Let me say right off I’m a witch living in the spirit. Nevertheless, I don’t follow that devil man. I don’t have nothing to do with that old thang. I’m just an old woman who believes in mother nature. So there. And I’m proud to be old.

I live up there around 125th Street in Harlem U.S.A. Won’t tell you exactly where cause I don’t want you searching me out to try and get you some spells or something.

You know some folks so superstitious. They think all they got to do to fix their life up is to gaze into the eyes of a person like me. Well that just ain’t true. You got to have commonsense and know right from wrong, and don’t set up and watch life pass you by that’s what.

I’m currently working through this here writer. She got some sense, but not much. Her heart is good even though she been peculiar since she was born. I’m gwine help her cause she’s helping me express myself.

I was getting tired of hanging out with those tired spirit friends of mine. Either they busy stirring up trouble among you living or moaning and groaning cause they can’t experience the pleasures of the flesh. Me, well I just smoke my pipe, rock in my chair and mind my own business.

This young gal writer here perked my curiosity with her determination that she a witch and her third eye bein’ open to receive good knowledge. Good thang she ain’t fooling with those evil spirits cause I wouldn’t have nothing to do with that.

I did that once. Nothing but the funkiest of trouble, believe you me. I think this writer's on the path, but she don’t know the half of it. She knows I’m a friendly spirit and that’s why she’s letting me speak through her. But, she ‘s got a evil streak too. You betta be careful gal. Hanna following your every foot step. (I'll tell yah later all about Hanna.)

I visited this child’s house and helped her get rid of that Doberman she had ruling her life. What she needed was a man and I helped her with that too. I believe in doing not just setting up, wishing, hoping and dreaming.

All right, now back to you.

What I’m gwine give to you is my stories and some old folk wisdom for the broken hearted, fool hearty and naive. Now you can say you ain’t studding me and that will be just fine. But those of you with some sense gwine listen up.

Now about my name. It’s pronounced So’wa. Written just so -  - remind yah of "So What." I like that name cause folks find too much fever on what don’t matter anyway. If something worrying yah, just think "So What" that’s what.

Can’t nobody, even the baddest witch, tell you your future. You remember that. Cause when they come to you telling you what you gwine do, walk away because they’re evil.

So you know who you’re talking to now. I’m a spirit and if you gon get spooked or think something’s wrong with conversing with spirits than you need to put this book on down.

Now, I love to tell fascinating stories. But boy can I tell me some lies! You know, stories that the old folks tell got truth in them. That’s right. You’ll see for yoself when you get to reading my stories.

I tell stories to help folks relax and forget about their problems. Life ain’t that hard chillun when you start laughing instead of crying all the time. But if you want to keep busy making misery won’t nobody stop you.

So come on child. Prop those tired feet up, soak them in some red salt. That will work. Or sit on your favorite sofabed. Try to rest your mind now and let me tell yah some red gravy stories.

I hope you’ll enjoy ‘em.

Sowa

Diane Richards is a proud member of the Harlem Writers Guild, the oldest African American writer’s guild in the world, and the legendary guild of Maya Angelou, Terry McMillan and Ossie Davis. The founding members include Dr. John Henrik Clarke, Rosa Guy, John Oliver Killens and Walter Christmas.

Loving all genres of writing, she is also a song and screenwriter and stays active in the music and film world through memberships in the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers and the Independent Feature Project.

Grace Edwards, Secretary of the Harlem Writers Guild, and published writer on Doubleday of the Mali Anderson mystery series says of Diane Richards, "She is one of our most promising young emerging writers."

I love Harlem cause that’s where I live and what I know, right up there on 122nd and Manhattan Avenue. White folks live right across the street too. They are Harlem folk, that’s right. You don’t have to be black to be Harlem folk. Don’t worry me none that old color thang you folks always talking about. Anyway, when I go out in Harlem I change myself to be younger you know cause folks be rushing back and fro and at 110, I can’t be bothered moving that fast and don’t have to neither. Shoot I done done everythang I want to anyway. I ain’t in a hurry to get nowhere no how.

Folks are worried about comin’ to Harlem and they betta. There’s some funky spirits up here just waiting for you to start trouble. You see Harlem is a village and the village is full of spirits. Most folks look at it like it’s part of New York, but it ain’t and I’m here to tell you so. Up here on 125th street folks are real and if they’re happy, you’ll know it, and if they evil, you’ll find that out too. On 57th Street everythang look like it’s just doing fine, but underneath that funky ground you got evil, angry thangs stirring up trouble every which away, just waiting, just waiting for yah to come uptown.

Now I don’t know if you and Harlem gon get along. That’s for you to see. But if you don’t know where yah going, it might be betta to stay at home.