Lighthouse Ocean painting by CK

Lighthouse Ocean painting by Cassandra "Cassie" Kinney

This is the 2 paintings put together; I hadn't put finishing touches on them yet...

Bernheim Forest Giants & other Art Installations

 

To love a butch by CK

To love a butch by CK

I, love a butch*
And frankly, I'm in awe at all butches
I love the way they walk with a stomp
I love their shoulders when they talk
I love their hair long or short
I love that they don't compare themselves to anyone
I love that they don't care about anyone's opinion
I love that they are not a man and do not want to be a man
I love that they try hard to be the partner that does all of the mechanical, technical, and domestic things.
I love that butches are most often strong on the outside, and so soft on the inside.
I love that they have the kindest eyes, toughest arms and tightest legs.
Simultaneously, the skills to be gentle and assertive.
I love that they love me back.
Butches are the reason that I asked myself if I was a lesbian.
Butches are the reason I asked, "do I want to be them, or do I want to be with them?"
Butches: You are a rare, beautiful person on the outside to the end and inside to the beginning.
For the butch-loving femme lesbian like myself--yes, you are nice to look at--but,--you are the aloe to our burns, the water to our raging fires; you are the rain to our heat waves; and sometimes, the shock to our ground, and the rug that is pulled out from beneath our feet.
We want to marry you, settle down, buy a house, have a garden and raise cats with you.
From the femme lens, we also want to protect our butches and butch sisters.
We know the world looks at you and treats you different.
Sometimes, we femmes are the bravest with our voice--I can't say that I can kick someone's ass for you, but I sure will be vocal about it.
Butches are the quietest intensity, the loudest bat of an eye; the best smelling clothes; warmest heart; and proudest kiss-- is to love a butch.

*Oxford dictionary definition of butch: a lesbian whose appearance and behavior are seen as traditionally masculine

Your expenses, My expenses by CK

Your expenses, my expenses

Your expenses, my expenses: My truck insurance, my phone, my rent, food--all should be based on my income. As mentioned in my last post, these things are essentials to even get a job. Of course without a job for income, you will need disability or social security. You have to have transportation, look presentable which may look like nice clothes or hygiene, for a job; and I need my phone for both my jobs.

Everything should be income based. This evens the playing field for obtaining resources for everyone. Then, everyone is at the same base to access healthy and stable housing, transportation, etc.

Income based housing and SNAP benefits exist, but it exists for only a handful of people. And that is not enough when poverty is widespread. Poverty level guidelines are used for these programs, but hell, everybody I know is poor. 

Even the people that are managers or someone that may make decent salary or wage, struggles because they either have many kids, lots of bills, loans, mortgage payments, or they're giving money to family members.

Income based living, looks like this if you're living on disability and social security of $700/month: income based living is 30% of your income where $210 for your rent, 30% of income $210 for monthly grocery bill, $210 for water, sewer, electric, and phone. The remaining 10% go towards entertainment and savings.

If the case is such that these essentials cannot be provided based on income--then it should be on the backs of employers to provide mileage reimbursement, provide meals and supplies, etc. Then if the case is such that these essentials cannot be provided by employers nor income based government legislation--then it should be a redistribution of wealth, and where we see the extremely wealthy taxed so that taxes that go towards healthcare, housing, and food will accomodate the poor and middle class.

It takes money to get a job & the working homeless by CK

It takes money to get a job

**40 to 60% of homeless have a full time or part time job. In my county in Kentucky, to afford the average cost of rent of over $600/month, the affordability requires a person to work 40 hours per week at $12.78/hr.**

Do you even know the people that exist in your community? I see a trend in mine, where single grandmothers or Aunts are taking custody of their daughter, son, or sister's kids. I see lots of addiction taking hold of adults which can render them jobless, then homeless, then lose custody of children. Do you know what you get when you're homeless? 

As a homeless person, you may be able to get SNAP benefits, but only if you have an address of where your mail can go and only if you have a reference saying they can vouch for you that you have no income. You can go to a soup kitchen, there's some places that give out free food or free clothes, but what kind of food and clothes does that look like for someone that's homeless? Clothes for someone that's homeless must be selective as to not carry too much or leave their belongings all in one spot. Clothes get dirty easy, you have to have lots of showers and hygiene items in order to "clean up" for a job. Certainly though, you can be homeless and have a good paying job. There's people that do that living in their car. 

Going back to food as a homeless person, can you even eat ramen without a stove or microwave? Maybe you can cook ramen in the sun...Lots of restaurants and city ordinances state you cannot dumpster dive for food or finds. In my town, the soup kitchen shut down. You can get into a shelter that may have a housing program. But the homeless shelter in my town, requires a background check which may take some time to come back. And to get into income based housing, you may need a social security card, birth certificate, award letters, bank statements, credit reports, references, etc. As mentioned, access to hygiene, clothing and food, other barriers for homeless include: education, skills, addiction, rehabilitation, transportation, bus schedules, phone, and of course money.

It takes money to get a job. You have to look good to be able to get to the job; you have to have a phone; you have to be well fed so you can function; you have to have skills and at least a GED. All these things requires lots of money. And barriers for homeless people usually keeps them from being able to access these necessary things to make money, get housing, or get a job. These are our essentials to live.

But these essentials become too hard to live for when the barriers consume us, the homeless, the isolated. We have to fight for ourselves and others to create the communities we want to see. Invision a community that fosters equity, love, resources, and safe spaces--so do your research and do it! We cannot wait for someone else to do it for us!

White fight virus kite by Cassie K

White fight, virus kite

"Unite the right" code for unite the reich, unite the white, the "patriots" terrorist gang infiltrates again--this time outside of capital buildings with assault rifles to "reopen America" during a national pandemic and they've stood shouting bible verses during Black Lives Matter marches. They don't believe Blacks should have justice, and they don't wear masks, but they are strapped to the fucking T with guns and ammo.

This gang fears their white race is being erased--that false narrative that they believe all while historically and currently infiltrating government, police, and military committing acts of genocide.-- That gang started blaming China for the virus, then believing it was a tactic to kill them off, then it became a conspiracy that this was also a plot to sway an election to vote out Trump.
The COVID19 virus has brought all of the issues that America has ever faced onto the brightest spotlight we've ever seen. From the need of Universal healthcare coverage to the injustices faced by the unhealthcare system but also police brutality, polive murders, immigration, resources, and capitalism.

This is not just Trump--he is a symptom of what happens when our history is based on the disease that is the white supremacist capitalist patriarchy. He says America was once great and he's trying to take us back there...to which decade? At what time was America great? Before Obama? Before the Clintons? Before Bush and daddy Bush? When exactly was America great?--during Jim Crow? During the Vietnam war? Which decade, era? After White people colonized?
Yes, it is an election year. And here are our options: Trump and Biden. Two ultra rich, white, male, predators that are so out of touch with the realities of my life, my friends family, and everyone else. I hate these white presidents and european prime ministers. Their history is statued, they're words are booked, and we're burning and knocking that shit to the ground.
Here these men are--refusing refugees into countries. People are pissed off because during this virus, we were given a 1200 dollar stimulus check but no hope for another. That stimulus did not go to those that needed it most. 1200 dollars is a months rent, car insurance, gas, food, utility bills in rural Eastern Kentucky. How the hell did $1,200 help people in metro areas?
And here these men are, debating if we the workers of their society, shoukd get a measily $1,200 dollars more. Here these men are, funding billions into war machines. Here these men are pumping money into the police to go out pepper spray, tazor, beat, and kill citizens peacefully protesting. (Y'all! The police spraying peaceful citizens and smiling at the neo nazis with guns.)

Here these men are with their military-- creating an environment of devastation-- where people are forced to flee. And the very people --whom are innocent civilians-- become refugees seeking asylum into the countries that's presidents are bombing their houses and communities, killing their friends and family. Here they are, folks!--
The US gets in every war then funds other country's wars. US has spent 17 years in Iraq after September 11th. The US has ties to Israel killing Palestinian people; the US has ties to Saudia Arabia killing Yemenis people. The US has always done this where there is political protest too where we want a certain resource, like in Ecuador and El Salvador. The US counter attacked Japan to extreme lengths, bombing civilians in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The US spent 9 years in Vietnam, brutally bombing civilians.

These white men are full of white rage, and their white fight has bloodied and mangled the innocent masses. Why is it-- these white men say they fear communism because of its bigger government--when in actuality, they love their military and police? It's an oxymoronic. Trump tells these white men that he wants smaller government, but what does that even mean? Clearly, he uses his power to build BIG border walls, BIGGER military, MORE funding to police departments.
Trump is the same breed of man that burned & hanged women accused of being witches--while calling his impeachment a witch hunt. That shows you he co-opts our language of revolution to veil his plan of bigger government--involvement in environmental degradation, police and military spending for bigger surveillance, bigger wars. He is a walking conspiracy theory. A contradiction. A wolf in sheeps clothing to the people that wave his white kites.

And you're telling me that a fast food worker thats hours got cut because of the virus can't get unemployment and another stimulus check? You're going to spray us for protesting after killing people we know, we love, we care about?

You, are the virus! We will burn your wealth to the ground! We will take the pieces left and form shelters, community centers, soup kitchens, gardens, art, and  sanctuaries. Everything thst you fear, we will do. Everything that you hate, we're going to do. We're going to dance gayly in the streets over your ashes of wealth.

07.15.2020
By Cassie Kinney

Tulip garden & floral photography by CK

For anyone that needs to stop and look at the flowers...

Hike in the woods

My mind hasn't been at ease. Beautiful flowers, blooming fruit trees, sunny warm days, are a blessing but dealing with a death in the family has sent me into despair. When I'm upset, I have a habit of wandering off on a hike in the woods. I hiked up the hill behind my house, along a path and then straight up to the top where boulders rest and shift over the years. Sometimes this is where I'd go if I really needed to get away, because it felt like I needed to.