She pays the light bill, the food, the car note, her student loan, the gas and the rent. All from one paycheck. She thinks to herself, why are you here? Other than making babies what is he good for?
I Don’t Need You
Your woman doesn’t smile at you like she use to anymore. There’er times you don’t even know whom she has transformed into lately. Last night the television was on and despite the noise you swore you heard her whisper another person’s name in her sleep. You dare not awake her in fear of the worst but when you do get up enough nerve to question her about it the expression on her face is as if you’ve just presented to her a cancelled check.
Your woman is dressing sharper now and a little more sexier; revealing some of her precious goods for the world to ponder and visually grope. The new perfume has her smelling a little more sweeter now, as she heads out the door in the morning, for work. The scent of her perfume reminds him of the days when they first met back when they were dating. There was a day when she bragged about him. Now she’s quick to air out his dirty laundry in public and place it on front street allowing her friends and family to interfere in their personal affairs. The all too familiar signs come to front of the end, as the proverbial pigeons fly over the coop.
I Don’t Need You
Your women’s voice is heavy as she sprints out in front of you to bring home the Whole Wheat Bread, the Turkey Bacon and the Country Crock Butter. The expression of frustration on her face is crystal clear. With reversed roles taking place in the household women are finding themselves pulling most of the weight and carrying the load previously endured by men.
She comes home from work later now and dares for you to question her whereabouts. The man shrinks and with one foot in while the other foot is out of the house he gets familiar with a pillow, the couch, the remote control and a bottle of lotion. He instantly finds himself a paycheck too short.
Despite of being a pay stub from being homeless he’s also one argument from being homeless. Therefore, she expects him, the poor excuse of a man that he has become, to cook the food she buys, wash the clothes, pickup the kids, clean the house, help with the homework and to make sure he has her dinner ready by the time she gets home from work. After all that’s the least he could do.
What was the vacuum that created such a shift in this role reversal and why is there a division causing hearts to harden?
I Don’t Need You
With a college degree in hand and a little money in her pocket her mouth becomes uncontrollable as her head moves from side to side, rolling her eye to the back of her head with the infamous hand on hip.
As she looks at him with disapproving eyes, looking at him from head to toe, staring him up and down, she is quick to show him the door, letting him know exactly how to open that door if he doesn’t like his situation. In fact, she’s willing to open the door for him and help him pack his bags should he act up and lose his natural cotton picking mind.
The woman feels entitled and empowered. She is smart enough to graduate from collage but fails to grasp the system old social tact long before the days of Claudine and the visiting social worker; the destruction of the Black family. Is she a pawn in this game of chess? Has the pawn graduated into a King? Or is the man simply lazy, dead weight and shiftless? Is there something underlining that calls for a closer examination of the truth?
Over the past few decades, have our woman’s femininity been tampered with? Has the man’s masculinity been compromised? Whose fault is it? Is this shift in role playing a accident? Did something happen in our society to produce such an imbalance in the household or is it by design? Is there a bigger picture? Is there a hidden agenda at hand? Is there a little man behind the certain? Or, are men just trippin and need to get their act together? Are men becoming obsolete; a thing of the past?
What’s wrong with Mary’s Joe? What’s wrong with Sabrina’s Kevin? Why can’t Malik and Jyson support his family like the men of the past? Is this progress? Is this a step forward; women no longer needing a man, only needing one another? How can we collectively overcome one of our most difficult obstacle in our lives right in our own backyard?
As Marvin Gaye once said, “What’s Going On?” Inquiring minds would like to know? What are your thoughts?
Harlem,
Heaven is at the foot of Mother…
Harlem Inner City Blues: Random Thoughts 
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