I woke up this morning and set my goal for the day. This is not something I do often. Usually, I wake up, stumble through brushing my teeth and drinking some juice and then the rest of the day is up for grabs. But today, I woke up with a goal: I'm going to ask Yusef Komanyakaa to write a word on me.

Now, it's not that Yusef is an intimidating man. He is...cool. I mean cool like pine tree shade in the middle of a hot meadow cool. I mean cool like miles davis jazz at the blue note cool. I mean cool like blades of grass sprout dew in his wake cool. I've been hanging with the man for a week. Took a workshop with him on Monday. But - it's another thing altogether to ask him to write on me.

So, I worked up the nerve. 2pm followed him to workshop.

"Yusef - I'm doing this project...I'm..yadda yadda"

He laughed. "I'll think about it."

So, I took the man at his word. I went back to him after dinner.

"Yusef - did ya think of a word?"

He laughed some more. His wonderful front porch laugh.

"Yeah - alright."

And he wrote "temple" on my left arm. Now that, my friends, is a blessing like I've never known before.

Then the wonderful sistah Aya de Leon took the photo from me. Isn't it gorgeous?