li bingbing, shot wonderfully by chenman 

to remember to be grateful. that we have the time to write this, to read this. that we are not in debilitating pain, locked up as a political prisoner or no longer able to speak or think the words on our mind. these moments that we take for granted, forgetting that at anytime they could stop and then how we would look behind us. look backwards at the simplistic things that made us annoyed, made us angry and beg for the return of those good old days. 

to look back, days of youth and folly, lighter everything, longer days and less aches and pains. responsible for no one, but also without a mast. sailing in whatever direction the winds decided. today the winds are strong, fortitude and a sense of seriousness push me in more and more decisive destinations. reasoning behind every text, every business meeting needing to have a brief, a plan, no longer are the schemes ending in a blur. 
but the march seems in vain. like a game collecting further points on a board, only to hit reset later on. try as we might, the more serious i act the more depressing it all becomes. playing harder for an outcome where either side of the coin seems fine. forgetting the gratefulness i once was told to remember, middle-age; trapped again in a feeling of melancholy and remorse for not seizing the day. 
—

Billie first ran afoul of powerful forces for singing “Strange Fruit,” the anti-lynching anthem. Her performances generated threats, even riots. Josh White also sang the song and was questioned by the House Un-American Activities Committee during the McCarthy period. He bowed to their demands that he stop. Billie defiantly refused and continued singing “Strange Fruit.” Many believe that her resistance led law enforcement to hound and arrest her in 1947 for drug possession. She served almost a year in prison, and her conviction disrupted her career for the rest of her life.