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The Brown Page | hand drawn vector x Jenn Freeman aka Po'Chop

i have answered the call

and am slowing down

what is happening while we are all consumed with our screens?

i want to put my phone in a box and ship it to timbucktu

one of these evenings while making dinner me and tiff

(in our slam poetry voices)

riffing off of ancestor gil scott-heron

tiff: the revolution will not occur on your screen!

me: the revolution will not be a hashtag

tiff: you can not @

me: or dm the revolution

the revolution will not go viral

i am screen-sick and scrambling to reread octavia's prophesies

dodging pressures to create content to pacify

i am grieving.

i don't want to know nothing about the words coronavirus. pandemic. unprecedented. covid-19. relief. shelter-in-place. virus. pivoting to digital. shout outs to essential workers.

we are changing

capitalism is hungover

old systems crumpling

i invite you to slow down with me

to make a ritual

outta placing your devices into boxes for long stints

unplugging

getting somewhere and sitting down

reflecting on (the land) home

make yourself at home on these pages. get comfortable. explore and engage

and like always enjoy.

much love and light

*click each step for a deeper exploration of your homebodiness

step one:

Take a break from idle scrolling, virtual classes, digital content. a break from news headlines and phone calls. alarms. animal crossing. push notifications. the red banner on the top of just about every website with a canned covid statement. a break.

some helpful

got this idea from Chicago based dance company Khecari) creating with my hands feels good right now so i sure did decorate a box specifically for my device. i find comfort knowing my phone is outta sight and has it's own resting place.

-Holla at yo people! let loved one's know you going deviceless for a while so folks ain't worried about you.

-Put it in a Box

3 steps for embracing you inner homebody

meaning find stillness. there are a variety of ways to meditate and if that ain't yo thing try thinking of this moment an an opportunity to self soothe. find calmness. octavia butler's words have been a mental balm. i've found solace in embroidering pages from her personal journal & chanting phrases from Parables of the Sower: "The only lasting truth is change."

find what feels good place your body in a comfortable position and select a mantra to chant. close your eyes.

some helpful

breathe & let it go begin softly saying your mantra with each inhale and exhale. notice when your mind wanders and guide it back to your breath.

how long? it's up to you. it's not about the length but rather the nourishment of your practice. once you've completed chanting, take a few moments in silence to let it marinate.

step two: (as my mom would say...)

Bust out some paper and and reflect on your relationship the land /home. Click "questions/prompts" for just that from Tiff.

-Where do you stay?

-How long have you stayed there?

-Do you move around alot?

-Aren’t migrations movements too?

-What do we mean when we talk about a family’s choice (or not) to move? to stay?

-The cost of living?

-Are you close to your family? How often do you gather?

-Where is home?

-What happened to the building when the people left?

-What is the impact on those who stayed?

with our devices off and stowed away and our mind cleared we arrive at step 3:

Beauty%2520Turner%2520_%2520Venise%2520K

i have relished in building a home with tiff. from a denim treatment in our living room to a decoupaged brown paper wall in our bedroom. we’ve transformed our third floor Bronzeville apartment side by side. watching many suns settle behind a twisting green line. i allow gratitude for our home to wash over me. acknowledging that for so many home is a yearned for place. perhaps more than a physical space, home rests some place between my ribs and gut.

while building our home, we dug into Bronzeville's rich history creating The People’s Church of the G.H.E.T.T.O. (if you ain't familiar check out the visual recap) Tiff opened the services with Bronzeville Goddamn. An inimitable spoken word piece that reflects on her notions of home, the legacy of public housing activist Beauty Turner and beyond.