The Colors of Possibility

I’m Black and Blue.

Welcome to Love + Travel, where adventure starts within and radiates out.

Last week I explored What a Self-Destructive Horse Taught Me About Hope. You can also view the entirety of my writing, here.

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We’re not even halfway through February, yet it’s already been filled with creativity, art, and rich experiences.

On the 1st,

BlackStack

kicked off Black History Month with a dinner celebrating its first print edition. This collector’s item features work from over 70 writers—including four pieces of my own.

Shoutout to Jacquie Verbal, Editor-in-Chief, and Temi Coker on the cover art.

During the final week of the Whitney Museum’s “Edges of Ailey” exhibition, I ran into THEE Debbie Allen, and we chatted briefly about ballet. First a split, then a conversation starter. It’s truly the hobby that keeps on giving.

(left) Vintage Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre flyer (right) “A Knave Made Manifest”, 2024, Oil on Linen - Lynette Yiadom-Boakye

Then, on Friday, I joined

dCarrie

on her Travel N Sh!t Podcast to discuss my writing journey, the life lessons travel brings, and the inspiration behind the 13 Weeks of Adventure series. I’ll let you know when it drops.

I’m really out here living a life of my creation.

I hope you are, too. You’re capable of amazing things.

-R

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BLUE

I was born blue 
Unbreathing 
Years have passed
and it’s been the same 
Blue like robbin eggs 
And crab from the bay 
Blue like suffocate 
And hydrangeas in May 
Wrapped in baby’s blankets 
And sapphires 
Blue seeps into my blood 
The tide comes in 
Cold from offshore
And engulfs the ground in flood 
Carried out to the ocean 
The waves lap my face 
Though longing to 
Crash into me 
I hover above the water’s basin 
A pure blue sky 
Filled with air 
And infinity 

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TODAY’S TIDBIT

I pretty much turn every meal into a sandwich, so my husband took me to Datz Deli.

Yall … I got oxtail and baked mac and cheese in a beef patty with cocoa bread. It’s called a DatMacPatty, and you gotta eat one to understand its perfection.

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COMMUNITY CORNER

🥪

Andrielle The Oracle

shares my love for sandwiches and the opening line of "Double Chopped Turkey on Brioche” had me nodding my head in agreeance.

🔌 I love a quick, actionable list.

Polina Pompliano

’s, “How to Become More Likable Using 9 Techniques From the World’s Most Charismatic People” is worth checking out if you want to level up your social skills.

🏆

Badiana Badio Eckstrom

you are so beautiful, inside and out, and yes, “Success Feels a Lot Like Healing”, because healing IS success.

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LET ME KNOW

Do you prefer reading poetry or hearing it performed?

Drop a recent achievement in the comments so I can hype you up!

Do you have a hobby?

Taco, beef patty, or chopped cheese?