my initials are BA. stands for badass
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The Last Semester

1.20.16

turning away from the warm embrace
of a friend who brings me back to my youth
I step up the stairs, but also into your gaze.
a gaze that only reminds me that i have grown up
Not only with respect to my height, age, & thought
But also apart from you and my careless free days.
i am no longer a child
i too am responsible for blame

up above is an excerpt of a piece i'm working on in my poetry for the people course, but i haven't decided if this is the piece i'm going to continue working on or even turn in.

for those with questions about poetry for the people, it's  a course that was created by the wonderful June Jordan in 1991 to basically turn one's silence into language and action as Audre Lorde says. it's somewhat similar to slam poetry and spoken word, but there are guidelines or P.O.E.T.I.C.S.

in class, we were asked the reasons why we were taking this course. many folx said they just heard good things. similarly, i heard good things from my sister.  while one reason i'm interested in this course is because of the intersections of art and activism which is clearly demonstrated in my portfolio, another more important reason is the cathartic experience i receive from writing.

there was a quote that i wasn't able to write down in class from June Jordan, but i found it thanks to the interwebs!

a practicing poet has an excellent chance of becoming somebody real, somebody known, self-defined and attuned
— June Jordan

in my past experience, especially Fall 2015 while realizing i experience chronic depression, i found some peace in writing and being able to expel my thoughts from my head by transferring them onto the small pages in a notebook i carry around.

for me, poetry is not only a relieving experience, but it's also a humxnizing one.  it allows me to be in touch with what i feel which doesn't make me weak as contrary to theory.

as said by a great summer mentor of mine, being in touch with one's emotions doesn't make you weaker, it makes you more complex. it makes you humxn for being in touch with what you feel because if you don't feel anything, you're not alive~

every wednesday, i'll be exhibiting an excerpt from a piece that i'm working on for my poetry for the people course.  #wordwednesday

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