Poetry
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Ain’t No Red Carpet for the Prophet
Revolution sounds pretty. This polished word makes a giddy sound, like raising your first or rubbing your feet together. We quote Martin with a rhythm that swells the chest. Malcolm’s words hum like power. Assata’s taste like survival. Garvey’s tickles the ear. Lumumba’s boom like djembe drums. Angela’s convinces the tongue that it is brave.… Continue reading
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Rest is Revolutionary
“Do revolutionaries rest?” I laughed at Kathy’s question as we boarded the elevator to find something to wrap up my locs before I got in the water. It was a line from Spike Lee’s film Malcolm X (or something to that effect). I was enjoying some much-needed time away at Kathy’s pool party in Florida.… Continue reading
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Mine
The way my “no” used to get scrapedoff the platelike it didn’t belong there. I used to think saying no was dangerous.That my voicewas optional.That my boundariescould be bentby someone else’s appetite. So I chewed and I swallowedsociety’s thoughts of what I should be.It lingered in the bite I didn’t want to takebut did anyway.… Continue reading
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My Poetry
Black History does not just live in textbooks,but on the tongues of poets. Every stanza is a stepping stonelaid by those who came before me.It echoes of cotton fields, jazz clubs,freedom songs, and community. This is more than poetry.This is preservation.This is protest.This is legacy.This is poetic justice. These words be the revolution my ancestors… Continue reading
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This Morning’s Coffee
This coffee tastes like simplicity and intimacy. Like slowing down in a world where grind culture’s got us in a headlock. This coffee tastes like my eyes on him and not the clock. It tastes like listening with intention, like people watching, and fresh coffee beans roasted just for me. This morning’s coffee tastes like… Continue reading
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Yecheilyah’s 7th Annual Poetry Contest Spotlight: Deep Thought the Lyricist
Today, we are spotlighting the winners of our 2024 poetry contest! Next is Arsenio Sorrell, better known in these poetic streets as Deep Thought the Lyricist! I met Deep on Clubhouse back when we were in these COVID trenches, and after hearing him speak, I followed him and some other dope poets on Instagram. About… Continue reading
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Yecheilyah’s 7th Annual Poetry Contest Spotlight: Dondi Springer
Today, we continue spotlighting the winners of our 2024 poetry contest! Next up is my good brother, Dondi Springer! D.A. Springer walks between worlds as a poet-philosopher and visionary, weaving introspective verse and transformative wisdom into a tapestry of awakening. As a creator, D.A. Springer crafts portals of possibility where personal revelation meets universal truth.… Continue reading
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