Excerpts from the Diary of a Diva

I've finally fallen in love with the man of my dreams. He is beautiful and sweet and lovable and strong. He's a writer, like me, which means that he's expressive and intelligent. That's enough to make me melt. But to say he's perfect would be a lie before God and all His angels. He's moody, aloof, and somewhat surly. His temperament isn't light like mine, but brooding. I can tell that he spends a lot of time in his head. For some reason, we are compatible. He hears and understand me. And I understand him. We work together on the places that are vague for us. I'm learning a lot about love from this man. And it's not like anything I've ever experienced before. For one, I'm learning that it doesn't take all the frills to love someone. Sometimes it can be downright messy and dirty and smelly. And yet, it's still the best feeling ever. I'm so happy.

I am strong My heart is tender You are hurtful There are times when I need someone To listen to me When the foolishness of this world becomes Too much for me to handle Alone. I need you to understand That I'm not always logical Or practical. I'm just me. sometimes i feel small and insignificant like no one cares for me that my needs are an afterthought  Your purpose in my life Is to help me see in those moments That I'm not alone. That I'm not stupid. That I'm not crazy. I wish my inner being was as strong As my outer shell. But it's not. A good relationship should allow for both your strength  And your weakness To occupy the same space with the same love for both. Admire my strength. Embrace my weakness. Love me through it all.

If love is a house We’re responsible for furnishing it. We put our careers, family, and friends In well-arranged configurations So we’ll be comfortable. And we can live this way for a long time. Until the day we meet the one who Makes our hearts leap within us. The one who sings the song We were meant to sing Forever. That’s when we have to rearrange things In our perfect house. Because it’s necessary to make room Not only for those we love But for those who love us. That’s where I am. I’m making room for you. Because I love you.

I’m not perfect. Sometimes I talk too much. I don’t hold my liquor well. I can be rude. I fall asleep at inappropriate times. I’m not perfect. Sometimes I miss notes. I run out of air on long phrases. I even forget the words To my favorite songs I am not perfect. But the love I have for you Transcends my flaws and shortcomings It’s more than just kisses and body hugs I want it to be your shelter in the rain What you come home to after a long day I am not perfect. But I have a perfect love for you. It may not play out as awesome as I want it to… But it’s here. And I offer it to you freely. I am not perfect. And I love you. The end.

If you know me well, you know that it takes a long time for me to get through with a thing. And I do mean anything. Even candy. The reason is that I don't like to chew hard candy is that I don't want it on my teeth. Therefore, I basically hold it in my mouth until it dissolves. I know it sounds a little strange, but I've always done it. (By the way, I've never had a cavity, so my method isn't all bad.) But I digress... I said all that to say this -- I am too through with  my uncle . He recently passed away, and my mom, my other uncle, my cousin, and I went to pay our respects. While I recognize that his children and his wife haven't been especially close with all of us, I was completely unprepared for what I learned at the funeral. Apparently my uncle had created a world where he was the lone hero, and family that raised him was just plain evil. His son even went to far as to say that his father didn't grow up in a Christian household. When he said that,...

Have you ever had one of those days? I had one today that honestly has me questioning myself. Let me explain... I recently lost my job. Even though it wasn't the career-making position I needed, it still contributed to my never-ending goal of paying the bills. And so I'm on the hunt for the next big thing yet again. (***sigh***) On the strength of a good friend's recommendation, I had an interview with well-known former athlete to produce a daily podcast. While I wasn't sure what that would mean, I decided to go in with my game face on. The insanity started the moment I entered the studio. With the table and all the stools being extremely tall, it was clear to me that the room had been designed with the former athlete in mind. Athletic Boy, in an attempt to appear gentlemanly, tried to adjust the stool to my lower elevation. When he realized that it wouldn't go as low as I'd need it, he stopped and gave me that, "Oh well, I tried," look. I said t...

Dear Quvenzhané, First of all, I want to congratulate you on your Oscar nomination. You've done something at the tender age of nine that some women three time your age or more will never get to do. No matter what else happens in your life, this historic moment is something to be cherished. Sadly, not everyone is able to celebrate with you. As I'm sure you know -- or will be told in your future -- sometimes being in the spotlight subjects you to people who aren't very nice. They aren't able to be as wonderful as you are, and it makes them feel bad about themselves. Rather than working toward being good at something, they'd rather insult you and try to cut you down to their size. And because your skin is caramel-kissed in a world full of rosy-cheeked babies, you're going to be subjected to even more ugliness than you deserve. If you're a typical child, you'll probably wonder why. Here's your answer: those of us who live in brown-skin are often be...