Hello and thank you for visiting my blog. This is my first post here, but it is certainly not my first post. I have been posting snippits of my life for over twenty years. Writing my life on the pages of journals, paper napkins, on the back of receipts or whatever modern papyrus I can get my hands on in that moment. I am a poet. and a Mother. Also married. and I am a spoken word artist. Nevertheless, I am a mother first.
My children are all under the age of ten. My hands are constantly moving. I am giving to them, opening my arms and recieving from them, throwing my head back in laughter after looking at some of the silly things they do. My oldest daughter is involved in gymnastics, is always on the honor roll, consistently models excellent behavior, and is a natural born leader. Although, she can assume boss of everyone. I have to remind her from time to time that she is not the boss of me though. My son is starting Wado Ki Karate in a few weeks, is also an honor student, and will probably become rich as an engineer. He is a computer wiz…at six. I admit that he got his computer expertise from his father, who is a CIS professional. My youngest daughter is the heart of the family. She actually looks like all of us. We attend a mommy and me dance class once a week. She does more running than dancing. By the end of this month, she will have turned two and her older sister will have turned eight. Their birthdays are three days apart, with their father’s in between: March 28 (baby daughter’s), March 31 (oldest daughter), March 29 (husband’s).
In my second year at Columbia College in Chicago, IL, I met my husband. What had happened was…I needed a ride to a poetry set. His sister and I were friends first. She was like, “Yvonne, I would like for you to come do some of your poetry at this poetry set my brother and I are hosting…in Chicago Heights.” I was like, “That’s cool, but I don’t have a car.” See, at the time, I was living on the South Side and working two hours North in Skokie, IL. As a matter of fact, I got all my business done by taking the bus. That’s why I was so skinny for so long. As a matter of fact, I was a size three when I met my husband, who called himself, “Proverbial Thought” back then. Fast forward ahead (because I’ve got a whole bunch of stories about me on the bus or the”L” in Chicago for another day and another time…stay tuned) so, I needed a ride to Chicago Heights. I had no clue how to get there. If you are a born Chicagoan like me, then you know, that your knowledge of how to get around the South Side pretty much ends at 95th and the Dan Ryan. I know some of ya’ll just went, “Yeeeaahh.” Fast forward ahead…So, I was crossing the street from the train station to the gas station opposite of the terminal. He was standing there with a yellow headwrap holding his dredlocs back that was cut from the sleeves of the shirt he was wearing. His X was in the passenger side of the car…and I really didn’t care, because I wasn’t looking for anything from him. All I wanted was a ride to the poetry set. Next thing I know, he sent a message to a friend who was a friend of his sister…to tell me that he was interested and wanted to call me. I giggled to myself. We were married six months later. That was almost nine years ago.
As for the poetry, well that is just a gift from the One who created me. I have been given this gift by none other that the God of the universe and Creator of the heavens and the earth. I am a poet.. a veteran poet that is. I didn’t start writing poetry following a viewing of Poetic Justice or Love Jones. I certainly didn’t start writing poetry because of the resurgence of spoken word sets and the Neo-Soul movement that was so thoroughly enjoyed in the nineties. I have been writing poetry for as long as I can remember knowing how to write. I’d say around seven is when I first wrote a poem, memorized it, and recited it openly..to myself. I’ve also written and published a play, self-published a book of poetry, and have an extensive background in editing, press release writing, and publishing support. In short, I love to write. But, when it comes to poetry, well, that is where my heart is revealed and it is through the medium of spoken word that that poetry is most often conveyed.
What is spoken word? Well, there are a myriad of definitions for spoken word ranging from rap to pages read from the Bible. I consider spoken word to be the full, unadulturated expression of a poem set to music or without music by the writer of the poem or by someone else bold and daring enough to recite it. I am no doubt a spoken word artist as well. I have done spoken word all over the place from the red line Howard/Dan Ryan train to the Guild Complex, Lit-Ex, Mojave’s and Promontory Point (or “the Point), African-American Images, Christian Poets Society, too many cafe’s and bars to name, but especially in the living room at Aunt Kid’s house. I remember those days. Nevertheless, today is a new day and I am moving into it.
So, that’s a little bit about me. Here I will share poetry with you, my thoughts on marriage and motherhood, plenty of comical stories about the same, and give you suggestions on where you can hear some spoken word. If you would like for me to link your spoken word event on my blog, feel free to contact me. Here is my disclaimer: any advice you take from this blog is yours for the taking. I do not claim to be a know it all in any capacity. I do, however; know what it is to be a devoted mom, a stay at home while finishing a college degree mom, a faithful wife, a poet, and a spoken word artist. Peace
With a Smile on My Face 