Poetry and the Power of Your Voice

[Music]

like sweet morning do

i spoke one verse of you and

it was plain to see you are my

destiny your own

i need to get by

i i i

choose spoken word to create i choose

spoken word to create to

mimic mirror parrot resign resemble

assembly of language in a myriad

motion four from my mouth meticulously

articulately spoken out

making majestic shouts of god’s movement

routed ability grooves and fluidity

physically presented in staged

embodiment for the infinite coming of

age

circling from the pages of holy scrolls

syntax

of an accent rolled from the tongue of

one

pressed from the threshold of his lips

my cosmic

origin our cosmic origin

the global pandemic will not stop

my will to promote poetry that was the

line that kept getting stuck in my

throat in april 2020 i sat at my desk

recording an announcement video to kick

off national poetry month

i had just met the team of get creative

essay staff

they had scripted an immaculate psa

speech for me to self-recorded home

i had a quick turnaround deadline to

submit my video to them for editing

but i sat with a shaky voice looking at

my reflection

trying to decide which words to place

emphasis on in that sentence

the global pandemic will not stop

my will to promote poetry was it

will not or my will my mind

kept telling me to stop stop all of this

and be quiet have you ever had a time

no cuffs or cops involved where you

wanted to remain

silent i was panicking

under the immense pressure to rise to

the occasion of leadership

i was unsure of myself with this

newfound responsibility

san antonio had just named me the poet

laureate

2020-2023 my job is to inspire you all

to write

and celebrate the literary arts in my

mind

the human interaction factor is where

the magic lies

how could i connect to you with charisma

and inspiration

if you weren’t live in front of me

pre-recording from home felt

so unnatural i’d spent over 20 years

performing on stages or

hosting weekly events but now

i was sidelined trying to convey the

emotions in my voice

past keyboard and screen

everything i said came out flat at that

moment

i was out of ideas and experiencing a

shortness

of breath i needed a fresh wind

i inhaled deeply and focused

on what drew me to poetry to begin with

this was similar to a technique i

learned at age 13.

my middle school art teacher linda

bowling taught me

quiet myself concentrate

breathe deeply and release

when i was centered i would pick up my

pencil and begin sketching

once i saw the progress of my creativity

i felt a sense of pride

and more peace i went from sketching

pictures to

writing poetry it was deep focus that

helped me to identify my purpose and

speak

with intention i want you

to feel the same sense of pride and

peace

when you’re speaking your own truths you

know we use our voices as vehicles to

invite others into our emotion

self-expression becomes a journey that

we’re embarking upon together

do you recall how you felt when the

pandemic started

could you describe it in three words i

felt

constricted uncertain

and fearful anthony marra the author of

the czar of love and techno wrote

a single whisper can be quite a

disturbance

when the rest of the audience is silent

coming into quarantine the world hushed

as we

vacated the streets and went inside

the stir crazy set in coupled with

rising racial tensions from the killings

of

ahmad aubry george floyd and brianna

taylor

overall it’s been an intensely difficult

season

breaking ground as the first black poet

laureate of san antonio put me

under a microscope i was constantly

asked to create programming that

spoke to social justice issues for

marginalized groups

i was in a critical position to act as a

bridge between

diverse demographics of people using my

voice in poetry

was the tool to connect the dots between

us

creativity builds the confidence to

speak up

i decided to be a single whisper in an

audience of silence because frankly

i was tired of feeling hopeless

hashtags on social media are used for

entertainment trends they

can act as a voice of protest and

also help organize positive movements

so i created the hashtag

my tongue is challenge my instructions

for the challenge were this

use the sentence daughter my tongue is

as the first line of a poem then write a

short

one to four line poem design a digital

poster of it

and post it on social media use the

hashtag

my tongue is challenge i received

over 200 posters worldwide from poets as

far away

as australia now my poem was a little

longer than four lines

and i have an except for you

my tongue is a box cutter in a bodega

breaking down cardboard stereotypes

my tongue a bald eagle perched before

flight that just spotted a serpent in

the

sand my tongue much like your tongue

has the power to bless or curse

this land an earthquake trimmer

reverberating through

tectonic plates sending shivers through

sierra tinged

soil and concrete alike it interlocks

with la tierra forcibly

causing a cessation of mantle my tongue

lights the canal

my tongue lights the candle of

intercession that brings

healing to our nations this tongue calls

out proclamations

irrigates water into thirsty

reservations

turning them into reservoirs summons

manna to end starvation i feel hungry

mouths with

heavenly bread i speak to break the

silence for those who have bled from

domestic violence

and human trafficking in the shadows of

deprivation

i speak to the innermost parts of the

heart

where desires form and take root

my tongue is a tambourine of testimonies

quivering utterances

truth utterances

truth

as these poster poems came flooding in

so did testimonies from poets and

even non-writers who found the power of

their voices

their process furthered the reach of

their platforms and connected them

to the literary arts community locally

and globally like my friend darrell

pittman

his poem was published in the fly on the

wall press

based out of manchester uk

in june and july the election primaries

came to the forefront of the news and so

did protests art murals began popping up

in cities like

dc sacramento kansas city and even

laredo texas

these cities painted the ground in

yellow letters proclaiming

black lives matter or defund the police

it challenged the status quo as

communities came together

with these potent phrases letting their

voices be heard

in san antonio we took a slightly

different approach with a similar

message and sentiment of equality

i was asked by the art gallery centro

san antonio’s andy rodriguez

to write a poem that would be painted in

the middle of downtown

on three streets surrounding travis park

at the corner of navarro and pecan the

poem begins in bright yellow paint

and makes a u around the park on tuesday

august 4th after sunset about 20

volunteers came together

to paint the streets in the message of

rising hope

and love and it reads jubilant

and exuberant is the melanin of our skin

from despair we have arisen

whether i’m singing or reciting poetry

my voice is a force of creation an

extension of spirit

it deposits sound waves and breath into

open spaces making

for endless possibilities i plug

into love is the power source for my

voice

i tap into it when i inhale deeply

and pour out vibrations which are

connected to everything

inside of me my voice rings

with intention our voices

have influence and authoritative ability

to move

mountains be intentional with your voice

know your power source and tap in

boldly aim and nothing will stop you

your voice will power you to move

mountains thank you

you