Yecheilyah’s 6th Annual Poetry Contest Winners: Adariyah Ysrayl

Note: We are in the process of moving all our winning poet interviews to the website. Please be sure to bookmark it at yecheilyahsannualpoetrycontest.org/.


Introducing Adariyah Ysrayl

Instagram: @adariyahysrayl

Adariyah, welcome and congratulations!

Please, tell us, what is your name and where are you from?

My Name is Adariyah Ysrayl and I am from Chicago, Illinois.

Beautiful. What does your name mean?

My name “AdariYah ( A- dar- ree- Yah) means to give respect or Adornment to The Most High.

When did you first fall in love with poetry?

I fell in love with poetry in 4th grade. We used to have free time journaling, and I wrote poems outside of drawing as a safe place to express my thoughts and create stories from my reality. I didn’t feel like my voice was heard as a kid, so writing poetry was a great hobby at the time. I loved it so much that I could’ve entered into a contest of writing but unfortunately didn’t from moving so much.

What inspired your poem?

What inspired my poem was I gravitated to the title. My poem is also inspired by my life experiences. This year (2023) was the perfect example of how well I was able to relate to grace.

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Adariyah is a MUA artist and entrepreneur

I love that. In your own words, what is grace?

It means that the way we can extend more grace is by getting to the root of certain situations and understanding that you really never know what a person is experiencing behind closed doors. It means not to take things so personally, and to give ourselves grace is to know everything will not be shiny and beautiful, and when it isn’t, don’t be so hard on yourself.

What are you hoping to achieve with your poetry?

Writing poetry is intimidating in ways. To be that vulnerable and open about yourself, especially to an audience, has caused a bit of anxiety for me. Poetry is one of the intimate forms of writing, and I am very much a student of soaking up information. What I am trying to achieve in poetry is to encourage and communicate to people who are overthinkers. At this time, I am writing again as far as my poetry is concerned.

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Adariyah’s beautiful family

Where do you see yourself one year from now?

A year from now, I see myself being more in tune with my inner voice, more adventurous, exploring new experiences, and adding new skills to my belt, and this is one of them!

And without further ado, I introduce to you “Grace,” by Adariyah Ysrayl:

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Photo by ATC Comm Photo

 

The fact The Most High made an executive decision
for me to wake up and breathe.
Overlooking his inhabitants, including me.
Grace is something shown through a glimpse
of what we cannot see.
It is forgiveness minus the strife.
It is something I’m constantly learning how to do
and it’s an ongoing fight.
Before I gave Grace to anyone,
I had to see within myself.
I had to lose myself to gain humility,
and some of my mental health.

My mind got so loud,
and I didn’t know which way to go.
Then my Heavenly Father said to me,
“I’ve always had the navigation of which way you need to go.”
I cried because I knew the destination was right in front of me.
But because I didn’t let Grace lead, I let my ego get the best of me.

I would take two steps forward just to get pushed back three.
That yoke of iron called life would get the best of me.
That is until I finally overcame the battles and pain.

Start giving others and yourself Grace a day
and watch your life change.

Copyright©2023 Adariyah Ysrayl


About this Poet

Photo Copyright© Adariyah Ysrayl, 2024.

Adariyah is a Freelance Makeup Artist in the DMV area. She uses her creative skills to help people feel confident and provides a safe space for people anticipating a special event or moment. Adariyah is committed to helping her clients feel beautiful so they can “stand on business.” She is a mother and wife and hopes her brand will help others to see the beauty within themselves. She currently lives in Delaware.

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Yecheilyah

Writing to restore Black historical truth through fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.

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