Tagged with sherry goes sane …

Book excerpt: Sherry baby

I was becoming physically and mentally changed. Songs had a deeper meaning to me, and every note and every word was embedded in my soul. I wore tight-denim jeans with pink ribbons braided in the side seams of them, and every time that I heard the song, “Sherry Baby,” on the radio, I slipped on my … Continue reading →

Book excerpt: my father

I showed some sensitivity toward him since distance had made us strangers, but I remember how heavy my heart felt as I grieved for the time we had lost. After catching up on our life’s experiences, he sent me away on a Greyhound bus to Salt Lake City and I met Mom and my stepdad … Continue reading →

Portraits of Tia Joanihihia and Sam

The Oregon Society of Artists art reception on Sunday August 4, 1-4pm was a huge success. I mingled with OSA old timers and talked with an author of World War II books. One hundred and six paintings were on display and three of mine were exhibited amongst the many. It was a treat to converse … Continue reading →

My Happiest Moment

Before OFA, Organizing for America, became Organizing for Action, I was a member of Ladies in Blue, a women’s political group that was part of Organizing for America. I was chosen with five ladies to greet the President of the United States when he flew in to Intel, Hillsboro, Oregon, on February 18, 2011. I … Continue reading →

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY

He is the handsome intelligent man that I love, He honored his visitation rights with his kids and provided them with food and shelter. When other men would move away and shirk the responsibility of raising their kids as teenagers, he stayed and toughed it out without raising a fist. He studied mechanics and fixed … Continue reading →

My Real Father

In 2007, I needed to take my healing and channel it to another place. I was going to have a knee replacement.  My knees gave out on me as I applied at the malls and several teaching institutions and when crossing the street, I found myself in the middle of it without the strength in … Continue reading →

A Gay Man’s Life

As I sit a gallery in Portland, Oregon, where my paintings hang with other artists, I’m looking at a photo. That’s me in the denim jeans and white laced blouse with my brother’s arm around my shoulder. He has a dusky Afro and a wide Portuguese smile. A happy picture. I remember stroking his soft … Continue reading →

Forgiveness

Mom and I smoked Virginia Slims and carried on lighthearted conversations in my 20’s.  We became lushes together. She was a beauty born into a family of ten in Natal, Brazil, and had black kinky hair and hazel eyes. Her father was a tailor in a village where people came to him to mend their … Continue reading →