is as fascinating as it is beautiful.

With that, I leave you with... 

Sympathy

I know what the caged bird feels, alas!
When the sun is bright on the upland slopes;
When the wind stirs soft through the springing grass,
And the river flows like a stream of glass;
When the first bird sings and the first bud opes,
And the faint perfume from its chalice steals —
I know what the caged bird feels!

I know why the caged bird beats his wing
Till its blood is red on the cruel bars;
For he must fly back to his perch and cling
When he fain would be on the bough a-swing;
And a pain still throbs in the old, old scars
And they pulse again with a keener sting —
 

I know why he beats his wing!

I know why the caged bird sings, ah me,
When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore,—
When he beats his bars and he would be free;
It is not a carol of joy or glee,
But a prayer that he sends from his heart's deep core,
But a plea, that upward to Heaven he flings —
I know why the caged bird sings!

-- Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906)

* * *

My name is Eddie and I’m in recovery from civilization…

The Friday Sex Blog [The Breast]

Hola Everybody,
Today is Friday and it’s all about sex at the [un]Common Sense blog!

Ode to The Breast

Thy breasts are like two young roes that are twins, which feed among the lilies.
-- Song of Solomon, 4:5 The Bible

I do not share our culture’s obsessive fascination with women’s breasts. In other words, my fascination with big boobs is not as ingrained as with other men. However, I just want to state for the record that I have never turned down the sexual advances of any big-breasted women.

Anyway, there’s probably never been a culture in history that has been blind to the beauty of the female breast. This is no surprise considering it has suckled civilization. More importantly, it’s also a powerful trigger of sexual arousal and pleasure.

The breast, nipple, and areola (the darker ring that encircles the nipple) are dense in nerve endings, which is why they’re sensitive. In fact, sex researchers at the Masters and Johnson Institute in St. Louis report that a tiny fraction of women (about 1 percent) are able to masturbate to orgasm simply by touching and stroking their nipples and breasts. Apparently, nipple stimulation activates the same region of the brain as clitoral, vaginal and cervical stimulation.

Conversely, many women simply do not respond to having their breasts kissed, sucked, or stroked. Studies have shown that although 90 percent of women say their partners like to fondle their breasts during sex play, only about 50 percent actually like it. Some women find it uncomfortable or even painful, especially just before or during menstruation, when breasts seem to become tender. According to researchers, the only real stimulation many women get in breast play is “watching the man enjoy it.” Whatever the case, communication is key in creating an intimate language. Tell your partner if you enjoy it or not. Men: ask her if she does or doesn’t enjoy it.

There are changes a woman’s breasts undergo during sexual arousal that are dependent on whether a woman has breastfed. In a woman with unsuckled breasts, nipple erection is usually the first sign of arousal. Then the areolas swell, often so much that “frequently it looks as if she’s lost nipple erection,” says sex researcher Dr. Masters who has probably observed the process more than any man in history. Then the breast itself, engorged with blood, begins to swell -- sometimes by 20 or 25 percent. It becomes so swollen that the blue traceries of veins can be seen and resembles a nursing breast.

[Note: not all women get erect nipples -- and if your nipples don’t stand at attention when you’re aroused, you shouldn’t fear that you’re frigid. In addition, some women have inverted nipples -- “innies” instead of “outties” -- are quite normal but make nipple erection impossible.]

The breasts of a woman who has suckled a child goes through the same changes during arousal, except that they don’t swell as much. Nursing results in a changed pattern of blood flow.

Breasts are probably as much a symbol of womanliness to women as they are to men, at least in part because breast growth is usually the first sign of puberty in girls. Usually, breasts begin to bud after the age of 12, but in some girls, the process may begin as early as eight. Budding breasts are the first proud announcement of a whirlwind parade of changes that accompany puberty, usually followed by the appearance of downy pubic hair, then a generalized growth spurt, coarser pubic hair, menstruation, and finally the growth of hair beneath the arms.

The media obsession with large breasts and breasts in general has had a huge impact on the way women view their bodies. For example, many women worry that their breasts are not the same size. The truth is that just as no two pairs of feet are precisely matched, no woman has a perfectly matched pair of breasts. In fact, some studies show that more than half of all women in the US have breasts that vary so much in size that it’s noticeable to the naked eye. Nearly a quarter have one breast that is at least 20 percent larger than the other, reports the Kinsey Institute.

Many women long for bigger breasts in the belief that men will find them more attractive. Yet the truth may be that men may not be as infatuated with big breasts as women think they are. The Kinsey Institute reports that at least one study of what men find sexually attractive in women showed that only half even mentioned breasts at all, and of those, half said they preferred small ones.

I mention this because many women buy into the image of those high, full, firm, breasts our culture idolizes. Over a million women in the US have had breast augmentation surgery, involving the implantation of envelopes filled with silicone gel or a saline solution. The vast majority of these procedures (80 percent) were done for cosmetic reasons. Just so you know, breast implants may pose serious medical side effects. So much, in fact, that the FDA has called for a moratorium on the procedure in the past. While there aren’t any conclusive findings either way, there are enough reports of health problems associated with implants leave cause for concern. Secondly, there isn’t enough data to conclude that implants are completely safe. Most troublesome is the likelihood that implants interfere with early detection of breast cancer.

The point being that every breast has a potential admirer and we shouldn’t get so caught up in the barrage of media images where impossibly skinny women with huge breasts have become the norm for female beauty.

Ladies? Those women are not the norm, and while some may have great bone structure, a size “zero” with double-D cups you can hang your coat on is really not that sexually attractive. Especially if she ain’t got no ass. Kidding!

My name is Eddie and I’m in recovery from civilization…

The Kool Logic of Late Capitalism

Hola mi gente,

I could decide to be quiet or “safe” -- to not point at and ridicule the Emperor's nakedness -- but I’m not “safe” in that way. Whatever people will say about me when I’m no longer around, they will not be able to say I was a safe Puerto Rican, or that I didn’t try.

Here’s a gem from a kindred and “unsafe” Puerto Rican… 

Kool Logic

The Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism, Frederic Jameson

-- by Urayoán Noel

1

I hope this finds you in good health (Or at least gainfully employed). We're here to discuss the hologram-self In the era of the void.

Some say modern man is hollow, Others say it's a condition Called “postmodern.” Do you follow Could this use some exposition?

2

O.K. See the common graves Rotting in the ancient cities? The Fast food? The porous borders? The ambiguous sexualities? The debt-bludgeoned ethnicities? The wars of chemical roses?
Cash flows from Utopian rivers And the market never closes! 

“This is the kool logic Of late capitalism.”

3
In the Prozac marketplaces People hoard new models of leisure; Love has been deregulated: Plastic breasts! Prosthetics! Seizures! In the suburbs neighbors mourn The death drive of their libidos, Late summers full of soft porn, Stolen Wonder Bras, torn Speedos. 

“This is the kool logic Of late capitalism.”

4
You can consume what you please: From work music to new age; Ricky Martin and John Cage Are touring the Basque Pyrenees; You can sing your song of peace (Pop! Punk! Folk! Tribal! Assorted!) But the violence will not cease, Hate's fetus can't be aborted! 

“This is the kool logic Of late capitalism.”

5
Macrobiotic-cybernetic- Fiber-optic folderol! Neo-gothic supermodels! Satellites and virtual malls! Vegan power lunch grand slams! Word elites! Money-go-rounds! Free will or free (pillow?) shams In the global shantytown? 

“This is the kool logic Of late capitalism.”

6
NBTFA, Mercosur, Hamas! DVDs and open mikes! Watercross and motocross! SUVs and mountain bikes! Trailer parks! Gated communities! High-rise ghettoes and favelas! Acquired diplomatic immunities! Self-help prophets! Braille novelas! Mexico, Miami, Rio! Euro-Disney, Bollywood! Dell, Intel, Taco Bell, Geo! Stanford post-docs in da hood! I'll stop fronting pedagogical... One last question (extra credit): This kool logic ain't too logical But it's still “kool.” Do you get it?! 

“This is the kool logic Of late capitalism.”

About Urayoán Noel: Puerto Rico-born and Bronx-based performance poet, Urayoán Noel, has been delighting and confounding the enlightened masses since the late 1990s. Solo and as part of the rock band objet petit a, he has performed-sung-scatted throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico, as well as in the Dominican Republic and Perú. His laugh-tracked new wave guarachas have rocked the rafters and/ or emptied the room at the Nuyorican Poets Café, Bowery Poetry Club, Bar 13, Cornelia Street Café, Instituto Cervantes, and Roka Espacio.] (click here for more info) Buy Kool Logic here.

* * *

My name is Eddie and I’m in recovery from civilization…

Sunday Sermon [Gettin' Naked]

Hola mi Gente,

Happy Sunday and all that! First: if you want to grow and be an Intellectual just like your Uncle Eddie, then the first rule goes as follows: 

Eddie Rule #1 for Intellectual Wannabes: You cannot disagree with something you have failed to understand.

 

Gettin’ Naked

Fear is excitement without the breathing.

Have you ever had a dream of being naked? Being naked or partially naked is a common dream theme. It may be a negative or a positive experience, depending upon how you feel about being naked in the dream. The clothes we wear in waking life help identify us -- they represent how we want others to see us. Clothes also hide our imperfect bodies and, metaphorically, our emotional and psychological imperfections. In our nakedness, we are stripped of our identity and others can see us as we really are. That can be a scary thing or empowering experience, depending on how you see yourself.

Recently, I was discussing the creative process with a friend who is an artist. Mostly, we spoke about how creating art and offering it to the world for its judgment is often an act of courage. Or, better put, it is often very scary. Who among us doesn’t fear public exposure of our creative ideas because we then will feel naked and vulnerable in front of others, and believe we may end up rejected or laughed at in our vulnerability?

Our creative output usually holds special significance for us. They express something that we have been quietly nurturing in our inner life, sometimes for years, away from the eyes and ears of others. It is risky, or seems so, to go public with them. All of sudden, we’re out there, and despite being clothed, we feel a profound nakedness.

Yet we must find a balance between the need to expose our creations to possible public criticism with the fear that our offerings may be somehow cheapened or ridiculed -- maybe even stolen.

People say I am an excellent public speaker but, like many people, I suffer from a fear from being on a stage, or in front of a crowd. Add to the fact that I often am presenting controversial views in front of other professionals who often disagree with me, and public speaking for me can be both a fearsome and exhilarating process. I would be lying if I didn’t admit that being in front of others can be rewarding, and that a part of me thrives on the attention and the adrenaline rush. Perhaps there is a healthy exhibitionism beneath the courage to go naked -- but we had better have something to back it up!

On the other hand, after a while, an experience that produced trepidation and excitement can become routine or boring. What for some can be an experience of a lifetime can become tedious for others. We need the courage to go naked, but it is much more than simply overcoming fear. Perhaps stage fright is not just a fear of being out there naked, but a desire to be out there really naked. Perhaps along with presenting our creativity to others, we also need to know that we are pushing our own boundaries, along with those of our audience. We are naked to ourselves as well as to others.

This all involves a degree of risk-taking, to be sure, if only because we have invested so much of ourselves in our product that we do not want to see it flop. We have risked everything -- our hopes and dreams -- on our creative ideas, and we desire some measure of recognition and reward, whether the rewards are social or financial. 

I guess the moral of today’s “sermon” is to get out there and do it! Take it off -- take it all off! As in love, in the realization of the dream resides self-realization; in its impact is its proof, in our creations we complete ourselves.

My name is Eddie and I’m in recovery from civilization…