"Question" pen and ink illustration (c) 1990 by artist, CAC from the private collection of bill berry, Jr. Is there someone in your life who you have known for years but your memory can no longer register how you initially met that person?  You explore the nooks and crannies of memory but that specific moment or occurrence continues to elude you.  And then, at some point, you tuck your embarrassment in your back pocket and finally ask the person, “Do you remember how we first met; how you came into my life?” This scenario is my situation with noted poet, writer, and visual artist , Rachael Z. Ikins. Ms. Ikins has presented her work in aaduna ; read at the third annual aaduna fundraiser celebrating the Spirit of the Harlem Renaissance.  I have seen her read at different venues in central New York, and commented on her published work. I read Totems: Tales from the Edge of the Woods , her novel published in 2016 by Downtown Books Publishing, as well a...

For many American taxpayers, today is a day of woe.   While the federal income tax deadline was extended so procrastinators had another chance, it is a Wednesday and we celebrate poetry! While we inadvertently skipped last Wednesday, we are pleased that we are back on track with the powerful and profound, Raymond Nat Turner as he takes us on a road trip moving along his poetry avenue.   We realize that Raymond does not need a lengthy introduction.   So, we will let his poems and bio inform his creativity and challenge your views and thinking.    Whoppers of Boss Tweet… A thief a thug Clown in a rug A tweet deceit A lie a cheat— Embellish, embroider: a lying disorder… A myth a fable a bit unstable Flimflam, claptrap bunkum—bull crap! An empty wagon a puffed up dragon… A whopper a fib You peeped from your crib! A sham a fake a major ‘mistake—’ Pathological lying false-flag flying… A gr...