You just ended a long term relationship and you are feeling discouraged thinking about the fact that now you have to start all over so you can find your love before the clock stops. This clock isn't the clock of life but the imaginary clock that you have placed to monitor your love life. This clock is set based on society's timing or even your family's timing. We give ourselves a certain amount of years to accomplish certain things such as our education and business endeavors. However, it is foolish to  put a time on how and when you will fall in love. You have no control over when this takes place. You can go through the dating process, you can prepare yourself the most suitable way to meet your perfect partner but you can never determine the time at which this person will walk into your life. The stress comes into place when we start to realize that others have found love long before their set time. You start to wonder what you are doing wrong and whether or not you

The death of the young By:©Saccheen Laing I put on my uniform Armed with books I set out in search of a good education. Streets lined with the blood stains of those who fell on the way  I'm determined to live to see another day But I have no control over those who believe they can have their own way. Armed with guns and knives  They attack me, They assault me, They abuse me , Because they believe they have control over me Because of guns and knives in hand. In my hands I write my plans A singer, an actor, a doctor, a fashion designer or a police man  I clench my fist as my blood runs to join those who fell before  My plans remain in my hands Never to be realized I am young but that means nothing on this land. The blood of the young will replace the ocean that surrounds and beautifies the land How many more shall die before you answer when I ask why? My mother shall cry and bury her son before he becomes a man My brother shall cry a

  Image source: Jamaica Observer Sometimes I sit down and think to myself as to whether or not I would really want to bring a child into this world under these conditions. When watching television here in Jamaica, one of the most popular sentiments you will hear is " We want justice" but how many of these cries are actually heard?  Like many other things here in Jamaica you can get certain needs depending on or only if you are 'Sir Tom or Miss Prudence' living in a mansion. Justice does exist but exist for a selected few and that is the truth of the matter. We can take our eyes to overseas and see the fear that people live in because of a justice system that has failed them but we can keep our eyes right here at home and realize that this system wasn't created for us 'average' Jamaicans.    We have to learn to educate ourselves so that we can use our voice and not accept any and anything that is served on a platter to us because we don't kn

"From as long as I can remember I've always wanted to write. My mother taught me to read and write very well before I started school. My birthday gifts were always books and I was always thrilled to receive them. I didn't grow up watching a lot of television so even today I'm still behind on shows that people my age group grew up watching.  Like others, during my teenage years I wanted to fit in and I wanted to be seen. Looking back at it now I can just smile at it because of the growth that has brought me to the woman I am now. We all have things that we are passionate about and mine happens to be poetry. It isn't the most glamorous nor is it filled with expensive accolades but it is what I want to do. In the darkest of times in my life poetry has always been there and I can honestly say that if I didn't have my poetry I wouldn't be here today. We live in a world where people do just about anything to be noticed but I rather have my words be memorable and

When you log into social media you are taken into a world where everyone seems to be striving for perfection. Filters are applied to cover flaws so we will either feel better about ourselves or others will be accepting of us. Some of us receive the validation that we need that will allow us to feel better when we log off but what happens when we realize that we don't receive that same kind of validation in real life when we can no longer apply filters to our flaws? In order for people to be accepting of the reality of the flaws that we have,we have to start campaigns to encourage us to be proud of how we naturally are. I may come across as if I am fighting out against people expressing themselves but that isn't the case. Why do people continually say that they are proud of who they are and they don't care how people view them yet everyone looks the same as if they are all fresh out of the same factory. The other issue is how people will say love yourself just how

Apparently, people are very preoccupied with hair these days. If you choose to relax your hair you are perceived to be ashamed of your black heritage and if you choose to keep your hair natural you are classified as being unprofessional, I've heard individuals speaking about how we don't like rules and we are turning away from how things were. Not because something was established in the olden days means it is still applicable today or holds any form of merit. In schools, children are being turned back simply because their hair is deemed unsuitable and that is simply a shame. When you send your children to school you send them to get an education and to grow as an individual but as parents you need to remember that schools will try to recondition what you have implemented at home. If a school tells a child that she should straighten her hair because her natural hair makes her look untidy the school is telling your child that her natural state is unsuitable and in order t

In quiet moments where are your thoughts? Do you constantly focus on the things you lack or the things that you are blessed with? I found myself dwelling a lot on the things that I lacked in my quiet moments until I realized that I was draining myself worrying more than being appreciative. We live in a world where we can find inspiration on all corners but some of us choose to walk on the straight path and ignore the turns for inspirations. Don't act as if you are always strong and you've never been weak. Don't act like you've never found yourself in a hopeless situation. One thing I tell myself daily is that I never have all the answers so everyday I wake up I try to grow in my personal and spiritual development. Many of us spend too much of our time trying to explain the concept of love rather than actually showing love. Many of us spend too much time trying to explain why we are good people than actually showing our goodness. We have found ourselves being overly e