i am the sum total of all my experiences. the good, the bad & the ugly. which is to say, i have been loved and cared for by my mother (may our ancestors guard & guide her), my siblings & true to life friends. i have been betrayed, lied to, set upon, shot & locked away by others who, for whatever reason, have not viewed the world from my position or point of view. i’ve been taken seriously & i’ve been laughed at. i’ve had folks laugh heartily with me & i ‘ve had some way out frowns & ice grills shot my way. i’ve visited horrendous violence upon my fellow man &, to a large extent, i’ve had my measure of the like visited upon me. i’ve been hungry, i,ve been well fed. exposed to the harshest elements possible & often sheltered. my point is, i am all of which i have experienced -- and yet, i am more than that. i am a dreamer. i see things, sometimes, not as they are, but how they could be. or if there are no things, i am left to create them.