Pink Lattes and Lavender Shortbread

Mama Tayé's Elder Prayer, Sharing Five The sun rises and kisses us into a new day even as the darkness in the hearts of the land hopes to discourage and disassemble a righteous cause, we shine bright and keep shining for truth, honor, justice, and life. Let us who are conscious stand in the healing warmth of the sun's rays, knowing that as the sun shines down on one of us, renewing and reviving, the same sun shines down on a collective us. WE are stronger together. When we are weary from the endless fight and the false apologies, let us hold each other up and protect the voices that were once lost, let us support and be the oracle for the ones telling us justice is still unserved in our land. May we press and keep pressing even as they throw out token and we ponder the actions of a burned memorial quickly rebuilt and peace in a place they want to destroy. The pride of the mothers rests in the sons who protected and promised to stay out, speak out, and stand in front

Enveloping shroud reaching out pushing through midnight wanting light to touch heart's cloud.

Mama Tayé's Elder Prayer - Sharing Four by Tayé Foster Bradshaw The crispness of the air ushers us into the change of seasons and forces us to acknowledge that we are part of a massive universe, only a dot in the atmosphere of time. In so pausing to remember that we did not create the sun that warms us, the breeze that cools us, and the moon that soothes us, we also pause to remember that we also did not get here alone and must honor, respect, and thank those who walked before us, must remember and honor the path they set out and the example they set, must humble ourselves in our momentary slumber, lured away form the righteous cause by the trinkets dangled before us and the promises unkept. This day that greets us with heavy minds and heavy hearts as news of yet another brother meeting an untimely end at the end of a weapon, we are reminded of the reason we gathered together in unity and peace to fight for those who have no voice and to march for those who have no legs. We

Over the course of a few weeks, in the beforemath and aftermath of the tragic, senseless murder of unarmed Ferguson teen, Michael Brown, I began to call upon the elders the ancestors the ancients in our moments of grief, anger, and disbelief that this repeated fifty-year cycle in St. Louis played out on the body of this eighteen year old innocent.  In so doing, I wrote these prayers, chants, utterances to the United Front and share them here to give honor to all the innocent blood shed at the end of hatred's weapon: Sharing One: May this Friday, this day rise up and greet you in peace and purpose. May you capture hold of the reason we are all connected here in this time and this place using this technology to make this change in this day. Let the spirit of the elders surround and guide you, let their strength encourage you, and let their sacrifice humble you. May you walk in connected universal love with your brothers and sisters, whether we are milky vanilla or creamy espr esso