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Hey y'all! . SO tomorrow is the last day of April! Which means IT'S GONNA BE MAY! (Yes, I said that in my best Justin Timberlake impression).. and that means Bri and I have the pleasure of introducing you to this month's theme which is.......... *drum roll* ........INTIMACY! 🔥💞👌🏼 . . Intimacy is often associated solely with sexual interactions, when, in fact, it is defined as "closeness," or "familiarity." . Too often we forget to pursue a level of intimate understanding of ourselves, constantly expending our energy (sexual and otherwise) outwardly. . For May, we are rebuilding/fine tuning these connections with ourselves and with others, remembering that Intimacy comes in many forms. Of course the sexy stuff is fun too, but what is sex without trust, without communication, without understanding and acceptance? . Please join us on this journey as we delve into the importance of healthy connections, boundaries, and exploration of our inti

I wake up dizzied by thoughts of you Circling round Like a knock out, Then I spend the rest of the day Icing away the pain Bumps and bruises on my decrepit heart Riddled like graffiti street art In stitches and scars, You itch my idea of wholeness How your gaze holds me like a spotlight In the warmth of your fleeting affection I've never known this kind of attention And I long for the days of ignorance Before making your acquaintance Before initiating this Back and forth dance Of readiness Unsteadiness Of hoping to bask in your loveliness To waking thoughts of how much I'm dreading this Love me, love me not Petals dismembered Like limbs from my lifeless body Hoping maybe someday You'll land on "love me" This hope remains My heartache's only remedy Echoing in masochistic melody Bloody and still outliving the disappointment of our yesterday

People often compare love to the sea or to the moon Sonnets, prose, confessions to These aquatic and celestial bodies Swaying melodically through The infinite oceans of time Time We do not swim through time We exist And time swims through us Residing only within the confines Of these mortal minds Why shall I compose some quaint, misconstrued Rendition of my love for you Another whispered syllable In cliche comparison, To something so earthly and so variable Though I have not all the answers (Though perhaps I might) My love for you transcends the night Transcends the water refracted light Glinting from your charcoal eyes Two lustrous pebbles smoothened from years of tumult We victims to this human construct Both love and time alike

🎤 True #hiphop lives on in this young cat, representing #lasvegas in the dawn of this musical renaissance. In the world of mumble rap and crafted personas, one thing I recognize in Theo is his distinct lyrical identity and confident performance delivery! Keep an eye out for this guy cause he is definitely an artist on the rise! Theo releases his song "Great (featuring Captain)" in only THREE days on April 26th, as the first single from his album "Manifest" due to be released in June! 90 percent of the album is produced by a talented artist from Belgium who goes by the name Orlando or (OB), with whom Theo has been working for the past 7+ years! Theo became acquainted with his music on YouTube several years back, the two connected, and they've been working with each other ever since, never once being able to work together in person! It is a true delight to know Theo, both creatively and personally! He is a hard worker and has such a vivacious spirit in every

* Reese's Verse* I been running from shadows Haven't gone very far As the sun's going down I feel them stretch on the tar I keep running and running Follow the brightest of stars But I been running on empty And I don't know who you are Secrets come and go Can't escape the shadow Waiting by the window Just to watch the world go Don't know this girl in the mirror Close my eyes to see clearer She screams and no one can hear her I scream out NO ONE CAN HEAR HER Feel the darkness creep in My heart beats up in my ears And so the nightmare lives on I'm drowning deep in my fears Everybody is screaming (3x) *Hook* Can I tell you a secret (2x) If I do, will you please Promise me that you'll keep it

I told my rapist I loved him Because I did And in some ways I still do Even in the dark cloud of shame Whenever someone mentions his name Even though I never wanted to Do the things we did Somehow I convinced myself I asked for it Agreed that it would be our secret That hush upon my lips Turned to quiet consequence The loss of innocence At age 8 Bred two decades of self hate Which only boys and other poisons could satiate Medicated through the pain, but remained confused Allowed my body to be consumed Mistaken passion from sexual abuse I told my rapist I was sorry the day I finally refused At age 14 Torn between Continuing And screaming I was so scared to lose him Lose his attention It's so fucking disgusting to reminisce On the fact that throughout my adolescence This is what I understood of intimate affection At age 15 I would have done anything To no longer be a "virgin" To casualize sexual interaction Convince myself This was common p

Snaps Shadows Lineup 7:00 Reese Darko show open/welcome 7:15 Gabriel Castillo speaks (@ castillocomedy ) 7:25 *5min break* 7:30 Brianna sacrificial performance 7:40 Paul Carlon (@paul.carlon) 7:50 *10min break* 8:00 Kentrello (@hellokentrello) 8:10 Chimmie (@chimmie) 8:20 *10min break* 8:30 Agez (@ageoflv) 8:40 OM Bowl 9:00 *10min break* 9:10 OM Bowl 9:50 Raffle Winners 10:00 OM Bowl 10:20 Closing thoughts/group meditation Live Painter Brooke Carter (@bpcproductions) Vendor Charismatic (@charismaticdion)

It takes two to tango, But only one to dance Leaves me shuddering at the thought Of a second chance At romance Time ceases With my heart Again in your hands What I know of seconds is they have a way Of always slipping away Slowly When the clouds resonate a dark gray Heartache hangs closely And I'm mostly Expecting The onslaught of rejection Guts twist In the midsection Redirection Of my intentions Suddenly I'm craving your attention Daydream indulgence In the different dimensions Of your affections What is love but another segmented season To dive into believing That we fall for honorable reasons To revel in the death of all the reds and golds To grasp at every syllable in quiet spells on untouched scrolls Reigniting our ember souls Misspoken words are the only ones which seem to be heard Side by side, two estranged worlds Intersect and twirl Cracks in her porcelain mask reveal the face of a scared little girl One second was split for these emo

I give my time, you want my space I give my words, you want my taste I give my rhymes, you want a place Immortalized by my grace I give my flesh, you want my skin I give you solace, you want my sins I let you in, you want within Rims only frame the places we cannot hide Lies corrode the surfaces of every human eye

And just like that, our Shadows event is nearly a week away. 🤟🏼 This theme has stirred up a lot of darkness and demons for our featured artists, myself (Reese) included. Thankfully, this community has empowered me to a point that I can be confident in embracing that darkness as a beautiful facet of who I am as an individual, and what I contribute to the world as an artist. Remember that you are not the sum of your past mistakes. All we can do is try to see those life lessons to fruition, allowing for growth and further complexity to these seemingly mundane existences. How can we be nothing, yet everything all at once? Accept every piece of strife this life has to offer, knowing that an additional layer of black paint can only accentuate a vibrance in this life which our naked eye has only scratched the surface of seeing and understanding. We all have shadows... And as light beings, it is pertinent to recognize them in all their many forms. What are shadows, but light obscured? T

I have been feeling nostalgic as of late.. nostalgic for these words and feelings which have since turned foreign to me. To love with a fragile heart is a dangerous game... Scared and fickle, still she upturns rocks whose affections lay hidden from her. Bold little thing. Far braver and more boisterous than I. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Those of you who know me might have heard me consider myself "undateable." No, this is not to say that I don't feel love. Quite the contrary, I feel love so deeply, too often to the point of self destruction. Since separating from my marriage, the last year and a half has incurred a period of immense introspection and growth for me. This time has taught me so much about the proper use of ego/self love versus intuitive empathy, and my ability to control how every situation affects me. I used to feel I was at the mercy of my emotions, blindly lead by these feelings whether they positively served me or not. "A walking, bleeding heart&