I recently hung out with actor/comedian Marlon Wayans in Los Angeles, as we worked to produce a cover shoot for Rolling Out Magazine. Towards the end of our time together, we got a chance to jump into my favorite topic, which is love and relationships.

It’s that time of year again—that’s right Valentine’s Day. Now for some of you, I’m sure you’re salivating at the idea of receiving a gift from that special someone. But what happens if you receive something from the wrong person? Now’s that’s a prospect that can be downright scary. It’s time we examined that possibility in the following digital short.

I’ve decided to change up the approach to my Fly Poetry section today. Instead of featuring a traditional poem, I wanted to post the lyrics to a song that me to reads like beautiful poetry (Not to mention the fact that it now has a very special meaning to me.)

So last night I participated in an event called Venus vs. Mars here in Atlanta. It was a relationship panel where some of the best and brightest minds in the entertainment industry came together to duke it out in the ultimate battle of the sexes. When the dust cleared, the men had came out on top (hey, was there any doubt that this would be the outcome?)

“I’ve wasted so much time.” At least that’s how I felt after watching the latest video from Los Angeles Lakers star, Ron Artest. You see, I’ve spent so many hours researching the perfect way to express my thoughts and desires to a woman, when all I had to do was follow the example set by Artest.

I’ve been a little under the weather the past few days, so you’ll have to excuse me if my writing feels a little “dry.” It’s not that I’ve completely lost my sense of humor, but searching for the funny in life and in love gets to be tedious when you can’t breathe out of your left nostril. But that minor inconvenience aside, this time in bed has really given me an opportunity to reflect on my life…

I was initially overwhelmed … taken aback by a love that seemed so unreal. Was this the blessing I had patiently been waiting for? Was she the final stop on a long and arduous relationship journey? I think so … no scratch that, I know so.

You asked me the other day what I wanted in a woman, and I didn’t have an answer at the time. But it wasn’t like I was completely out of touch with my feelings … I just wanted to take some time to really grapple with the idea of what my perfect woman would look like.

For a long time, I was a con artist. But it had nothing to do with me deceiving my loved ones or even preying on unsuspecting strangers. Instead, it was a classic case of me pulling the wool over my own eyes. That’s right, I was conning myself.

I had a dream last night. In it, I possessed something that for so long had been absent from my interactions with you…Courage. I had the courage to finally walk away; the courage to express that I’m no longer happy; and the courage to tell myself that I’m better off without you.