“Deep Dive No. 1” © Bonnie Matthews Brock

 

A Pay Wall

At night,
my full potential wakes.

By morning,
pressure grows
demanding performance.

Where there is money,
sex,
and pleasure
I feel the pull.

I am full of love,
yet sometimes
lost in lust.

There are still people for you to meet.
A village to inspire.
A city to electrify.
A world
waiting for your voice.

This is no longer the era of gatekeeping.
Walls are thin.
Secrets leak.

A paywall cannot protect truth
in an age of noise
without music.
From your sunset,
a new generation of warriors will rise.

I am a hundred years ahead
of my readers.

I write about them
but I may never meet them.

Still, I prepare my spirit
like a messenger,
ready to pass the flame

not as gossip
but as ignition.

 

Drici Amos James, (he/him) popularly known as DAJ 2020, is a voice of the ghetto, embodying hope and belief. Born and raised in Uganda, East Africa—the Pearl of Africa, his rich life story, rooted in the slums of Uganda, fuels his powerful and authentic art, serving as a lifeline for survival and redemption.
A self-taught creative, he is a two-time self-published author, poet, model, artist, writer, and publisher, as well as the founder and CEO of DAJ Foods Africa.

DAJ 2020 is an internationally published and widely read author, as well as a multi-published model featured in renowned international magazines, including Figgi Magazine, Marika Magazine, SSSIVANE Magazine, Charisma Magazine, Loop Lite Magazine, The Style Cruze, and The Untold Magazine.

Through his work, DAJ 2020 continues to share his light, inviting the world into his universe of authenticity, art, and pure vibes. A strong proponent of independent creation. Let’s roll.

Bonnie Matthews Brock is a Florida-based photographer, and retired school psychologist. She loves hiking the urban and woodland trails of “anywhere” (and pausing often to shoot photos) with her very patient husband (and often collaborator), Ted. Her images have been featured on the covers of magazines such as Ibbetson Street, Wild Roof Journal, Poesy Magazine, Humana Obscura, and Arkansas Review; as well as on the pages of publications such as Oddball Magazine, Ember Chasm Review, Beyond Words Literary Magazine, Beaver Magazine, and Lateral. Her works are archived at institutions such as Poets House NYC, Brown University, and Harvard University. You can view more of Bonnie’s images on Instagram @bonniematthewsbrock.