Taking to the streets of Manhattan

I'm in New York spending a week with my brother Ken and his partner, Kevin. It's been a number of years since I have been back for a visit and the fall has always been one of my favorite times of year to be here. When we get together, we like to just be, no real plans just head out and see where the day will take us. It's always moments like these that I truly grasp how incredible it is to have a gay brother. It always adds to our fun adventures.

Our first outing found us in CentralPark, it has always been one of our favorite places to go. We are avid people watches, some may say I even gawk-rubberneck davis was an old nickname-(really I'm just absorbing it all), and the park is the perfect place. The day was so perfect, the sun was out, people were running, the bleachers were being set up for the marathon next week, the smell of the roasting nuts filling the air and boom boxes sending out a beat as street performers get the crowds to gather, violins under the stairs and sun bathers all around. 

We walked home past our first home on 56th and 8th Ave, saw how much has changed yet stayed the same. The familiarity of walking those streets still deeply woven into the cellular memory of my being. We ended with a stroll down Broadway to 47th to scope out some shots for my photo shoot the following day. I figured since we are doing a Daylight and Friends New Years Eve show at the Columbian Theater, I must have a picture of me in Times Square for the poster, just the way my mind works (wink). 

The next day, what a gorgeous day it was! We started with a walk over to SAKS because a girl needs to walk through the shoe floor just because. Heaven. Then, we strolled up to Bergdorf Goodmans to check out the windows, always a must.. Especially at the holiday season. To our wonder and awe, the windows were done in celebration of the opening of Crimson Peaks and they were unbelievable!!! I'm still drooling thinking about it.

Next, we were on the train down to Union Sauare to get produce for our meals, what a great outing!! After a power nap, we went to our old favorite neighborhood bar, Barrage, for a Crystal Gayle, which is a frozen cosmopolitan, delicious!!  

The time was right, we headed home and got the girl all dressed up to take Times Square!!! 

Walking down the street pulled me back to the first time I introduced myself to the world, on the streets of New Orleans 3 years ago! That was a trip, wandering through the French Quarter with Becky, Jeanine, Uriah, and the rest of our crew. It was a glorious parade and I felt my spirit bursting and floating around me. I had the gold Isis wings and I fluttered down thos streets with my friends as we made new ones with every person who wanted to stop and have a photo and a hug. My favorite was a group of young girls asking me if I was dressed as Beyoncé, I laughed and loved it, and introduced myself as Daylight! But maybe it was getting to have a dance moment with a one man band as a crowd gathered to cheer on the magic!

That memory was pulsing through me as I made my first few strides down the street, I was feeling a touch shy. I get that way. Once we hit the square and I found my light, the rest was just flirting and flitting. Had some photos taken with people taking in the sites and wondering once again if I was supposed to be Beyoncé or Lady Gaga.. 'You are so sweet; no I'm just a girl out on the town. My name is Daylight Cums.'

Our next stop was to return to Barrage, then hit Flaming Saddles and go to Therapy.  We took our time and when the moment hit we took a photo. This may be my favorite:

Everywhere we went people stopped to admire, comment or share a hug. This little town girl was feeling so much love! At Therapy so many people wondered when I was performing. 'Oh, I'm not performing tonight sweetie, I'm just here to take it all in.' And boy did I. A girls got to have her trashy moment.

We watched some of the big top show. Had such a great time. What I swished away with was the knowledge that even though I am a small town queen and nickle and dime our shows together, we put out a show that is just as fierce as anything I saw here.  Often, I feel I need to apologize for myself, apologize for being a low budget act. Kind of like when I was in school and had to present a movement piece for my composition class and I would inevitably begin with my disclaimer of not being on top of my game and I am sorry. Apologizing for something I hadn't even done yet and what kind of set up is that for anyone? Why give them permission to note the 'flaw' before it even happens. And doesn't that give me permission to not give my best.??

Thos are those challenges I have chosen to give up and being out last night and shining as I do, I felt nothing but at ease and at home with every stride I took down the streets of this powerful city. What the streets rumbled to me was that 'I am, I am who I am and no one can tell me I'm not...' I feel as I have been dipped in the rejuvenating waters of my being and I feel the rush of what me and my family of Cums has to bring forward to our community and all those that feel that rhythm too, the rhythm of our Dragalution and the beauty our bodies dancing down the streets strong in the beauty of who we are brings to our incredible town of Astoria.

I'm loving you and can't wait to drink you all in!

Yours,

Daylight

Boners will be boners, or, highway through the danger zone

My 8th grade year was pretty intense, in all the right and uncomfortable ways!! I got in trouble way too often and our 8th grade teacher always punished us by moving our desks next to his and by placing the person that I was having conflict with, right next to me. Torture.

It was so worth it!! The summer before, I had managed to slip a few romance western novels in my box of goodies from helping at the rummage sale and I hid them at my 'secret' fort in the woods and would wander up there to read the sexy words that painted the most incredible pictures in my mind. I thought it would be more fun to write one involving characters similar to ones I knew in my little world; only it would be sexy town!! I asked this 'girl' friend of mine is she wanted to write it with me and we spent some time on our book project. We got excited and would share little snippets to our desk mates, that got me in trouble because I just can not whisper!

While we were working on our book and learning how to type computer code on our Texas Instruments computers, I struggled with my issues of my assthighs eating my boxer shorts every step I took and sitting down made it worse and I was so sensitive down there,. I would go to the bathroom to pull them (literally) out of my ass and that always made my dick tickle even more and I would end up lurking in the bathroom until it calmed down. 

One of my duties at recess was to sit at the base of the stairs near the church and watch for 'the gut ' so that my friends could make out. I loved watching them make out, until they started covering up because they hated me watching. Couldn't help myself, I was gathering intel for my book.

I did the same in high school; I think it is the prerequisite for having fag hags, we have to start by standing guard for our ladies since the action wasn't happening for me unless it was with my special loving sheets that always felt so great against my mounting shame (wink). But seriously, in those days it was my shame. I couldn't pray the gay away, but I learned how to do laundry and never get caught  playing with myself. 

I had a few neighborhood buddies that I would go and walk the piles at the dump looking for old porn mags. I would always looking for the ones with couples so I could at least stare at what I wanted to see. I had a few select pages that I would keep folded up and tucked in a corner of my closet for those special viewing moments everyday. That is, until my mom found them, she was detailed in her searches, all those murder mysteries!!

Mornings were always the worst for me, I'd have diarrhea everyday, have to get up during Good Morning America' and snap one out so trying to get beyond my fear of the day. Please don't let anyone spit on me today. Snap. Please don't let me be shoved down the stairs again? Snap snap snap. Please no boners at school. Snap, wipe, flush, tuck wash and walk. Love you mom. The ride was with our family friend in the VW bus, which gave me a boner every ride to school and I would have to try to adjust under my ring binder so that I might be able to exit the van with no notice. Usually worked, but I would still have to walk with my books and binder held across my crotch, making my walk to the building scream even more. I would have to duck into the choir room and wait for the cool down before finishing my walk of terror to my locker. Thank goodness for the French room, always my safe haven.

P.E. was just awful!! Having to run laps in my gym shorts watching all the guys flopping around in theirs always go me too intrigued and I would have to feign a side cramp and take a breather to let it settle down.  Then, I would be in class and flash to the locker room and that would always be when the bell rang and I would have to hang back and wait to make my exit.

It never gets easier, sure, they become less frequent, maybe. Over 45 the quality definitely changes and sometimes you are caught holding a rod that melts at the slightest shift of thought. Interesting.

I'm still gathering material for that book. My erotic pen has continued to touch paper and press out words crafted to arouse and intrigue and ignite the senses. Sometimes, they are too nasty and I put those aside for a much later date.

As I was walking along today, it struck me that I have never been as happy as I am right now. Things are so different for me, I kind of love it and I am so grateful that I have allowed myself to take this lifetime to be with myself and learn what pleases me and fills me with delight. So many people are always looking out for and praying for my man to come along. I love that. Who knows, maybe he will; until such times, I have the most fulfilling and loving relationship with myself going that has made my heart expand in ways I never knew possible. And as that thought vibrated through my being, I got a tickle on my tip that let me know that everything will be just fine!!! Then

, I had to stop and catch my breath.