The month of April is special to some people. I'm one of them.
April is my birth month...Taurus stand up! I haven't quite figured out how I'm going to contribute to the universe, as a thank you for allowing me to see another year. But, I know it will involve some acts of charity, some self-reflection and a lot of sharing.
April is also National Poetry Month. Last year during this time, I was invited to do a public reading thanks to a story contribution I had in an anthology. It was my first public reading, so I devised an original poem:
Title: How I See It
She's staring at me
Now she's dressing like me
Talking like me
Emulate
Copy
Idolize
Match
Outdo
Is she better than me
A higher version of me
Irritate
Agonize
Frustrate
But her model was me
Her new statue is me
Her whole transformation was because of me
Sympathize
Understand
Accept
Grateful
Humble
Recently, I was invited to give a presentation to Polytech School for Black History Month. I quickly devised this particular poem (that seems to be my go to genre huh?) and I thought it would be perfect to share here:
Title: Who We Are
Who Am I?
Who Am I? Who Are You? Who Are We?
The concept of ourselves is built outside of ourselves
Who tells you what to wear, what to be, what to like?
Even if you think it's you, it's not.
You have to go to another person's store to buy your clothes
Another person's website to find your job
But organic, raw, original, fresh people rarely come from nothing
They are built on inspiration, on something
Something that already existed, already profound
So I am a part of history, you are a part of history
We are a carbon copy of what came before, with just a little tweaking,
A pinch here, a snip there, and here we are...
Somehow individuals.
Lastly, April is National Jazz Appreciation Month in honor of jazz as an original American art form. I wholeheartedly appreciate jazz music. How can I love hip hop without understanding this influence? I declare to spend at least 80% of the month, listening to this genre. And yes, Kendrick Lamar!
