The Potty Mouth Granny

  • A Dedication to the Juke Joints of Chicago

    They don’t put you in the brochures,don’t line you up along the lakefrontlike polished teeth in a tourist smile—but baby, you are the heartbeat. You are where the city exhales. Down on the South Side,in rooms low-lit and thick with memory,where the floor knows more storiesthan any history book ever printed,you breathe. You hum.You testify.…

    thepottymouthgranny

  • Whole, With or Without Him

    I’ve always joked that I’m the youngest only child—caught in that strange little space where the age and gender gap between me and my siblings made me feel like I was raised solo. But that strange little space turned out to be a gift. It taught me how to enjoy my own company. I had…

    thepottymouthgranny

  • Englewood: A Chicago Story of Rise, Rupture, and Relentless Survival

    Early Days: From Prairie to Promise Before it became Englewood, it was open land—prairie stretching under a wide Midwestern sky. In the mid-1800s, the area began to develop as railroads cut through it, turning it into a vital transportation hub. By the late 19th century, Englewood was annexed into Chicago (1889), and the neighborhood began…

    thepottymouthgranny

  • When Grief Changes the Way You Love

    For the past ten years, I’ve been looking at life through a different lens. I’ve lost so many family members and friends, there were moments I thought my heart might split open from the weight of it all. And somehow… I kept going. Through the pain. Through the sharp, relentless ache of grief. I endured.…

    thepottymouthgranny

  • The Origin of No-Fault Divorce (And Why Folks Love to Misunderstand It)

    Let’s talk about no-fault divorce—the thing folks, especially men online, love to blame for the downfall of the American family like it came through in the middle of the night and snatched stability right out the house. Now listen… I’m a history buff. And one thing about me? I’m not going to just accept a…

    thepottymouthgranny

  • The South Shore Country Club: A Palace, A Fall, A Resurrection

    Before I knew anything about its history—before I understood architecture, class, or the way this city moves—I knew that place as something else entirely. Me and my friends used to go there when we were teenagers to go swimming. And baby… that place was filthy. Not “a little run down.” Not “needs some work.” No.…

    thepottymouthgranny

  • Are Women the Reason Marriage Is Dying?

    Every few months, like clockwork, somebody somewhere declares that women have “ruined” marriage. We’re too independent. Too educated. Too loud. Too unwilling to “submit.” And I always pause when I hear that… not because I’m confused, but because I’m fascinated. Because what they’re really saying is: Marriage was working just fine… when women had no…

    thepottymouthgranny

  • South Shore: Where the Lake Whispers and the Buildings Remember

    There are neighborhoods in Chicago that introduce themselves loudly—glass towers, bottomless mimosas, and a need to be seen. And then there’s South Shore. South Shore doesn’t perform. She doesn’t beg for attention. She just stands there—steady, seasoned, and sure of herself. And if you’re quiet long enough, she will tell you everything. The Lake Is…

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  • The Man Who Can Walk With Me

    He is not loud with wanting. He does not rush the door of my life like conquest is love. He knocks— and waits. He has made peace with his shadows. They follow him quietly now, well-fed, well-named, no longer biting at the heels of women. He listens the way elders listen— with his whole body.…

    thepottymouthgranny

  • Breaking Up With a Word That Knows Me Too Well

    I’ve decided to stop using the N-word so much because, at its core, it’s an ignorant term. But let me not sit up here and lie. I get my sick kicks out of using it. There’s a spark in it for me—something rebellious, something familiar, something that rolls off the tongue a little too easy.…

    thepottymouthgranny