The birds are out today in all their glory
Their different songs flood Hardliner’s jungle
As she treads her purpose driven path
Sista is bemused by the kaleidoscope of colour
And song coming at her from all angles
How come she has walked this jungle and
Not noticed this beauty – this wonderment
Coming to think of it this here scene carries a
A strong spiritual current – in fact –
Hardliner stops her bemused stroll – taking in a whiff of air
Um humph – spirit is moving alright

A brilliantly multi-coloured a little bird has been
Trailing her for a while now – courting her attention
This little diva of a bird has been singing like she is on fyah
With her little heart about ready to combust in her
Resplendent sky blue chest
Perched on a branch of a nearby tree – the little bird
Cocks her neon green head to the side as though taking
An inventory of Hardliner
Cheeky little so and so – Hardliner comments with a half smile

As strange as it sounds –
Hardliner can see her childhood herself in that bird
She carried the very same boldness and spunk in her spirit
And lawd have mercy – sista loved the camera
Her childhood photos are golden – illuminating the essence
Of authenticity that Hardliner lost during her pubescent years
Now grown Hardliner aint too particularly fond of the camera
And you know what
Sista does not get today’s love affair with the Selfie
Nowadays everybody and their mama are into taking selfies
And it aint about self love as it is really about vanity
People done lost their minds – be actually publishing their selifes
With their remodeled butts hogging the pages
And that is another thing – women pumping up their butts with junk
Like what is wrong with what their mama gave them
The little songbird jars her out of her thought process
Lawd – she has digressed again – umph
But this bird’s call is doing something to her

It is a call to your spirit
It is trying to find your awareness and acceptance
Of the beauty within you – the essence illuminating
Those childhood photos
That very essence you lost many moons ago

Hardliner turns to find Rennah with the little bird
Perched on her shoulder
Lawd – she knew all this enthralling wonderment up in her dome
Was leading to some spiritual regurgitation

Self enlightenment is much nicer
Rennah supplies in that musical voice of hers
Which adds a new dynamic to the soulful shake up
Created by the song of Hardliner’s little friend
She likes you – she sees the beauty in you
It’s sad that you cannot see it too

Hardliner is already in resistance mode
Due to the high level of discomfort she is feeling right now
Sista aint Halle Berry but she is not of the opinion
That she looks like the back side of pretty either
It is just that she is not photogenic
The camera has fallen out of love with her
Cause something is always awf in her photos
Either it’s the lighting or the angle aint right
Then there is that bulbous nose she gats – courtesy of her daddy
Dang it – good days for photos are rare

Ms. Rennah – radiant in flowing yellow robes
Gently touches Hardliner – bringing her to a standstill
And what does this tale of woe tell you about
Your perception of your self-image?
Rennah watches Hardliner struggle with this breakthrough
Sista gurl’s discomfort is palpable

After some time has passed Hardliner lets out a resigned sigh
Finally acknowledging that she gats self image issues
Like really we gon do this today?
It is a beautiful day in her verdant jungle
Why should she waste it on this internal drama

Why is it so hard to see this beauty in you
Why is it easier to bow to the notion of persons
That you are not classically beautiful

Somewhere along the way she got lost
Not quite content with the way she looked
Never quite believing that she was more than average
Yeh – yeh – now sista talks a good game about being foine as hell
But can she broadcast it to anyone confidently?
Can she reach inside and find the belief to
Profoundly state that I am fine as hell
Black and beautiful are empty words
If you don’t let their truth register in the soul
And it is so odd that it takes a vibrantly multi-coloured
Little songbird to get her to this place of self reconciliation

There are suddenly photos of herself littered around her
On her earth
She looks at Ms. Rennah – are you serious?

I am not directing this scene baby
Rennah states

So this exercise is about seeing the thousand words
In each picture

For starters – Rennah states – suddenly at her side with
The magical little bird perched on her shoulder
Singing some soul like it is nobody’s business
Be gentle with yourself and give yourself to this experience
Your sarcasm is driven by fear and resistance
This is your life in pictures Baby
And if you could put words to them
What would be the story
And if this story is not to your liking
How can you change its flow
Cause you still have so many photos left in you

Hardliner drops to her knees on her earth
In the middle of the sea of photographs
Lawd there is a light in her eyes in all her childhood photos
Like at this age she believed that she could be anything
That the world was of her own making
But during her pubescent years this little light
Was snuffed by confusion and emotional conflict
During this time she was dealing with the turmoil
Of her mama issues that surfaced for the first time
But yet she finds a rare photo taken during adulthood
And there is joy in her eyes – there is beauty in and out
Hardliner searches – almost desperately – for more
Finding a few here and there
Dang – sista looks good
This little exercise is truly illuminating
Cause for the first time Hardliner is truly looking at herself
Not just her physicality – but she is seeing her beauty
This is a brand new dimension for sista gurl
And to tell you the truth it brings a tear to her eye
She has never truly looked at herself like this
Even when she did the mirror of truth exercise
When she faced herself in the mirror –
Professing self love
Yet it never penetrated her soul like this
Hardliner berates herself for wasting so much time
Focusing on hang-ups about her physicality

So now as you sit there among your photographic memories
What is the story you have written?
Ms. Rennah’s musical lilt hits her like a truth serum

Once upon a time there was this beautiful little
Dark skinned girl – who manifested light
She danced to the beat of her own drum
And was not afraid to be open and confident
But then she withdrew and shied away from people
She did not believe in herself enough to see her
Inner beauty and got lost in the imperfections
Of her physicality
She forgot how to smile from her heart in photos
Because she was unhappy with how she looked in them
She felt too exposed – too vulnerable – too insecure
To let her real power shine through
That is why to this day she takes photos with a smile
Like she has a wedgie up her butt
She battles with herself – trying to find her good angle
Never quite satisfied with who she sees
Hardliner is shattered by this story
And one year ago she would have gladly ignored
The rumbling in her soul about this issue

But you are not that same person are you
If you want to walk in an authentic light
You have to debunk all those lies you tell yourself
About your ebony skin tone
Your bulbous nose
Your big eyes
Your short neck

Lawd Ms. Rennah – Hardliner objects

I am just in your mind Boo
You have sketched quite a description of yourself
And it has tainted yourself image
It is time to write a new story Hardliner
One that will be told in future photographs
And it will be…

One of self acceptance – Hardliner finishes off
Funny how enlightenment just comes

When you allow yourself to stand in your truth
No matter how uncomfortable or painful

Maybe she needs a little more mirror time
This reconciliation with her-self is an ongoing process
One day she gon be like that little bird
Perched on Ms. Rennah’s shoulder
Resplendent in her inner beauty
Reconciled with the fact that she aint in the Halle Bery
Beyonce club – even that ebony beauty club of Lupita Nyong’o
She will be content with belonging to her own unique club
Bulbous nose and all