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