Queens and Important Things 

Published on by Tosha Michelle7 Comments


Hey y’all. Happy  Monday. As sone of you know I’ve been working in the research fiekd of criminal justice. I’m hoping to move on to a job with The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.  I really just want to make a difference in the lives of hurting people. Sometimes I think we get too caught up in how others can help us, or we want to impact the world in a way that has more to fo with our egos than the greater good.   It’s such a selfish way to be. I don’t want to be that person. 
There’s something beautiful in stewardship. I’m always more content with my life when I take the focus off myself and place it on others. Self reflection is needed on occasion, but self absorption will just makes you a selfish jerk.  I can’t spend that much time inside my own head, it’s bell jar material. Listen, it’s okay to be pro you but we mustn’t forget to be pro others too.  


On a lighter note, Kelly is my queen. Love this song. Het range is incredible  It’s an empowering tune.  Back on Friday with a poem.  See you xx

She Used To Be Mine

Published on by Tosha Michelle33 Comments

I love this song so much. See below. It’s so very relatable. I feel it to my core every time I listen to it. We all have times in our lives where we lose ourselves and feel a disconnect from the person we use to be.I’ve been there. It’s incredibly painful. Life can be so unpredictable and hard. Thankfully, it can be really beautiful too.

 “She Used To Be Mine” is from the Broadway musical Waitress which was adapted from the 2007 film, that starred Keri Russell. Both the film and the musical are excellent. The Youtube is from the 2016 Tony Awards and it will bring tears to your eyes. It’s just that powerful of a performance. 

Lyrics

It’s not simple to say
That most days I don’t recognize me
That these shoes and this apron
That place and its patrons
Have taken more than I gave them

It’s not easy to know
I’m not anything like I used be, although it’s true
I was never attention’s sweet center
I still remember that girl

She’s imperfect, but she tries
She is good, but she lies
She is hard on herself
She is broken and won’t ask for help
She is messy, but she’s kind

She is lonely most of the time
She is all of this mixed up and baked in a beautiful pie
She is gone, but she used to be mine

It’s not what I asked for
Sometimes life just slips in through a back door
And carves out a person and makes you believe it’s all true

And now I’ve got you
And you’re not what I asked for
If I’m honest, I know I would give it all back
For a chance to start over and rewrite an ending or two
For the girl that I knew
Who’ll be reckless, just enough
Who’ll get hurt, but who learns how to toughen up
When she’s bruised and gets used by a man who can’t love
And then she’ll get stuck

And be scared of the life that’s inside her
Growing stronger each day ‘til it finally reminds her
To fight just a little, to bring back the fire in her eyes
That’s been gone, but used to be mine
Used to be mine

She is messy, but she’s kind
She is lonely most of the time
She is all of this mixed up and baked in a beautiful pie
She is gone, but she used to be mine

Songwriters: Sara Bareilles

She Used to Be Mine lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
In honor of the girl I used to be, I have brought back my bangs or fringe as the British say. It was time for a change. A new hair beginning. Ha!

Storybook Endings 

Published on by Tosha Michelle25 Comments

When I was a child
how I love to dress
my face in a book.
Entering worlds I’ve
never known.
I’d hide behind the cover.
discovering secret gardens,
children in boxcars, and
little women decked out
in petticoats.

On summer nights when
I could be coaxed out of
the books I loved.
My brother and I would
chase fireflies and play
Mother May I under
the backyard lights.

We were safe then under
the stars and constellations.
These were the years of
innocence and freedom

As a child you don’t notice
things like the moon losing
itself to the sky, or the cold
touch of the air.

As an adult you’re more apt
to notice the bee, the sting
the thorn, the horsewhip
Yet there’s still the beauty
of stories in a book and
nature’s sweet allure .

Sitting on a porch swing
the wind blowing hazily
Losing yourself in words
The call of distant shores,
The lure of courtships and
rosehip. In these times the
world brightens. The mind
alive with a gentle pitch
No need to rush or fuss
The sun refuses to faltered
Your soul becomes supernatural
Life’s frailties for a moment abated .

-Tosha Michelle


The ending of this video is perfection (as the music ends and the last chapter begins). 💕

Sumday Sweetness 

Published on by Tosha Michelle12 Comments

It’s a gray, windy, wet day here.  Here’s some pretty things to color the day with feminine charm and epic feline goodness.  Long live Tucker and Georgie. Of course , I had to throw in some T Swift. Happy Sunday. 💕. New poem coming Wednesday.

https://youtu.be/rY6GqQ_8wLA 

She Carries On

Published on by Tosha Michelle45 Comments


She’s been taken down
by the moon.

Forgotten by the air.
The stars affixed to some
other someone had no time
to care

She’s felt her soul.
break, then drop.

There’s been pain
and muted mutters.

Her life madness-
after-hours spent
after wishing.

There’s a ditch
and then the digging out.
only to find some jerk
is burning brush at the top.

She’ll turn the seared ashes
into shimmer and lace.
with a smirk and a wink.
she tears the wolves apart.

Knowing there’s still time for
another dance, another daring kiss.

Life is all in the darkening.
The brightening.

Her eyes lit.
Her face flush.

She wraps herself
in flames and carries on.

-Tosha Michelle 

Something Different 

Published on by Tosha Michelle5 Comments

I think Jimmy Kimmel is my new favorite Jimmy. Sorry Fallon. I love his friendship with Sarah Silverman. They’re the cutest ex couple ever, I swear Sarah is aging backwards. 47 and she looks bettet than ever.  Anyway, this clip just makes me happy. I’m so easy to please at times,  The “woke Jimmy” part cracks me up, Have a wonderful Saturday. 💕

The Remains 

Published on by Tosha Michelle34 Comments

image

The ones I love,
and have been
blessed to keep,
are sleeping
as night’s low
pitch hums slowly
fades.

I walk along the lake
with only the birds
to keep me company.
The clouds sticky,
but devoid
of cotton candy,
offer no sweetness.
I move through stony colors,
a stillness in my
soul.

The water churns,
dark froth travels
in its wake.
I cry for some
inexplicable reason.

Through my tears,
I stare out into
the silence,
and think of those
who make me the happiest.
And then I wonder
about those
who have come
and gone.
The ones I have lost,
lost loves, lost friends,
a litany of history.

Memories reclaim
me for a moment.
Has life carried
them where they
want to be?
Does the dusty world
ever taunt them, too?
Do they ever
wonder why time
offers no explanation
for grief and regret?
Do they ever weep
because whatever
we’re made of,
we can never alter
the ticking clock’s
hands.

I hope that there’s
a table set somewhere
for them, and morning kisses
to greet them.

The past opens quickly,
but recedes just as
fast.

I pick a dying
wild flower from its
sidewalk home,
just as a boat
heads off into the gray,
brushed stroke
of the mist.
A lone crow
plummets toward it,
like granite.
The first faint orange
spot appears in the
sky.

Lifting my chin to the sun,
to brightness.
I discard the unbreathable,
dizzy smell of nostalgia.

I bathe in the now,
and wash my soul
in today’s syllables

Thankful for what was,
but even more grateful
for those that remain 
I know without them,
the air would taste
like nothingness.

Standing on the bridge
in the space between
yesterday and today.
I walk back toward
the scent of nectar,
of happiness
Eating up the sunshine
while I still can.

-Tosha Michelle

Lowlights, Mascara, Blockbusters, Myth makers, Heartbreakers. (And the Rest)

Published on by Tosha Michelle17 Comments
  • I’m really enjoying having lowlights in my hair and the fact that it is finally just about to my shoulders.  It’s the simple things, folks.
  • Interesting article below on blocking friends and family on social media after a fall out. Personally,  I’ve never blocked someone I’ve cared about and who has truly cared about me. It just always struck me as mean and disrespectful. I’m an adult and if I have an issue with you, I’ll simply say so, If I trusted you at one point with my love and friendship, I have to trust you’re mature enough to respect  my wishes when things end. Note,  I will block perverts and stalker types with no regret. I just think people who were important to us deserve better than to be treated like the aforementioned   Unless the relationship ended on a hateful note or harassment is involved. One thing for certain blocking sends a clear message that you want a person gone, never to be heard from again. It’s the ultimate Fudge you! 🤓lhttps://www.theodysseyonline.com/psychological-strain-behind-blocking-someone-on-social-media
  • I’ve gotten back into wearing eyeliner and mascara most days. I’m loving Nars Larger than Life Long wear Eyeliner and Charlotte Tilbury Full Fat Lashes.  
  • Remember these? A pop sensation for your mouth . Yes, I’m really 12. ha!
  • If you haven’t seen the HBO documentary on Senator John McCain, you should check it out. May he rest in peace. He seemed like a man who cared about America and not just his party. Imagine if bipartisan became the norm. What a strange and wonderful world it would be.
  • On another TV note is anyome watching Castle Rock on Hula? If so, who or what is “the kid” Two more episodes left of this season.  Such a mind twister  You really have to pay attention to follow everything that’s going on. 
  • I’m so happy it’s almost fall, lots of fun things in the works with my favorite people.  I can’t wait to break out the sweaters and hot chocolate.
  • I give you simply the best milkshake ever.  The Misto.
  • On a film note, I watched “Mother” last night. It came out last year and stars Jennifer Lawrence.  Biblical allegories played a huge role in the plot, but goodness was it violent and bizarre.
  • What’s a blog post without a picture of the rock star cat being fabulous
  • So me 
  • My birthday was yesterday and I got this card from my youngest daughter . She’s funny 
  • My favorite family to watch on YouTube. The kids are super adorable! https://youtu.be/mFUKjbUYCcI

It’s Enough

Published on by Tosha Michelle28 Comments


It’s enough to just have
an idea about love.
Sometimes it’s rooted in
nostalgia, other times it’s
planted firmly in the now.
Regardless, we follow our
heartstrings through
the atmosphere even
if the notes make no sense.

We fall through sunlight
and burn ourselves out.
Dizzy with something unbridled
We don’t think about what the
sky might do
or how thw shadows might
distort or disappear.
We don’t count the moments
before we fell.
Or how the wild bees sting.
Above us. Below us, we just
see the blue hiding behind
the clouds.

Sometimes it’s enough to
just recall the days of
scarlet breasted birds
winging it, the scent of
honeysuckles, confetti winds
and lawn daisies
Knowing the Earth brightens
with just the idea of love.
And sometimes that knowing is enough.

Tosha Michelle