Homer's Odyssey and Southern Hospitality

Hey family !

It's been awhile since I've posted on here. For those that are reading this, I have been reading the Odyssey since December and I have finally finished this epic tale. What struck me the most in this story was how the Greeks approached hospitality in the ancient times and how it subtly aligns with southern hospitality, in which I was raised. 

In Ancient Greek times it was normal to accept someone into your house. Often they would invite the stranger to eat, drink, and potentially stay the night. If you were noble and appeared important the Greeks would also offer gifts. 

This was normal. The only thing the host requested in return was respect and to hear the strangers’ story. (I mean, wouldn't you want to know who was in your house? But this was done after the eating and drinking). And if you treated a stranger rudely, it was frowned upon by society as well as the Gods. Zeus watched over travelers as well as the homeless. If you had it, the courtesy was to give. 

Southern hospitality isn’t as strict as Ancient Greek hospitality. Where I'm from, if a stranger came along with a familiar person, they are offered food and drink. They are also offered anything that would make them comfortable in the hosts’ home. When you enter a southern persons’ home, it’s expected that you speak upon entry, and before you leave. Manners and courtesy are important, as is in Ancient Greek. 

If a southern person has at least 1 guest during dinner, it’s expected that you cook for the entire house. And both, Greeks, and southerners LOVE watching the guests enjoy their meals. 

I really enjoyed this book. My first attempt at it was in high school but my ADHD prevented me from getting into it. I really thought it was boring compared to the Iliad (which I also haven’t read yet) but as an adult, I’ve learned to calm my mind to read big books. I love that this story, the Odyssey, is a story full of stories. 

I have discovered that as a writer, my gift, and niche, are writing epics. My mind is broad, and the stories that I end up writing are vast. So far I’ve written two, and I’m working on my third. My first epic that I wrote is called, Lotus and the Unlikely Crew. It is set in the 18th century and it is an epic tragedy about a group of captured Africans who hijack a ship and become pirates, who instead of hunting for gold, are out to intercept slave ships and free the people in the middle of the transatlantic slave trade. It is written as a book and play.

My second epic is an hour long Black epic fantasy called DEAD HERO. You can find info via this deadline article (shameless plug): https://deadline.com/2024/05/ivy-lion-productions-unveils-tv-development-slate-1235945979/

Big thanks to my brother Connor for buying me this book for my birthday! And thank you to Emily Wilson, for translating this epic, in verse! I had so much fun counting the meters in each line, and wish it were short enough to perform! 

Brilliant work. 

The Rules of Time

What is Time? 

Why do we think we have it thus not knowing our dial's expiration date. 

Today. 

Tomorrow. 

Is it just a construct to standardize the steadiness of dormant desires? 

A tool used by humanity to excuse ambitions in the measurement of others? 

What if it weren't used to measure. 

What if it didn't exist. 

Would our hearts be more full with no beat? 

Time leads love; can love not lead the other?

We believe that it is disastrous. 

Scary, even. 

To give love with no time. 

An ally once said "I love you" in seven days. 

With distance. 

They proved time wrong. 

With love. 

And has a new soul bond. 

There is no rule to love that is real. 

Only standards surrounding, you. 

Love has once been an enemy. 

But under that mask, was time. 

I shall let my radical passions run wild. 

With no apology. 

And yet i sit in minutes, hours, days, with my thoughts. 

Wondering if i'm wasting time. 

Or if time is wasting me.

CDSJ

Bella Notte

Through the looking glass past midnight 

Looking forward to the future when I'd see you 

Every night - we talk - we laugh - we exist 

You said you felt safe with me I guess that was just for the moment 

You made space for me but now I guess I can't want it 

Time on the phone night after night 

Insomnia is keeping me high 

Your smile like caffeine keeping me up 

During a good night 

We spent too much time

Confusion, hey you sold me 

Always called to set the mood

My Beyonce Virgo's groove 

It seems like nothing is real

Am I not all you imagined in your 21 questions? 

You could call me Nike the way I checked off your list 

What a beautiful night when we were naming our kids

Oh, this is the night, it's a beautiful night 

We was gonna do Pasta Bella Notte 

You the lady I'm no tramp

Where the K9's cause I'm dogged 

It's my fault no trips no falls 

I took the walk of shame 

there is no fun without pain 

Tugging on my heart strings I had nothing to say 

I'll drown my sorrows with your favorite drink

Please go straight to my head 

I'm delusional so sober 

I stare at our text thread 

Ice cream flavors and idol

How you gonna do me like that? 

Thought you were Tyson 

the way you left me winded when I left dismissed 

Had me convinced 

I'm not a toy

Right after my show 

Thief of joy. 

You were everything I prayed for 

Je veux ton amour, I don't wanna be friends 

Got enough 

What the fuck 

I ain't on that friend shit I got enough 

Bella Notte 

Bella Notte 

For this is the night 

There's no end 

I wanted your love 

I don't wanna be friends 

Bella Notte 

Bella Notte 

Bella Notte 

You brought me to the top of the mountain just to push me off 

Signed, Your Disciple

Last night I dreamed about you. 

In the present. 

Everything seemed the way it should be. 

They way I imagined it when you moved here. 

But my fallacy of you is not at all true.

You arrived like a thief in the night. Like Jesus with all the glory. 

And I am here standing like a disciple wanting to be in your image. 

We are magnets in my delusion. But there was a time where it was true. A moment in time. 

You are here now. And you came like a thief in the night. And I am lost.

Because in the dream you cared about me. And how I treated you. 

But my eyes are open. 

And I’m just standing here. Like a disciple. All insecure. 

10/27/2022

She Asked Me (DRAFT 1)

Sometimes I truly wish I never met you 
These dreams are getting insane 
The thought of you is really clogging my brain 


Tried to cast you off 
For all the times you blew me off 
Why you stroll in my life With 
no intentions of being my wife

Does that scare you shawty? Speaking the future?
You keep dodging my calls 
Rather me than a loser 
They don’t know you like I do 
Things you told me, like I knew 

Our Timing off but what if it finally align?
Do you care for me as much as you say
Or are you constantly lying?

You asked me if I loved you 
Why tf you think I keep coming 
Waiting, for the time of day we both promised to save 

From that day you walked in 
I knew we’d be more than friends 
Now it’s like there’s not a sense of love 
Fuck, I thought you felt something 
Got me feeling like a bum cause you left me with nothing 
But these feelings to feel alone 
Worst kinda love is when it’s wrong 

I can’t blame you though I was stupid 
School was my biggest excuse 
The first Nigga to buy you flowers 
I’m just telling the truth 
You acting kinda shady, no destiny’s child 
Ain’t no stage to air this shit out cause you been Wild N’ Out 
Now I can spoil you, make you a flower bed 
I made you a crown of blue roses so you can wear on your head 

that time we took naps together 
Wanted to give you the world 
Holding you hot in my arms 
That day I made you my pearl

Feared them days you’d turn blue 
That you’d change this is true 
Went through that shit before 
With some whore, excuse my language some girl 

But those were my insecurities jumping 
Out the page like a marvel comic 
You had plans then I came stomping 
Pickup worse than an Uber coming 

Why tf I ain’t never even kissed you.
That thought be making me sick 
Cause now I’m across the world 
I be feeling like dropping this shit 

But we both know that’s not happening 
Grinding is what made me attract you 
Can’t move up out of my lane 
My red carpet date might be lame 
If it’s not a Pearl on my arm 
My multimedia charm 
That cutie hot with a mic 
Probably seeing a whole different type

And you know I'm true to this shit

Smacking niggas for you like Will Smith.  

Truth is ain’t no other nigga like me 
A walking check like I’m Nike 
Midas is out here to get it 
Damn how how much time I been spitting 
At you 

The time moving 
Will it ever be right? 
Cause in these dreams we live a whole different life 
It’s so short I’m tryna bill you my heart 
Before the world is over 
It’s already tore me apart 
I’m done with giving attention 
Better come and take advantage 
Don’t tell me “you’ll think about it” 
Like I’m not a nigga worth grabbing
Like I won’t treat you better than all these fools 
That won’t love you like I do 
All these women coming to me 
Plus I got a lotta shit to lose 
The one I want giving me them blues 
Leading me on with thoughts of loving me too 
Can’t get star struck like I got nothing to lose. 
You Kim and I’m cube. 

Fuck. 
She asked me “if I loved her” 
I’m like wtf you think I keep calling for. 

RAW

The ingredients to RAWNESS:

Truth

Scrap

Original

Authentic

Organic

Stripped Away

Pulled Back

Dominant

Dry

Layered Back

Digging

Honesty

This applies to living , eating and art. This applies to the soul. Digging to find whatever it is that WAS/IS the organic and full being. No lying. No layers. Straight everything and all of it laid out on a platter. You can see it and feel it. It is essential to finding out who you are. Baby's are RAW. Kids are RAW. Adults must dig. 

- Charles the second 

Shoes to fill 2020

Hello peeps, I genuinely hope everyone is staying safe and healthy in this quarantine. This has been a wild year so far but I am hanging in there. I know it has been awhile since I posted on this thing, but I had recently thought to write down some goals of mine and I'd thought to do it here! So I get this question a lot and since my mind rambles, I thought to document this and keep it updated. People always ask me "what are some of your dream roles?" Here’s a current list of roles that are on my goal/dream list. It’s hard saying “dream” sometimes because dreams are often fleeting. But these are some characters that have constantly been on my heart and in my peripheral: 

1. Hamlet from Hamlet 

I’ve gotten a taste in grad school with the “To be or not to be speech” and scene. It was such a tease. After jumping into those thought's and emotions.. I knew I HAD to play Hamlet. Jumping into that speech is not a cake walk. I would love to explore Hamlets journey from beginning to end. I want to play him because I believe he is like me. I can relate to him and his soliloquy’s leave me in tears. This play also hold's one of my favorite Shakespeare quotes, "To thine ownself be true."

2. Boy Willie from The Piano Lesson 

In 2014 I got a chance to take part in a Wilson play and was lucky enough to play Lymon in The Piano Lesson. Playing Lymon Jackson taught me a lot about exploring what to do on the stage without having many lines. He in fact, has many lines but they mostly appear in the second act. I will say, doing this play with my best friend leading as Boy Willie showed me of how much I am also like Boy Willie in regards to making sure his goals are achieved to better his life no matter what. Boy Willie was the first role I believe I executed an audition for. God just said it wasn’t my time to play him then, I think the time is coming now.

3. Hedley II from King Hedley II 

This is another one of August Wilson’s plays in the Pittsburgh cycle. My relationship to this piece is that in my undergrad at Prairie View A&M University, I learned a monologue from this play my senior year. It’s one of my go-to pieces and it resonates so well with me because I know people in Hedley II’s situation. I’ve seen the play live in England at Theatre Royal Stratford East and this rendition only confirmed that I had a desire to live as Hedley, to deeply understand the emotions of a person or people that I already know.

4. Bottom from A Midsummer Night’s Dream

This is a rather new goal. This is my first and favorite Shakespeare work. Why? I’m in love with both magic and comedy! I have a very special relationship with this play. When I first auditioned for it in 2013 I was going for puck and was a very new actor. I really didn’t know how to take direction in a callback as much as I did after I made my mistake in this audition. I didn’t get puck but later in 2018 I played a character in ‘She Stoops to Conquer” named Tony Lumpkin (Who I would actually love to play again publicly). He was pretty much who puck was and I would say, restoration/Georgian theatre requires so much. Because of my love for Tony, I don’t care much as I did to play Puck because he was it pretty much. He created the problems in the play AND fixed them. I’ve recently gained interest in the bombastic BOTTOM. He is as ambitious as me and I would love to explore the layers that he possesses and make the viewers smile while doing it.

"Let me play the lion too. I will roar, that I will do any man's heart good to hear me. I will roar, that I will make the duke say, "Let him roar again. Let him roar again."

5. Cory from Fences 

In regards to Cory. I don’t think I ever had him in my peripheral until I did a scene as him with one of my good friends in 2017. We did it in honor of his dad and it was so heartwarming. After the scene, another actor approached me and told me “you should definitely go out for Cory.” That was a sign, and since then, I’ve had him on my list. He represents a new generation of thinking, of ambition, of dreams in a very fenced household.

6. Scar from The Lion King 

I’ve been in love with The Lion King since I was a child and very recently I deemed “Be Prepared” as one of my favorite songs in the movie. Scar is also my favorite Disney villain. I love playing villains.

7. Hercules from Disney’s Hercules 

This has been on my mind recently, but not because of the live action remake announcement, but because of The Public Theater in NYC. I didn’t get to see the production but I followed it heavily and was Inspired by seeing a Black Hercules. It really reminded me that once again, it does not matter the race of a Disney character unless it’s very specific. Since then, I’ve had an urge in wanting to play the mighty God and filling the shoes of someone who went “Zero to Hero.” I would love to play him on stage or even on film.

8. Spider-Man ‘Miles Morales’ 

I’ve been hearing about Miles since he was first created in 2011. I actually didn’t know who he was until a former comic loving coworker mentioned “you should look into miles morales, you resemble him.” After I looked him up, I was immediately blown away by his creation and his story. I was instantaneously connected to him and was in awe because Peter Parker’s Spider-Man had always been my favorite hero since I was a baby. Now there is an opportunity in swinging around NYC for me. I’ve even gone as far as writing a pilot. “I am Spider-Man.”

Honorable mention: Spurio from The Revengers Tragedy.

- CJ