O.K – and that was 2025 – that heffa went out quiet –
Slipping through Hardliner’s fingers like dry hot sand
Cause a sista was busy doing fuck all for most of 2025
The Christian in her is rebuking that statement
Or at least rebuking the profanity
But no joke 2025 was like the joker – laughing at her attempts
To get her shit together yet squander all her gains
So yeh fuck all translates to shopping online via the Klarna express service
Trawling social media – namely Facebook like a scavenger
On the hunt for anything to divert her path to productivity
A quaking of her earth jolts her out of her morose year in review

Where is this going chile?
The no-nonsense energy of Ms. Almah hits her dome like whiplash
That diva aint gats no time for preamble?
You know – breaking into things in a gentle manner
But then again are earthquakes – lightening and tornadoes gentle
Hardliner eyes the red garbed Earth Mother warily
The first response coming to Hardliner’s mind is drenched in salt and vinegar
So she goes for a safe – well as safe as possible at the moment
Non-committal shrug of the shoulders

I’ll wait – comes the offhanded remark
As Hardliner’s earth rumbles and quakes – its steady violence
Keeping her awf-kilter
Gawd dayumed – this is a gentle as the Earth Mother gon get
2025 flatlined into a quiet nothingness
But 2026 is already throwing off “I’m that bitch” vybes

Hardliner takes in some deep breaths – trying to calm her nervous stomach
She surveys her surroundings – a sista is getting tired
Of damn rolling hills which are pimping the flat – from the neck up
Vocal repertoire of JLO for months now
Apart from Ms. Almah’s nausea inducing earth tremors
There is a stillness in the air that unsettles sista gurl
A pugnacity – proffering a bitch slap
If she were gangster enough to stick her out tongue to taste it

Since it aint nothing personal with Spirit
Hardliner acknowledges that she gats to get out of her feelings
And roll with this here learning curve
But just what lesson has she been gifted here?
She looks over at Sweet Chile – wondering if this is her mess
Her inner chile returns her gaze – her eyes soft – yet perceptive

And if on queue – Hardliner’s rolling hills break out in song
Straight out of the play book of the Colour Purple
This aint no flat uninspired jingle – this is full-bodied – soul deep
Like spirit just cleaned out their vocal pipes
As the intro to Maybe God is trying to tell you something
Comes at her like fiery sermon gunning for a sinner’s soul
You know she aint one to knock Spirit’s musical selection
But she could do with a little D’Angelo to herald this breakthrough
Some brown suga -Untitled – Send it on – that jam right there is fyah!
It gats Hardliner thinking of the potent taste of dark chocolate
On her tongue – oooh Jesus
He was a baaad brutha – may he rest in power
Another on queue moment presents itself as the classic gospel tune
Bulldozes sista’s sensual haze – its volume more like a roar
As if to say – remember me bitch – I am here
If I were you I’d say yeh -Speak Lord – speak to me
Yeh she can take a hint – she will ice Send it on for now

Back to breakthrough business – Hardliner’s hills are having church
All slain in the sprit and what not – celebrating her victories in 2025
And sista will admit that her spirit has lifted
Which is a welcomed feeling cause her creativity has been chocked
By self-doubt and indecision for sometime

Instead of harping on about all that is wrong in your world
Try giving thanks chile – whatever you feel about 2025
You navigated and come through its unchartered choppy waters
Almah’s tremors snatch the woe is me sista has been pimping

Umph – bad form Ms. Almah – and dem waters were not just choppy
But hella scary – tsu-fuckin-nami-scary

Rebuke that spirit of profanity chile
You gats a nasty house – clean it up

Live and direct – she mumbles to herself as the fiery
Earth Mother shoots her sharp talk – no gentle nuthin’

Well chile – since you are a glutton for punishment
This is how I can reach you – cause gentle sure as hell can’t

Now if Hardliner would choose to use the good sense God gave her
She would button up that trap of hers and swallow the salt and vinegar retort
Lodged in her throat – but – oh well
Sista is already tangoing with dem earth tremors already
And she is feeling kinda masochistic – so gon let that funky clapback rip
You know Ms. Almah I am pissed – I am pissed with this here situation
I gats me a depressed adolescent self and a 5 year old inner chile
Who won’t let shit go – not to mention…
She pauses her ripping – catching a whiff of acrid smoke
Umph – what’s burning –
She turns this way and that – looking at Sweet Chile
Then at Dewdrop – back to Almah
Confusion clouding her eyes that have suddenly began to sting

You want to play baby gurl – lets play
Almah says – all sweetness and light – in her eyes dance flickering flame

Umph – umph – the good sense that God gave her
Is screeching loudly that something is about to go down
Cause Hardliner gave Ms. Masochistic the control of the reins
And her horse is on a freedom gallop into a blazing – karmic inferno
Sista looks around –panic stricken
She finds herself in a meet and greet with the ramifications
Of the choice she made to pop awf
Her beautiful grasslands – verdant with life are on fire
Her rolling hills are on fire – a spectacular – robust – and greedy fire
Now – that timeless gospel – speak to me has folded into the roar of Oya’s drums –
Oh Gawd! – that heffa crazy – she gon burn up everything!
Hardliner catches a flashback of the Goddess of change and transition’s
Handywork – her deadly fire and earthquake cocktail

I don’t want to play no more – she pleads in a childlike voice
Yet the Earth Mother looks through her –
The flame in her eyes dances to the beat of Oya’s drums
Almah – I am scared

You wanted to taste fire baby

No – I wanted dark chocolate and D’Angelo

Hardliner – for once shut up – Almah bellows – her voluminous
Orange red robes flare and dance around her ankles
God is trying to tell you something – she says gravely

Yeah and a sista has been waiting and has heard nada –

No – you are waiting for him to tell you what you want to hear
Chile you are so much more than this kamikaze freedom gallop
Into chaos and destruction

Hardliner knows that she is more than her smart mouth
She is more than the disobedient and procrastinating spirit
That has pulled her outside of herself like a sock pulled from the inside out
But for the most part of 2025 she has been stuck on life’s treadmill
That has her feeling out of her skin – totally disconnected to herself
Then she catches it – it is ever so subtle – the beginning of a woe is me
Its stealthy ascent from that place beyond her gut – the abyss of woe
That never empties
Ok – 2026 – she is waging war against that abyss of woe
It has been her go to every time she assesses her progress

Hardliner goes inward – affirming that she is a strong
Spiritually grounded woman – a God-fearing woman
2025 Jesus came through for a sista

So how can you say that you were doing fuck all

Oooooh that don’t sound right coming from the Earth Mother

That’s how it sounds when you say it – comes the retort

Ok – with some much-needed perspective Hardliner will admit
That she grew in leaps and bounds last year
Despite all the bumps in the road
But damn – what is God trying to tell her? – she feels blocked up

Chile – take some deep breaths
You need to sit with your thoughts – check your thoughts
You are spiritual adept enough to recognise a thought
That does not serve you or the God in you
A change in perspective is your weapon against that woe is me spirit
When that woe is me is whining about all your failures and bad
Experiences – remind yourself that your life has beautiful moments too
Right now you are being cleansed – this is baptism by fire
And you will rebuild from the ashes cause you have done this already baby
You are the sphinx – capable of innumerable rebirths

Hardliner watches as her grasslands are blanketed by fire
Yet she is still standing – balancing the best she can
As the earth beneath her feet is literally ripping apart like paper
The lord is my Shepard – I shall not fear
Hardliner recites that 23 psalm with a faith so strong
Buoying her to a screaming unstable earth

Oya’s war drums ablaze
Her Rolling hills ablaze
Her gentle valleys ablaze

2026 gon be that bitch
And sista can wait!