Author: Q. Javon Overton

3-17-15 It slowly chips away atMy soul, like a faucetThat has a drip, thatwon’t stop.Quietly at first, thenEvermore present inThe depths of my mind.At first, it was just a soundThen it magnifiedto become somethingDifferent.It is in my head, shatteringmy thoughts, chasingmy humanity intoDarkness------I must do somethingBut what? Do I run,Attack it, or let the soundDrown … Continue reading Insanity

Know who you are and the lessons you learned in your home. Believe in yourself; you are your truth. If you believe in something, ride it until the wheels fall off. Love with reckless abandon; it is worth the risk. Try to leave a better world for the children of the future. Treat people better … Continue reading Life Lessons One

When I die, I want to hear Negro spirituals as I did when I came into the world, bathed in the sound of promise and hope. I want the melodic, bone-stirring sound of black folk's history to carry me to the land of forgiveness and justice. I wish to hear my granddaddy's voice booming at … Continue reading I want to hear Negro Spirituals…

Sometimes I close my eyes to escape the sight of mytortured childI watch as she presses her back hard against the barbedwire fences that are the jagged edges of her lifeScreaming desperately to be loved while at the sametime cowering in the darkness because she might be.I would gladly lean my back against the barbed … Continue reading Barbed Wire

I feel all of you. I feel each of you who sits in darkness, surrounded by a room full of people.I see all of you. I see each of you who have let hope slip through your malformed, unable to grasp a better life; though it is what you deserve.I cry for all of you. … Continue reading All of You

She has flung the door open, and the bird gazed out, slowly, ever so slowly. The caged bird stretched her tired wings. One more flight, poised to slip into the night.  Now the constant song has ceased, a lifetime of passionate performances silenced, she is preparing for her death flight. The only thing left is … Continue reading Death Flight of A Caged Bird

I love you based on the promise I made to love you forever. Today reflects the love I will have for you tomorrow. I have loved you each day in a way that defines the platinum standard in our society. You are my Warrior Queen, the one genuine love that protects me and my heart. … Continue reading Sizzled To The Bone

What is the solution for being judged for what I am not? Is there a character flaw in me, or am I being cast in a negative light because I am not understood? I stand in the shadow of prejudice. Knowing who I am does not translate into the image people think they see. Sometimes … Continue reading The Content of My Character

I skinned my knee the other day. As I cleaned it, I looked at the torn skin. It was THINNER than a piece of paper. I sat there for a moment, and my head exploded in thought. Thinner THAN, a piece of PAPER, and YET, it is the THICKNESS of Racism. The world has imprisoned, … Continue reading Racism is The Thickness of Skin

Must we die a little every day? Is it written somewhere that we must be sad? Does the fear of dying make us forget how to live? People live their lives trying to reach an imaginary goal. Do we spend wasted moments looking at the things others have, without knowing what they have gone through … Continue reading Must We Die a Little Every Day?

I do not stumble on boulders when I have walked acrossmountains.I do not slow my stride at rivers when I have sunk in the depths of oceansIt does not bother me to have sand in my shoes; I have walked thesands of the Sahara.I do not fear the night; there is nothing blacker than the … Continue reading A Portrait of Blackness

We watched our seeds scattered across this unknown land. We did not know where they would settle. Praying they would fly far enough to escape the sting of the whip. We were flightless birds looking for a haven. We became slaves, bound to customs we did not understand, but the threat of the whip or … Continue reading Flightless Birds

I spend my days longing to feel your touch. My nights filled with cravings of the flesh, too racy to put on paper. I want to hold you, let you snuggle with me so I can feel you surround me with your aura. I need your physical self, but at this moment, I have come … Continue reading Eternal

I was on a business trip to Charleston, South Carolina, in 2004, when I saw this flower protruding through a fence. Fortunately, I had my camera. The result was terrific. It’s funny how life can stop you in your tracks when you least expect it. Our interpretation of beauty is a mix of emotions and … Continue reading Passion Fruit Plant

I thought love was a myth. A fabricated fairytale people fantasized could happen but did not. I did not realize I could go in pursuit of happiness. No one spoke of it at my house. I never saw gentle kisses or tender embraces that might have fueled my ambitions to find love. Instead, I watched … Continue reading I Thought Love Was a Myth