The sky is a tight gray sheet of Baroque prose pulled snug

“Raw Living: Picking blackberries, beneath late afternoon sun; a sunset reminiscent of watermelon sangria, as the scent of honeysuckle accosts me and the ducks…

— Brandi L. Bates

“I don't want to be around people who accept me as is, in my unrefined state of becoming. I consistently want people around me…

— Brandi L. Bates

“Drama does not just walk into our lives. Either we create it, invite it, or associate with it.”

— Brandi L. Bates

“Remember to remember: sometimes your adversary is your biggest asset. Where would David be without Goliath? Jesus without Judas?”

— Brandi L. Bates

“All those other girls are cake...I'm Crème brûlée...Tiramisu, if you will. Just a few notches above.”

— Brandi L. Bates

“On Slavery: The saddest slap in the face is we have NO monument, no real statues or memorials, no special day of Atonement or…

— Brandi L. Bates

“Whatever it is you want in this life, be it material things, a place you want to be, or an experience you want to…

— Brandi L. Bates

“All things grow, flourish, die, and re-grow. Life and death are continuous and fluid. Like the Sun and the Moon which die and are…

— Brandi L. Bates

“Be selective in your battles...”

— Brandi L. Bates

“THE NEXT DAY WAS RAIN-SOAKED and smelled of thick sweet caramel, warm coconut and ginger. A nearby bakery fanned its daily offerings. A lapis…

— Brandi L. Bates

“His ruby red rimmed moist eyes were two glasses of cranberry. He wore a cashmere sweater the color of Earl Grey tea...”

— Brandi L. Bates

“Sometimes transitional periods in life leave you feeling like a great big jumble of loose, split ends.”

— Brandi L. Bates

“Understand: I don't ever want to be equal to any other being. I always want to be greater...in all things, in all circumstances.”

— Brandi L. Bates

“No one is born with equality. We all come here with varying degrees of opportunities, qualities, strengths, weaknesses, IQ, etc.”

— Brandi L. Bates

“Wind as old as Rome outside my window, inky fleece clouds against charcoal crushed velvet skies, fall feels soulful, like a LaBelle octave.”

— Brandi L. Bates