Still A Poet
When I first emerged onto the poetry scene, I was fascinated by this whole new world. I admired the poets who could memorize line after line. I was hypnotized by the strong, powerful and unique deliver of seasoned poets. I was envious of the transparency flowing out of the mouths of brave and courageous artists, as they boldly shared the uglies of their pasts and present.
When I was a new performing poet/spoken word artist I was so astounded by the "good poets" that I would always say things like, "I write a little bit, but I'm not a poet." Now, I am a poet. I am a spoken word artist. I have poetry inside of me desiring to be released every second of every day. My problem is I suppress it. I fear rejection. I fear the harsh reality that everyone is not going to like or understand my poetry. Sometimes I compare myself to other poets thinking I'm not as deep or as dope as some other poets.
Today, I've decided to feel the fear, and go for it anyway. I do vlogs every Monday, and in my next few vlogs I'll be sharing poems and raps that I wrote months and years ago. I never shared them because I was afraid of what other people would think about them. I'm still fearful, but I want to put more time and energy into the art of poetry. I want to get back to writing poems regularly and sharing them again.
What sparked this new found courage was a speech I watched on YouTube of Maya Angelou at Spelman College in 1992. Her entire speech consisted of poem after poem that she had memorized flawlessly. As I listened to her speak my gut began to burn, telling me to write. I wrote a short poem called "On The Journey To Real Self Love." The poem is about harnessing the greatness of my female ancestors and loved ones in order to understand my worth as a Mother Queen.
As a human, I focus on what other people think. I wonder how many views and likes my videos will receive. As an artists, I just want to release these words and ideas and thoughts. I want to keep creating original pieces and filling up notebooks and storage on my electronic devices. I'm ready to eliminate this creative constipation, grow and mature in the art form, and move someone somewhere with my words.
Stay tuned.
Here's the poem.
On The Journey To Real Self Love
I am Maya Angelou, Harriet Tubman too
I'm Rosa Parks and Coretta Scott
I am the Lady that sings the blues
I am as smooth and seductive as Sade
I'm Sojourner, I'm the truth
I'm Mary Smith and Vivian Sudderth in the prime of their youth
I am Tanya Pickett, I am Michele Humphrey
I'm Mariah, Anita, Rachelle Farelle and Whitney
I'm a light, I'm a queen, I'm a soul, I'm a being
I'm the one of a chosen few.
I'm too busy being me, falling in love so deeply
Ain't you glad I'm me and you're you?
When I was a new performing poet/spoken word artist I was so astounded by the "good poets" that I would always say things like, "I write a little bit, but I'm not a poet." Now, I am a poet. I am a spoken word artist. I have poetry inside of me desiring to be released every second of every day. My problem is I suppress it. I fear rejection. I fear the harsh reality that everyone is not going to like or understand my poetry. Sometimes I compare myself to other poets thinking I'm not as deep or as dope as some other poets.
Today, I've decided to feel the fear, and go for it anyway. I do vlogs every Monday, and in my next few vlogs I'll be sharing poems and raps that I wrote months and years ago. I never shared them because I was afraid of what other people would think about them. I'm still fearful, but I want to put more time and energy into the art of poetry. I want to get back to writing poems regularly and sharing them again.
What sparked this new found courage was a speech I watched on YouTube of Maya Angelou at Spelman College in 1992. Her entire speech consisted of poem after poem that she had memorized flawlessly. As I listened to her speak my gut began to burn, telling me to write. I wrote a short poem called "On The Journey To Real Self Love." The poem is about harnessing the greatness of my female ancestors and loved ones in order to understand my worth as a Mother Queen.
As a human, I focus on what other people think. I wonder how many views and likes my videos will receive. As an artists, I just want to release these words and ideas and thoughts. I want to keep creating original pieces and filling up notebooks and storage on my electronic devices. I'm ready to eliminate this creative constipation, grow and mature in the art form, and move someone somewhere with my words.
Stay tuned.
Here's the poem.
On The Journey To Real Self Love
I am Maya Angelou, Harriet Tubman too
I'm Rosa Parks and Coretta Scott
I am the Lady that sings the blues
I am as smooth and seductive as Sade
I'm Sojourner, I'm the truth
I'm Mary Smith and Vivian Sudderth in the prime of their youth
I am Tanya Pickett, I am Michele Humphrey
I'm Mariah, Anita, Rachelle Farelle and Whitney
I'm a light, I'm a queen, I'm a soul, I'm a being
I'm the one of a chosen few.
I'm too busy being me, falling in love so deeply
Ain't you glad I'm me and you're you?
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