issue #22 - moni's top 10
March 8, 1999

HAPPY MONDAY!!!!

                     The most important grand openings are 
                     your eyes each morning when you rise. 
                             (moni's dad - 1999)

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1)  SAY HELLO TO OUR NEWEST MEMBERS:

Renee - rendav@rgalex.com - Poem of the Week 27 featured poet for her poem 
Loving Me for Me;

Gale - gcollins@swsnocal.com - he just jumped right in and submitted his
poem First Snow;

Judi - JBeckroche@aol.com - who enjoys writing because it relaxes her; 

Nicole - phoenix_nm@yahoo.com - she recently started writing and looks 
forward to constructive help from our members;

Laurie - WantThat@aol.com - she is  enjoying the Poets Niche and promises
to submit her poems real soon;   

Dori - dorilvn@N-Link.com - says she's having a ball reading the poems of
the other poets, thanks God for the "delete" button, and plans to "force" 
her work on us real soon.  Dori just forced (I mean submitted) "Almond 
Eyes" and "Rain Dance" to her group last week.  EXCELLENT JOB!! 

Scott - wss@sprintmail.com - for now, he's enjoying just observing;

Sue - sue@transaver.com - a real poetry lover who can't wait to get 
started;

Kevin - kvolpe@gateway.net - coffee will never taste the same after you 
read "Two-Bit Buzz" in Poems of the Week 27; 

Nate - greenfam@essex1.com - he loves reading and writing poetry and 
currently working on publishing a book of poetry; 

Tim - blackxbolt@aol.com - he wants to share his poetry with everyone; 
checkout his website at (www.geocities.com/SoHo/Cafe/2444/poetry.html); 

Emily - emlyr@yahoo.com - she has created a beautiful one page poetry 
and photography website (www.angelfire.com/nh/zonegla/poetrypage.html); 

Pink - QTPyPink@aol.com - she found out about the Poets Niche through 
an AOL buddy; she loves reading everyone's poems and will submit some 
of her own poems shortly; and 

Reyhan - raw2587@mwsc.edu - writing us from Missouri; he has a "lil 
corner on the web" at (www.mwsc.edu/~raw2587).

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2)  FOR BROTHERS ONLY!!! (PLEASE HELP ANOTHER LITTLE BROTHER OUT) - This 
request is from LeNora Devine:

I NEED YOUR HELP.  As a single mother raising a son, I cannot, nor do I 
want to be, his father; he already has one.  Anyway, Mr. BJ Devine will 
be 13 on March 20 and I am doing a 'poor mans version' of a bar mitzvah.  
Basically, I want the MAN'S POINT OF VIEW OF WHAT A YOUNG MAN SHOULD BE 
THINKING ABOUT, PRIORITIES, JUST GENERAL WORDS OF WISDOM AS HE TRANSITIONS 
FROM A 12 YEAR OLD BOY TO A 13 YEAR OLD TEENAGE YOUNG MAN. I would like 
for this to be emailed to me from as many of my brothers as possible, and 
as soon as possible.  No, I'm not leaving out my sistahs 'cause I know 
they have wisdom, too. I'm open to all thoughts and opinions.   

The overall THEME is "ON BECOMING A GREAT BLACK MAN."  I am putting together 
a scrapbook of advice and wisdom of all the different letters emailed to 
him.  Please address your email to MASTER BJ DEVINE at (lvd@mdbinfonet.com).  
I'd like nothing more than to make his first year as a 'teenager' special.

GENTLEMEN, THANKS FOR ALL THE HELP!!!

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3)  BIRTHDAY WISHES - Okay, here are a few clues!

a)  He is the first Poets Niche member to have his own webpage; and
b)  He turns one year shy (which he isn't, shy that is) of 50 on March 11th.

JOIN ME IN WISHING SALEEM ABDAL-KHAALIQ HAPPY BIRTHDAY AND MANY MORE!!!  
I asked him how he planned to celebrate his birthday.  He said a co-worker 
was throwing a little get together in his honor.  Because Great Barrington 
is such a small town and afraid it could burn down because of the 49 candles 
on his cake, the Fire Department is on standby!  Please feel free to send a 
LUNG to help him blow out all those candles or BIRTHDAY WISHES to SALEEM 
at (nsa@vgernet.net).  

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4)  ANOTHER POETS NICHE MEMBER SHINES - Monique Fradieu was recently featured 
in the Winter 1999 Anniversary Issue of W.O.E. Magazine (Women of Excellence).  
This magazine is dedicated to "Building Excellence in Women Who Love God."  
Monique interviewed two women for her article "The Good News," who survived 
abusive relationships.  She also took a bold step and shared her personal 
experience. Monique believes that because of this experience, she's a stronger 
woman, both spiritually and emotionally.  "If God had not allowed me to go to 
through that experience, I would not be the woman I am today.  We must remember 
that God has a divine plan for our lives and that everything He does is for 
our benefit."   

Regardless of the type of abuse you suffer, emotional, physical or sexual, there 
are ways to get out.  No one knows your situation better than you.  First, pray 
for guidance.  Second, tell someone.  Silence is the abuser's best weapon against 
the victim.  And finally, should things escalate, seek shelter.  

Monique, thanks for allowing me to mention your story.  Please feel free to 
email Monique at (definitivediva@yahoo.com).  Also, if you would like further
information on how to subscribe to W.O.E. Magazine (Women of Excellence), 
please email me at (moni@nichemarket.com). 

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5)  UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH TREND CARLOS TRUESDALE - Twenty-one year 
old, Trend Carlos Truesdale, was raised by her grandmother, uncles and 
aunts.  Since was the youngest person in the household and felt no one 
could really relate to her, writing and painting became her passion.  
Initially, writing poetry allowed her to vent her anger.  Now, it's a 
means to help her learn more about herself.  She is currently attending 
Clemson University and majoring in Fine Arts and English.  

moni:  I just love your name!  Whose idea was it to name you Trend and 
what does it mean?

trend:  Thank you!  It was my grandmother's idea to name me Trend, and 
I've often asked her where she got it from, and she'll just shrug as if 
she hasn't a clue.  When people would ask me when I was younger, I would 
say that she was washing clothes and looked up at that box of cheap Trend 
Detergent and said, "Eureka!"  As for the meaning, I think that the only 
one that I know of is the dictionary meaning.  She has never really explained 
that one to me.

moni:  When you are drawing or painting, does this conjure up ideas in your 
head to write something to accompany the finished product?

trend:  Often times it does.  Or even if I haven't drawn or painted an image, 
there will be one in my mind that inspires me to write.  For instance, "My 
Precious Butterfly" was written with the image of my best friend, Roc, in 
our favorite place from childhood -- this little section of my backyard 
where the sunlight sort of spiked to the ground -- and I envisioned him 
there now, all grown up and how much everything has changed.  It's the 
images that I just can't shake and the ones that seem to be trying to 
scratch their way out of my head that materialize into poetry best for me.

moni:  Has being a member of the Poets Niche helped you creatively, and 
if so, how?  

trend:  Being in the Poets Niche has helped me become open to different 
types of poets who were like me.  Through the Niche, I'm able to actually 
have contact with those poets as opposed to reading the books and wondering 
what the other person thinks.  Here, I can just ask.

moni:  In terms of your writing and painting, who has been the biggest 
influence in your life?

trend:  I think that my biggest influence for my writing has to be my 
grandmother.  She was the one that pushed me to read more for the sake 
of broadening my vocabulary and my concepts, not to mention the fact that 
she was an awesome story-teller.  My uncle Randolph, on the other hand, 
was the one that influenced my visual arts interests.  When I was 5, he 
was the one that showed me that the sky and the ground aren't separated 
by a big white space on the page but by the horizon.

moni:  Finally, if you could paint a portrait of your life so far and 
describe it in words, what image would you like others to see and know 
about you?  

trend:	If I could paint a portrait of my life....It would probably be a 
picture of a phoenix rising from a fire not looking down at who are 
whatever else is being burned with the various knock downs that we 
experience.  My life has been full of set backs and mountain-sized 
speedbumps, but because of faith, I have managed to rise from the ashes,
not un-scathed, but with enough of me to keep on going, and poetry helps 
me do that.

Trend usually ends her emails with this little saying from J. Truesdale 
-- "Things easily gotten, Are easily forgotten."  If Trend continues 
writing poetry that touches the soul, she will not be easily forgotten!  
Please feel free to email Trend at (ttruesd@clemson.edu). 

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6)  INTERNET CHARGE UPDATE - Just in case you didn't receive my email, 
you can read this information in its entirety if you visit this website: 
(http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Common_ Carrier/Factsheets/faq_recp.html).  
In the meantime, this is just a blurb: 

ANSWERS FROM FCC CHAIRMAN WILLIAM E. KENNARD TO QUESTIONS CONCERNING THE 
ACTION TAKEN BY THE FCC ON FEBRUARY 25, 1999, CONCERNING RECIPROCAL 
COMPENSATION FOR DIAL-UP INTERNET TRAFFIC:

Q: Has the FCC opened the door to Internet charges?

A: Absolutely not. The FCC has reconfirmed the Internet's exemption. 
Consumers will see no new charges on their Internet or phone bills.

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7)  WE DO HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOR (author unknown) - 

How do crazy people go through the forest?
They take the psycho path.
 
How do you get holy water?
Boil the hell out of it.
 
What did the fish say when he hit a concrete wall?
"Dam!"
 
What do Eskimos get from sitting on the ice too long?
Polaroids.
 
What do you call a boomerang that doesn't work?
A stick.
 
What do you call cheese that isn't yours?
Nacho Cheese.
 
What do you call four bull fighters in quicksand?
Quatro sinko.

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8)  OPEN CASTING CALL - If you know a struggling teen actor/actress who
lives in Southern California then they may be in luck.  Fox is searching 
for fresh teen faces for roles in upcoming shows. Fox has rented out the 
Director's Guild of America on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles to audition 
unknown actors ages 15-21. All ethnic groups are urged to apply.  Fox's 
first open casting call for junior stars runs from noon-4:30 p.m.

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9)  POEMS OF THE WEEK - I thought I would feature ONE POET this week for 
Poems of the Week.  She has painted a masterpiece with her words.  I
invite you to sit back and read the poems of this very diverse and 
dynamic sister, TREND (VeraCity) TRUESDALE, in POEMS OF THE WEEK 28!! 

MY PRECIOUS BUTTERFLY by Trend (VeraCity) Truesdale - ttruesd@clemson.edu
BLUE by Trend Truesdale 
THE HANDS by Trend Truesdale 
WHATEVER!...(with attitude) by Trend Truesdale 
WHY I LIKE CHICKEN STRIPS by Trend Truesdale 

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10)  TALK IS NOT ALWAYS SO CHEAP - We have all heard the saying, "Talk is 
cheap."  Well, that's not always the case.  Gossiping cheapens the person 
spreading the rumor.  If the wrong person gets wind that "you" were spreading 
rumors, it could put you in an awkward position.  Try to stay away from 
office politics, conversations with friends about so-called friends, or 
taking sides in family squabbles.  Remember to stay above the FRAY and 
PRAY, because what you say could COST YOU.  Use this equation when you 
feel the need to gossip:  CALCULATE the time you spent listing to the 
rumor.  MULTIPLY the time you used spreading the rumor, PLUS the number 
of people you told.  Now, MINUS the VALUE YOU GAINED equals IT'S NONE OF 
YOUR BUSINESS!!!

Below is moni's poem of the week.  Your comments are always welcomed and 
greatly appreciated. 

Peace &Blessings
moni

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       GIRL, NO MATTER WHAT I . . . 

Girl, no matter what I said, white meant black, 
and no meant yes.

And girl, no matter what I said to keep peace or 
appease this beast -- "Honey, I'm sorry" or "It's my 
fault," -- I took the blame for all his pathetic games.

Every time the phone rang, I jumped.  Every time 
his car drove up, I peeped out the window and 
prayed.  Every time he touched me, I died a little 
inside.  And every time we were together, I planned 
my strategy to stay alive.

Fear paralyzed me.  Shame trapped me, numbing my 
self-worth. 

Fits of madness; never any gladness.

He called me every name in the book, except the child 
of God.  But it was the way he said, "B.... you heard 
what I said," that particular day.

All of a sudden I realized, after eleven years of broken 
promises and 911 calls, this caged animal, that being 
me, needed to be set free. 

Then I got mad.  I mean really mad.  Fighting mad!

Girl, usually no matter what I said, it went in one ear 
and out the other.  But this time, he heard me.  I screamed 
so loud until I heard my own voice.  My words echoed, "I'll 
see you in heaven or hell.  Either way, I'll be free."

Something snapped, as if coming out of a coma.  Years of
self-doubt, self-imposed exile, diluted friendships so no 
one would know, all flashed before me. 

I knew white was white, and black was black, and if he 
could, I definitely would.

Girl, this time, no matter what he said to make me stay, 
I finally said, "No. Go!"

Monica Blache (c) 1998

  



   
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