Poetry Lines Can Be Life Lines
The power of spoken word
Maya Angelou said an unspoken poem is a half-finished poem. That can be argued, of course, but as a spoken word artist, I love that quote. Something miraculous happens when we speak our truths out loud, when we lift the most intimate stories of our lives into the open air. I was still a teenager when I read that our most primal instinct as humans is to be known. Nothing in my life has helped me feel more known than spoken word poetry, and no art form has made me more eager to better understand the lives and experiences of others.
Over the years there has been a lot of debate over whether or not spoken word has the capacity to truly impact our world for the better. I’ve personally never debated it, as the first time I heard Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, I thought it was a poem. I still do. His words changed the world outside by changing the world within many of us, forever.
At the beginning of my cancer journey, I became even more curious about poetry’s capacity to alter my internal landscape. In August I started searching for poems by my peers that might alchemy whatever despair that might arise into rolling fields of faith. The bounty of beauty was enormous, and while I know not everyone reading this is navigating a health challenge, we’d be hard pressed to find a lot of people who haven't in some ways struggled through the pandemic.
In light of that, I’ve decided to share a few of the lines that have lifted the kite of my spirits on days that might have otherwise sunk me these past months. I have a collection of lines from over 80 spoken word artists at this point, so this isn’t likely to be my last newsletter like this. If there’s a line that resonates with you, please consider following the writer online, attending an event where they may be reading, or purchasing one of their books. Such support means the world to just about every writer I know. Here we go, friends:
. . . . .
People are like windows.
Once you’re broken you can never be fixed,
but what you can’t see now
is that the shattered pieces of glass
reflect light far more brightly
than they ever could
when the window was whole.
. . . . .
Every dawn I see is proof I’ve been spared.
Dance with me in that thought for a while.
. . . . .
Lord, I confess I want the clarity
of catastrophe but not the catastrophe.
Like everyone else, I want a storm I can dance in.
I want an excuse to change my life.
. . . . .
I enjoy long walks on the truth,
holding each other’s baggage,
gazing up at the sky watching
the insecurities go down.
. . . . .
I have been so lucky.
I have always had a hand there
to pull me back from falling
all the way into my own darkness.
. . . . .
I forgive you, self,
for all the years
I could not love you.
. . . . .
I choose the world we make with our living,
refusing to be unmade by what surrounds us.
. . . . .
Pull warmth from wherever possible.
Most people can make a sundial out of anything.
. . . . .
We will not go back to normal.
Normal never was.
. . . . .
We’re gone in a blizzard of seconds.
Love the body human while we’re here.
Give thanks or go home a waste of spark.
. . . . .
I saw the future. I did.
And in it, I was alive.
. . . . .
Love, Andrea 🖤
. . . . .
💞 Loving Andrea's newsletter? Share it with your favorite people
📚 Andrea's bestselling book 'You Better Be Lightning'
📣 Add to the conversation: What lines of poetry, or otherwise, give you life? Share your thoughts in the comments below
