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The ABCs of a Woman (Sung) Sister, You’ve been on my mind Sister, we’re two of a kind So sister, I’m keepin’ my eyes on you I betcha think I don’t know nothin’ But singin’ the blues Oh sister, have I got news for you I’m somethin’ I hope you think That you’re somethin’ too (Spoken) You are something, more than something. There aren’t enough letters in the alphabet, words in the dictionary, to properly portray the power and persistence of the double X chromosome. Awesome Amazons, Aphrodites Blessed bohemians Courageous CEOs Destined dynamites and deep dive diplomats Experienced energizers Fierce feminists God’s gifts Honorable hustlers Implied igniters Juicy joys The keeping kind of kin Limitless leaders Mind-blowing mothers in a man’s world (Sung) This is a man’s world, this is a man’s world But it wouldn’t be nothing, nothing without a woman or a girl (Spoken) We stand him up when he can’t do anything other than take a knee We are the whoa in woman We are the womb, a safe space in the face of honor killings, objectifying ooglers, constant combat, sex trafficking, marital rape and non-equitable pay 82 cents for every dollar a man gets 59 cents if you are a Black woman 50 cents if you are a Latina We sometimes have to yell into a void Pursue when we are tired of trying Take on responsibilities that aren’t ours Run into burning, systematic racism fires Even at our worst and perhaps the most dishonest place in our birthright, omnipotence oozes from our perfect, passionate pores. We are the glue, fuel, key, the drumbeat for the best rap battle. We are the push and the pull an elastic, safety pin and paper clip – sometimes all at one We are the needed vaccine We bind what is broken with body, soul and bridge building bravery and beauty We get it done, sometimes with a smize, wink, sashay or hair toss while surpassing the odds. There are indeed not enough words to eloquently explain the exquisiteness of an effeminate Notorious notables Opulent optimists Poised packages, princesses Quintessential queens Righteous resonators and responsible rock stars Scintillating sisters Tenacious, timeless teachers Uplifting unicorns Vivacious victors Woke warriors Exceptional extraordinaries Yelp-worthy yen Zealous zeniths Zeniths that illuminate with the brightest bulbs and most significant superstars. Strong winds can’t break us. (Sung) I’m every woman, it’s all in me Anything you want done, baby I’ll do it naturally I’m every woman, it’s all in me I can read your thoughts right now Every one from A to Z Whoa, whoa whoa= oh oh Whoa, whoa wo-man Watch this piece performed: fb.watch/4qhvse_kr5; For more, Facebook: @YourWingsRReady Twitter: @AlishaPina Ear Worm We know you miss live music, so we figured out a way to bring it back to you … kinda. Motif teamed up with The Parlour in Providence to host a podcast and livestream where we’ll interview local bands and artists, then give them the opportunity to perform. It’s not the same as it was before the panorama, but baby steps, right? And even though we can’t give you the atmosphere of a crowd, we can show you some really rad new bands and maybe introduce you to some old ones that you didn’t even know you were missing. Watch this space for information about interviews and performances. Tend to Your Garden: Our resident plant lover draws parallels between plant care and self care Six months ago, I started taking care of indoor plants for my mental health, only to discover it quickly began to hurt me. I was enamored with each new growth, new species and new green goddess that erupted from the soil. I started buying more and more plants. In six months, I went from three plants to 90-plus, some of which were expensive and rare species. These 90 plants also brought with them 90 potentials for mental disaster. With each yellow leaf, spider mite, moldy dirt pile, mealy bug, mushed succulent and fungus gnat, my spirits worsened. Plant people, I know you have been there. These beautiful beauties that began with such hope left me full of despair. Every failure hurt my soul. But from it, I grew. And over time, I learned to accept a few rules for my plants and for myself. 1) You CAN care too much. Overwatering and overpotting happen. Sit back a little and watch. Be patient with your plants and yourself. Live in the present. 2) New and different do not equal happiness. Some of my favorite plants are run-of-the-mill pothos. Get something because it inspires joy, not because you’ve developed plant envy. That’s a sure way to get stuck with plants you end up despising, or as I call them “future compost.” 3) It doesn’t have to be all or nothing. You don’t need a million plants. We plant lovers all want to live in a jungle of our own making. Before you go for that, make sure you’re tending to your own garden. Did you drink enough water? Did you eat a healthy meal? Did you take time to grow? 4) You have not failed if your plant dies, your kid rips off every petal or the cat pees on the soil. So what?! Cry a tear or two if you need to, but keep in mind that you are learning. Sucking at something is the first step to being sort of good at something. 5) We’re all in this together. There is a beautiful network of people to go to for advice. Facebook is full of plant friendly groups, the National Gardening Association has a forum for help, and there is a plethora of articles available online about each species. You are not alone. There is always a trellis to support you. 6) Knowledge is power. Pick a few plants at a time. I’d say at max three. Learn them, name them if you want and make sure you’re able to fully give them what they need before moving on to more. I hope these rules help people struggling with plants, obsessed over plants in an unhealthy way or beating themselves up for not being good enough, in general. You are not alone. Keep reaching for light. The Cabinet Zounds! Horace Popinjay here with the first edition of The Cabinet, a dispatch which shall be put forth each sennight hence! You may guess from my demeanor that I’m writing from the past. No! This dispatch comes from the future — the year 2121, in fact, when Providence is an Underwater City, and we all have to put on our Copper Diving Suits to go to the Alga Encrusted Ruins of The Providence Place Mall!* “Egad!” you’re saying to yourself. “I thought our noisome troubles would cease now that we’ve shed that pestilent year, 2020.” No. Why did you think that? Things will get way worse. But of course the future, unlike the past, is mutable! Heed my dispatches in this periodical, and we can avoid this watery end. Take Senator DiPalma’s commission to investigate Rhode Island’s energy infrastructure. Not a single activist or environmental expert among the 20-member commission, which includes luminaries from Enbridge Gas and National Grid. Tommyrot! But let’s give the State House their due: Trying to balance preserving the conditions for life on earth with keeping the energy companies happy is a sticky wicket. At least the new Transportation and Climate Initiative will reduce public transit carbon emission. Unfortunately, the bigger transit priority seems to be making sure rich people don’t have to look at the folks who ride it. Isn’t that the real agenda behind this codswallop multihub bus plan? Don’t worry Mr. Paolino, the skyscrapers may be underwater here in 2121, but our moneyed class lives in capacious dirigibles, miles above the hoipolloi down in the briny deep. You’ll love it! *RIP to the many who drowned in defiant opposition to the Governor’s 2120 Copper Diving Suit Mandate BikeLife Lives Matter: By working together, cities and bikers can reach a solution In 2017, the Providence town council wrote an ordinance that allows Providence police to confiscate and destroy illegally ridden ATVs and dirt bikes. This October, the City of Providence, in a show of enforcement, publicly demolished 33 dirt bikes and ATVs. One week later, during a ride-out on October 18, 24-year-old Jhamal Gonsalves was involved in a vehicular incident with the Providence Police that put him in a coma where he remains today. Before the #justiceforjhamal campaign forced it to take a back seat, the BikeLife Lives Matter movement was working toward gaining greater acceptance for the bike life subculture in Providence, counter to what many in the culture consider its unfair villainization. Those within the bike community view it as a colorblind society that doesn’t ignore the issue of race, but understands it for what it is, and this understanding can provide society at large with lessons on racial diversity and unity. It’s similar to the hip-hop culture in that it intends to bring people of different backgrounds together through self expression and the riding art form. The bike community is simply a group of hobbyists pursuing their passion — a creative escape born from inner cities where people are directly affected by systemic injustices brought into sharp focus by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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