baltimoreblackwoman

This past week was filled with sleepless nights and listless days. I could not focus on anything useful or positive or productive. I could not write. I could barely stand to read the newspapers, or watch the endless cycle of media rehashes of Senate Hearings, of bizarre hackings (by Russia) of those same hearings on C-Span, or the constant barrage of tweets from, to, and about The Twit Who Would Be Czar (King, Dictator, Supreme Leader) of the World.

I especially bristled when MSNBC’s Katy Tur lashed out at Dr. Howard Dean’s masterful takedown of The Media for its role in the ascent of The Twit. Dr. Dean was one of the few voices of Truth I heard this week—and yet, incredibly, when I just tried to search msnbc.com for this exchange, I could find no “match” for it! I know I was not asleep when I saw it with my own eyes.

So, to counter the real-life Twilight Zone, I ended up watching late-night TV—including Rod Serling’s prescient series of the same name. I found myself also drawn to shows of my childhood: Mannix, The Alfred Hitchock Hour, and even a silly episode of Gomer Pyle, which (improbably) featured a brief appearance by the late William Christopher (Father Mulcahy of M.A.S.H.) as one of Gomer’s buddies on the base.

But this morning, I was back to watching the pundits. Until I saw the piece about The Twit daring to insult Congressman John Lewis for telling the Truth about his impending “presidency.” Especially after seeing Steve Harvey kiss The Twit’s ring while in the Tower the day before.

At about 1:30 this afternoon, I turned off the TV, put down my phones, ignored my computer, and gave in to a long, deep sleep, during which I’d occasionally wake up after an intriguing dream, absorb the meaning of that dream, turn over, and fall blissfully to sleep again. When I woke up, it was nearly 8:00 pm. Reluctantly, I turned on the lights. Wisely, I resisted the urge to turn on the television or even to listen to some music.

The silence of this day (without even traffic noises), as well as the sleep, was a welcome relief; a gift from my brain to my mind and my body.

Yet, I could not resist turning on the computer, checking the “Internet News,” and scrolling through my Facebook feed, where I found the following links to rebuttals of The Twit’s cluelessness—not just about Congressman John Lewis’s district, but about the Black Community at large: http://www.rawstory.com/2017/01/youre-not-a-quarter-of-the-man-he-is-internet-shreds-trump-for-smearing-civil-rights-icon-john-lewis/; http://www.ajc.com/news/local/john-lewis-fifth-district-residents-respond-trump-comments-with-defendthe5th-photos-neighborhood/o9pmQet0wy8s9ucB8vi1GI/.

As President Barack Obama said, during his heartbreaking farewell speech, Tuesday night, reality will always catch up with you.