Dear Brown Brotha/Sistah Immigrant

Dear Brown Brotha/Sistah immigrant dealing with this fuckery of racism and separating families.
        (To ALL immigrants in general but to my brown brothas and sistahs in particular.)

I am with you. I AM with you. HOLD ON. They did the same to us (the Africans, the Blacks, the Negroes, the slaves,) knowing the recovery from this kind of separation takes centuries to overcome. HOLD ON. I understand that this is not the Dream you had when you risked your life to live on land that you occupied before we took it in war. You have come home and are no longer welcome it seems, but HOLD ON.  Some of us are waiting for YOU. I AM WAITING for YOU.  They did the same to us so I know the outcome.  So do they.  They are afraid  you will survive just like we did; you will thrive-just like we do. They know this, so please HOLD ON.   They see how great you are in spite of what they have left for you.  HOLD ON. I AM WAITING FOR YOU. I am your American sistah  and I AM WAITING for YOU. But You must HOLD ON
 

MDW

Dear Apathetic Americans Too Lazy To Vote in Local Elections

Dear Apathetic Americans Too Lazy to Vote in Local Elections,

Voting to is kind of like exercise. You know it's good for you and  sometimes you are disappointed in the results. With exercise, if you keep at it things will eventually change for the better. It's the same with voting. Having said that I hope you exercise your right to VOTE TODAY and in every election as I have. Now I'm off to exercise and hope to see positive change in my thighs. (she sighs and pushes through as her thighs burn. she mumbles the lyrics, ♫it's been a long time but I know a change is gonna come.♫) Good day sirs and madams. GO VOTE!

MDW

Dear I'm Not Ready For A Relationship

Dear I'm Not Ready For A Relationship,

Too late.  You meet someone. You are attracted to them for whatever reason. You exchange personal information with them.  Spend your free time  with them.    Call them late in the night and tell them your secrets.  Call them when you get a break from work.  Call them when you don't really have time but just because you want to hear their voice. Hold hands in public.  Make them dinner. Eat from the same utensils.  Share your food, your body, your ideas.  Introduce them to  your parents, your friends, your co-workers.  Guess what? YOU ARE IN A RELATIONSHIP.  You don't prepare for it.  It just happens.  I am sure all the people in your life you call friend are not in your life because of some calculated move or pre-meditated plan on your part.  You met, you clicked , you consistently keep in touch, you're friends.  You have a relationship with them.  Same goes for that man or woman you met and wanted to get to know better.  The "getting to know you better" part is how it all starts. Don't use that line if you know you are not ready to be in a relationship with that person.  That line screams relationship of some kind.

Now, be honest.  You are ready for relationships.  You are simply bored of the person you formed the relationship with and now you want to bail.  It happens.  That's when you say something like, "this is not working for me" or "I don't want to be with you" or even get hard core and just say "I'M OUT".  Those lines work.  They may hurt but they are simple, honest and  there's no gray area. Saying, "I'm not ready for a relationship" after being in a person's life for months or years is confusing and in some cases may cause  you bodily harm. That's what you say to yourself  BEFORE you spend time to get to know somebody better. I know what you are thinking but don't worry about whether or not everybody will label  you as a cowardly ass, because they will.  They do.  And you are. And it's okay.  That's how we learn.

BOTTOM LINE: You don't GET READY for a relationship.  You GET READY FOR THE PROM!

MDW

Dear Producer Who Asked Me What I Need From Theatre

I need you to sell me truth, or even a lie. I want to go home and believe that I made a great purchase. So great that I want to tell all of my friends and my friends' friends to go out and buy it, a ticket that is. I want to see ME drafted into a world of possibility;my IMAGE, my CULTURE, MY VOICE. I want to BELIEVE, judge, discuss, laugh, maybe even shed a tear or two; happy tears and sympathetic ones. I want you to TEACH me something I don't already know about the world. Yes, I want to LEARN; walk away with a sense that I've learned something new, about myself, about others. I want to maybe even disagree. I want to debate and have no one come out a winner. I wan to hear your opinion. Show me the same shit in a different way. Yeah, that's it- SAME SHIT, DIFFERENT WAY. I want MAGIC-magic that I know can only exist in the theatre. I want to believe for two hours or so that it's all real. Make it real-the grass, the set, the backdrops, projections. Take me on a roller coaster ride with fake sets, and lights and period costumes and invoke real emotion from me. I want to FEEL, I want to BELIEVE. I want to DISAGREE. I want to feel like I know the characters; to believe that they really breath and have opinions even though I know they are all made up; created from the soul of some passionate writer. PASSION. I want to QUESTION my morals, my values, my judgements- all of that in 2 hours. I think that's it, in a nutshell. Yep, that's what I want for my ticket...and free parking.

Dear Taco Truck Stationed In The Car Wash Lot On Vermont Ave

There is no other way to say it but to just come out and say it, I think I love you. The way you stealthily back into the car wash parking lot around 6:30pm; just after the last over-priced Lexus has been spot wiped. Your huge, boxy frame gliding on 4 wheels arrives, like a Prius, barely making a sound and sitting high above the rest. You are a SEXY BEAST. And I admire the way you stay grounded by strategically placing wedged blocks of wood behind each tire. You can't be too careful. We don't want you to roll away. And the people who steer your orange and red steel frame filled with meat and tortillas are the best. You're parked now and that's when the ceremony begins: the lowering of the canopy. Removing all the white plastic fold up chairs and card tables from your carriage and placing them on the wet sudsy lot; one long row of chairs and then four at each table. You like to keep it simple; no frills- using natural light for the table at first and then street lights after dark to set the mood. But do we really need the extra light with the neon glow that permeates from you when you hook up the generator? The flashing ticker tape sign and the 2 flat screen TV's that blast Telemundo and Univision are all the light we need. But the best part is the rolling condiments bar, complete with sneeze guard; filled with fresh cut salsa and limes and cilantro and radishes and cucumbers and onions each having their own metal tongs. You even supply us with napkins and tiny plastic bags if we decide to dine at home. You have thought of everything. You look in my eyes and ask for my order in English. I answer,"carne asada or dos pollo." You give me the "nice try" smile because my Spanish is horrible. You gently hand me my number then I wait to be called. I wait in line behind countless others of all races: Korean, Nigerian, Hispanic, Black, White, all salivating for your delicious food. But you do more than feed us. You unite us. We are all equal under your salsa stained canopy each hovering over the condiments bar getting our part of your perfectly seasoned, chopped, grilled heaven that you have promised us. And there is plenty for everyone. As it should be. You are one of the things I am proud of in America. Hmm,a thought... The United Colors of Taco Stands. It should be a movement and you should lead. And that's why I love you Taco Truck Stationed In The Car Wash Lot On Vermont Ave. Until tomorrow evening... MDW