Quintessential Poetry Presents Jacqueline James: God Gave Me Poetry. I Give Back To Help Change The World

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Welcome to the Quintessential Poetry Podcast,

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streamed live from the heart of Washington, D

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.C. Here, you'll find a portal to vibrant voices,

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echoing souls, and an ongoing celebration of

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the extraordinary power of language. So prepare

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yourself to join host Dr. Michael Anthony Ingram

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and his special guests as they explore traditional

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and spoken word forms of poetry. I recently had

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the pleasure of interviewing the esteemed and

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prolific poet Jacqueline James. She has published

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17 books, including 12 poetry collections and

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five children's books. Jackler's journey as a

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self -made poet has been nothing short of inspiring.

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During our interview, she delves into spiritual

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awareness, social realities, and offers insightful

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perspectives on the human experience. Jacqueline

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showcased her remarkable gift for wordsmithing,

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leaving a lasting impression with her profound

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readings. Her dedication to infusing each book

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with poetry with a purpose reflects her mission

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to provide meaningful and positive strategies

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for navigating life's complexities. I invite

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you to join us for this enlightening conversation

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and immerse yourself in the powerful poetry of

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Jacqueline James. Jacqueline, what is poetry?

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To me, it's a form of free expression. It's a

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bridge between cultures, age groups, social standards,

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as well as economic standards. Racial differences,

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as well as engagement to justify or and rectify

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our position. It also allows the imagination

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to explore the what -ifs in life through a safe

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channel. It filters through different and or

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similar ideas. The poet may or may not have a

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romantic stance for words. The bourgeoisie varies

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from poet to poet, depending on their culture

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and their intellectual experience. Personally,

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when I put a pen in my hand, when I put my fingers

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on a keyboard or a mic up to my mouth, I'm an

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invincible force to be reckoned with. I'm a magical

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torch of life prodigy. I am an evolution of common.

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Thank you for that wonderful definition. And

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there are people out there who believe that poetry

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is dying. Is poetry still important? I visit

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a lot of senior residential or apartment complexes,

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as well as the medical centers. And poetry is

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a form of like music in the same fad, with Snow

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Scowler's Progress of Dementia. So engaging with

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our seniors, keep them uplifted, keep them connected

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through my poetry. So I enjoy them and they enjoy

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me as well. Now for the younger group, like maybe

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the mid -20s for the teenagers, for them it's

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sort of like a bridge bringing them to a different

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standards of verbiage, okay? It creates a literacy

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bond and it kind of clean up their verbiage,

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okay? Kind of clean up their dialect just with

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the chorus. In my children books, even though

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they are children books, they come out in a rhyme.

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That's the way I write. So it's a learning tool

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for them. Jacqueline, what else does poetry accomplish

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for these adults and children? Poetry, it enhances

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their imagination. It takes them places where

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they haven't been, or maybe they can't afford

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to be, or maybe they just haven't had the opportunity,

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or life got so busy that it didn't present itself.

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Well, sometimes I like bringing to a surface

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what they're in a thought, okay? Things that

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they're afraid of having to express. They find

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themselves through my whole. Jacqueline, please

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share with me an early experience where you learned

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that poetic language had power. Oh, I'm gonna

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tell you. My earliest experience was in like

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third grade. I know, like third grade is an awfully

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young age. But I'm thinking it was just basic

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poetry coming from Edgar Allan Poe. When I read

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The Raven, I was just mesmerized. I had never

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known that words can captivate a love of law.

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All in the same form, with Raven, it really done

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it for me. It snatched my imagination, like,

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what's he going with this? He was so mystical

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with it, and I really appreciated that. Then

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I went on to read more and then Langston Hill

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It was my next sport that I was really impressed

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by because he bridged the silence between the

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oppression for african -american culture and

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His magnitude of wisdom he expressed through

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his point was so inspiring and after was after

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him His presentation it went from director Maya

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Angelo Because I seen myself with a little baby

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my own uncle bravery, courage, and it's just

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like I had when I had actually experienced a

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dramatic loss when I was a young child. So just

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reading that with Maya Angelou, I know I have

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a taste for this thing. It kind of hit home for

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me and it just wanted me to just learn more about

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how I can express myself through that art where

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I can be heard. Then I went on to the with him.

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I was really attracted to Dr. Seuss. That's why

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my children, both my children, both suggested

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a creative memory of Dr. Seuss. Because it's

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a learning tool for our young people. And just

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the way he just can compose words and make them

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rhyme and make them jump off the page. I've seen

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so much in life and life through him. And I've

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seen me doing this. And I went on to do that

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later on. When you think about your body of work,

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what are some of the predominant themes that

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you write about? And then I realized I was a

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master of rhyme because people just start coming

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to me asking me, what did you call for my birthday?

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And it came out so beautiful. What did you call

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for my anniversary? You all do that too. And

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then I also do call for recognition for different

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cities and cultures. I bring them together. I

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can take your whole story and compose it into

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a work of art through my poetry. And I also do

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bereavement calls. I take your life story with

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people who passed on. And for a keepsake, I don't

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choose anything for that. Never have, never will.

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And I present it to the family, their closest

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loved one, and I'll take them in. It's like a

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keepsake where they can just take their loved

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one's memory and reflect back on the good things

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that they meant to them, to my word. I think

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that's my favorite of all, just being able to

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do that, give something back. My next question

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pertains to other influences. You've already

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talked about Dr. Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes,

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Edgar Allan Poe, and Dr. Seuss for their other

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influences that helped shape your poetry. Oh,

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my mother. Okay, so this gift would lay dormant

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for over 60 years, Dr. Maya. Okay, no one nurtured

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it as a child, but I didn't go to school. for

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writing or poetry, or none of that in nature.

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That's why I'm naming myself as the self -made

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board, because it laid dormant from third grade

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all the way up until eight years ago. I know

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I set up my two marriages, I sent five children

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to college, and when my youngest graduated from

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high school and went on to college, I was like,

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it just came back on me. It's phenomenal. I had

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two things. What's right? So I came to the hospital

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for three days with infection going through my

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brain, right? And everybody was praying and fasting

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on my behalf. I was writing poetry. Like, I was

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writing poetry. I was in the hospital for three

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days and had written enough poems to fill a whole

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book. I'm serious. And when I came out of the

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hospital, my short break convinced me to feel

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that she was okay. They were all moved out and

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everything. And so my oldest daughter was speaking

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to my oldest sister. Do you know mama will not

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stop? Your rhymes must be demoralizing. Okay,

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so this was December of 2016. And 2017, everything

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I picked up and touched or even spoke, it came

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out in a runner. And I said, Lord, are you gonna

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tell me something? I told you, are you not listening?

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And that's when I got insomnia. I could not sleep.

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I could not do anything other than write. At

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the red light and the stop light, I was writing.

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everything cast a ploy upon my spirit. In 2017,

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I wrote 17 per morning. I know. And they like,

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is that even possible? I didn't think so either.

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But by me being a visual person, I print everything

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out. I'm not really that computer savvy, so I

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didn't have a lot of stuff in file. And I didn't

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even realize how much I had been writing in 2018.

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I said, I'm going to publish. I told my mother,

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I said, I'm going to publish my book of poetry.

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And I just spread it out in categories on my

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table. And that's when I knew they were in different

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categories. I get to be an engineer. Oh, this

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is like, this should be spiritual. This looks

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like more educational. That's interesting. So

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I put it in piles and piles. But it's too much.

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So what I did, I went to the local libraries.

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I went to other bookstores and I looked at other

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poets work and see how many poems were in the

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book. So they were offering maybe 35. five to

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forty poems. I said, okay, well, I'll give them

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to me. I said, and when I broke this, right,

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when I broke it down, I had enough to build 17

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books of poetry, which all of them were not even

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published yet. Even though I have 17 published

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books, all of the books that I wrote during that

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course of time were not published. So in 2018,

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I published two of them. 2019, I published two.

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Then we went into pandemic. Okay, and we went

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into the country, went back down for two years.

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Those two years I was able to publish in book.

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I Know right, but what happened was so we came

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two years ago My gift of writing came where I

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can write but it didn't have to be torture now

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Let me tell you about my mother being the inspiration

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don't write to that question My mother when she

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first found out that I was gonna become public

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She went in her underwear drawer and found the

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first poem that I wrote in the third grade she

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said i've been waiting on you baby oh that's

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what your mama said that's incredible it's the

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very first poem in my first book the very first

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poem i made that poem that she had in that drawer

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yes so that book if you get the book poetry with

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a twist that's my first public book and this

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sound like a third grade of ronnie a third grade

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of d i'd love to hear it For truth of the twist,

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this is my first published book. And the very

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first poem in here was written by me in the third

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grade. The name of it is Family. Family. What

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my family means to me, around you will see. From

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the old to the new, all the love is shining through,

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rushing through the ocean shore, forceful as

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a lion's roar. We stick together in a pack, stopping

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the world in its tracks. We laugh, we cry, we

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sit in, we pray, and with this all of who we

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did it our way. Please share it again. I want

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to hear it one more time. Family! What my family

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means to me. Look around and you will see. From

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the old to the new, all the love is shining through.

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Rushing through the ocean shore, for so as the

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lions roar. We stick together in a pack, stopping

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the world in its tracks. We laugh, we cry, we

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sing, we pray. And when it's all over, we did

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it our way. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you again

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for sharing it. Twice. It seems like writing

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poetry really energizes you. Conversely, does

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it ever exhaust you? Oh, no, it never exhausts

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me. Oh, it has never exhaust me at all. Actually,

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like I said, I had to actually pray for a voice

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because once the spirit had overwhelmed me, I

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have written now in eight years, I've written

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over 43 books. I have enough to fill 43 books.

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The first 17 was written in the first year of

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2017. When I took a break, all alone could not

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from that particular set because I stopped and

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I went to the children books. And then I started

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writing when I realized I had the capability

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to write what people wanted from me. That's when

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I sit and start intentionally writing. At first

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it was just writing unconsciously, if you understand

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that. Like waking up three o 'clock in the morning

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and it's just there, just cock -eyed and writing,

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okay? But now I can actually write intentionally,

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right? So I can choose to write a children's

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book or I can choose to write a poem. Or I can

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just sit back and relax and just let it flow

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on its own. When you think about writing a poem,

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how does it begin? with an idea a feeling a form

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or an image You know what sometimes it very is

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there so if I'm just sitting back relaxing I

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mean my kids I drove them pray like I will be

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a family outing I Had my nieces and my nephews

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and my daughters around the same AC like Don't

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say nothing to my Auntie Jackie or you'll get

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a poor one. If they told me something like that,

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you know, I'm involved with a man that's in another

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situation, I'll run for my life. If they brought

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some spaghetti last night, I'll run for my life.

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It's almost like everything someone said or everything

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that came in my presence just turned into a poor

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woman. Now I have a little bit more control,

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but I'm going to tell you what happened. I'm

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going to read this one for poor because from

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their first book. That first book was like a

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revelation for me, okay? And I didn't even understand

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myself because, like I said, the gifts had laid

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dormant for so many years. So the name of this

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poem is Strange Air. I saw a stranger passing

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by with the blink of an eye. I wanted to cry,

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but that's the second she caught my attention.

00:15:54.159 --> 00:15:56.820
I heard a heartbeat when I decided to listen.

00:15:57.159 --> 00:16:00.100
Her thoughts were all fuzzy, I could only hear.

00:16:00.659 --> 00:16:03.419
She was really fragile. I could smell her fear.

00:16:03.740 --> 00:16:06.720
She wanted to scream and she turned around, but

00:16:06.720 --> 00:16:09.480
she felt my presence and made no sound. I didn't

00:16:09.480 --> 00:16:12.340
disturb her. It was in my place. Straw in her

00:16:12.340 --> 00:16:15.620
eyes gleamed on her face. The moment that passed

00:16:15.620 --> 00:16:19.039
seemed to be ours. I denied her myself. Was I

00:16:19.039 --> 00:16:22.000
just a coward? I had nothing to offer other than

00:16:22.000 --> 00:16:24.919
empathy, but at the time, I wasn't good company.

00:16:25.120 --> 00:16:28.360
I tried to speak when I poured it together, but

00:16:28.360 --> 00:16:31.539
she was long gone like my breath in the weather.

00:16:32.340 --> 00:16:34.700
Thank you. And that's why I saw myself. And only

00:16:34.700 --> 00:16:37.840
a couple of people that know me personally, when

00:16:37.840 --> 00:16:43.960
I first wrote it in January of 17, it was like

00:16:43.960 --> 00:16:47.919
the beginning. And when I shared that poem with

00:16:47.919 --> 00:16:50.559
a couple of people that close in my circle, they

00:16:50.559 --> 00:16:52.019
knew right off, they said, you're speaking of

00:16:52.019 --> 00:16:54.200
yourself. I didn't even know I was speaking of

00:16:54.200 --> 00:16:57.570
myself. Jacqueline, when you discovered through

00:16:57.570 --> 00:17:00.570
the poem that you had written about yourself,

00:17:01.190 --> 00:17:05.609
how did it impact you? It made me cry. I was

00:17:05.609 --> 00:17:10.490
very emotional. I was very emotional. And because

00:17:10.490 --> 00:17:14.710
I knew I had lost myself, it took everyone else's

00:17:14.710 --> 00:17:17.849
life and their situation, nurturing them and

00:17:17.849 --> 00:17:20.710
supporting their ideas and their dreams. And

00:17:20.710 --> 00:17:23.710
I never even knew I had one this deep inside

00:17:23.710 --> 00:17:26.920
of me. that had been cocooned, was calcified,

00:17:27.140 --> 00:17:31.559
it was almost dying. One of the poems in my upcoming

00:17:31.559 --> 00:17:37.740
book is titled, Where Was I Inside My Own Life?

00:17:38.759 --> 00:17:41.539
And I got an answer for you in a poem, trapped

00:17:41.539 --> 00:17:45.299
in my own walls of solitude, speaking a language

00:17:45.299 --> 00:17:49.359
only I can understand. My death cry for redemption

00:17:49.359 --> 00:17:52.559
goes unanswered, screaming, ranting, and trying

00:17:52.559 --> 00:17:55.299
to break free. from this prison in which I've

00:17:55.299 --> 00:17:58.460
so conveniently engaged my thoughts in it. My

00:17:58.460 --> 00:18:02.519
pathetic need to be heard is superficial. Capitalism

00:18:02.519 --> 00:18:05.279
progresses as I become more hesitant to unlock

00:18:05.279 --> 00:18:07.960
the door. It will surely free me from my own

00:18:07.960 --> 00:18:11.460
misery. I convinced myself of a strategy that

00:18:11.460 --> 00:18:15.019
would persuade me to use the key. What? There's

00:18:15.019 --> 00:18:19.460
a key? How awfully predictable I've become. Thank

00:18:19.460 --> 00:18:25.099
you. That was sitting on my front porch a day

00:18:25.099 --> 00:18:29.420
before Christmas When I was like it just was

00:18:29.420 --> 00:18:32.680
there and it I wasn't thinking of it. It just

00:18:32.680 --> 00:18:37.079
came out and I just realized that I had become

00:18:37.079 --> 00:18:40.779
really predictable in all my ways where to a

00:18:40.779 --> 00:18:43.680
point where People call me they knew I would

00:18:43.680 --> 00:18:48.000
answer they knew I would come baby My schedule

00:18:48.000 --> 00:18:51.809
more than I knew must you understand? And I have

00:18:51.809 --> 00:18:54.690
lost myself in the illusion of what they thought

00:18:54.690 --> 00:18:59.289
of me. Very powerful statement. That is totally

00:18:59.289 --> 00:19:02.869
self -awareness. When you can say that out loud

00:19:02.869 --> 00:19:06.829
and proclaim it, when you know it, you can move

00:19:06.829 --> 00:19:10.509
beyond that point and move to a different plane

00:19:10.509 --> 00:19:14.690
of development. Very powerful. Very, very powerful.

00:19:16.309 --> 00:19:19.549
Yes, I've been just like using the revenue from

00:19:19.549 --> 00:19:22.640
one project. to invest into the next. That's

00:19:22.640 --> 00:19:24.599
why all of them are getting covered behind each

00:19:24.599 --> 00:19:29.259
other like a domino effect. One behind each other.

00:19:30.440 --> 00:19:33.279
Do you believe that writing a poem is letting

00:19:33.279 --> 00:19:39.160
your guard down for building a wall? No, it's

00:19:39.160 --> 00:19:42.880
actually, it can be bumped. I can write you up

00:19:42.880 --> 00:19:45.920
and I can write you down as well. So that's why

00:19:45.920 --> 00:19:50.279
I learned the cautiousness of my Nice now where

00:19:50.279 --> 00:19:52.819
they knew I was talking about them in my book,

00:19:53.039 --> 00:19:56.079
even though I never said their name Well, yeah,

00:19:56.400 --> 00:20:00.880
I had one more name what? Okay, I knew that poor

00:20:00.880 --> 00:20:04.240
what restrict would trigger an emotion from my

00:20:04.240 --> 00:20:06.960
young me There was messing with a married man

00:20:06.960 --> 00:20:10.599
at the time. Oh, yeah, you know this so it build

00:20:10.599 --> 00:20:14.140
a wall for a minute because she aborted me and

00:20:14.140 --> 00:20:17.720
I wanted her to avoid me and sir in certain circumstances,

00:20:17.779 --> 00:20:20.460
because I didn't want to condone her behavior

00:20:20.460 --> 00:20:23.180
coming to her house and seeing this man. You

00:20:23.180 --> 00:20:26.259
understand it, claiming it's just a friend. But

00:20:26.259 --> 00:20:32.039
I did want to just cut her off by saying, no,

00:20:32.279 --> 00:20:34.819
blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, and break the connection.

00:20:34.859 --> 00:20:36.960
So I just wrote it. I knew she would buy my book

00:20:36.960 --> 00:20:39.299
because it was coming out and I knew she would

00:20:39.299 --> 00:20:41.720
read it and find herself through it. So it built

00:20:41.720 --> 00:20:45.019
a wall on those ends. Just in that situation,

00:20:45.200 --> 00:20:47.759
another situation. I can build a wall when I

00:20:47.759 --> 00:20:51.559
want it. My cocoon, I can protect myself from

00:20:51.559 --> 00:20:54.839
you. If I don't, you're around me. I can talk

00:20:54.839 --> 00:20:57.980
about you in my poetry without ever calling your

00:20:57.980 --> 00:21:01.299
name. And you'll find it. Or I can build you

00:21:01.299 --> 00:21:05.539
up in the same state. Please share another poem.

00:21:06.460 --> 00:21:09.240
This is from my spiritual collection. This is

00:21:09.240 --> 00:21:11.859
one of my favorites. I go out in the field when

00:21:11.859 --> 00:21:15.250
it's called. Once that I write for myself. Like,

00:21:15.529 --> 00:21:18.230
my choice would be spiritual. Now, you can ask

00:21:18.230 --> 00:21:20.069
me for a personal life form and I'll laminate

00:21:20.069 --> 00:21:22.630
it and I'll frame it. Right? But the ones that

00:21:22.630 --> 00:21:24.670
I steal that will be on my table next to my books

00:21:24.670 --> 00:21:27.569
is always my fri - This particular one is God's

00:21:27.569 --> 00:21:29.789
puppet. It is also in my first written book.

00:21:31.390 --> 00:21:34.269
I beat to his drum, I prayed his feet. I share

00:21:34.269 --> 00:21:36.930
his love with the people I greet. I'm his puppet

00:21:36.930 --> 00:21:39.269
on the street. With his love I lift my weight

00:21:39.269 --> 00:21:42.029
to the scene. I worship him throughout my days.

00:21:42.299 --> 00:21:45.619
He controls my mind and my praise. He orders

00:21:45.619 --> 00:21:48.480
my thoughts and my speech. He controls the dance

00:21:48.480 --> 00:21:51.940
in my feet. He chooses my path that I walk on.

00:21:52.180 --> 00:21:55.380
He controls my words when I talk. He keeps my

00:21:55.380 --> 00:21:57.940
soul moving for more, for His mercy is what I

00:21:57.940 --> 00:22:01.220
live for. He shows me His amazing grace He keeps

00:22:01.220 --> 00:22:04.400
loud on my face. I worship the praise Him on

00:22:04.400 --> 00:22:07.559
demand. I write poetry for Him on demand. He

00:22:07.559 --> 00:22:09.839
makes sure my faith don't cease by keeping me

00:22:09.839 --> 00:22:12.500
in His perfect peace. Well, his lighting gives

00:22:12.500 --> 00:22:15.500
his will. In my days, the hope I feel. Now, I'm

00:22:15.500 --> 00:22:17.880
his puppet on the street. As the Christmas, I'll

00:22:17.880 --> 00:22:20.799
do my thing. The Lord is my shepherd, guiding

00:22:20.799 --> 00:22:23.180
me through. The guy is low, I know it's true.

00:22:23.599 --> 00:22:26.400
He keeps me happy and satisfied. He's the gift

00:22:26.400 --> 00:22:29.299
I sing and he don't deny. See, your will be done

00:22:29.299 --> 00:22:32.140
in my life, my lord. Well, y 'all, I'll work

00:22:32.140 --> 00:22:35.059
hard. I'm your puppet on the street. I'll serve

00:22:35.059 --> 00:22:38.000
you always, you're my holy king. He melts my

00:22:38.000 --> 00:22:40.859
arms with his praise. He keeps me strong through

00:22:40.859 --> 00:22:44.299
my day. He helps me when I stay. I give him the

00:22:44.299 --> 00:22:48.240
glory and glad my hanging. He lets me love even

00:22:48.240 --> 00:22:50.960
when I don't want. He teaches me the righteous

00:22:50.960 --> 00:22:53.759
things to do. He humbles my spirit. He brings

00:22:53.759 --> 00:22:57.500
me joy. I'm puppet. I'm his toy. He helps me

00:22:57.500 --> 00:23:00.539
every day I live to keep me safe with his comfort

00:23:00.539 --> 00:23:03.880
I feel. He keeps my mind set on him. He knows

00:23:03.880 --> 00:23:06.880
my faith so my life's not dead. I'm blessed that

00:23:06.880 --> 00:23:09.450
God does all the work for me. Through his deliverance,

00:23:09.549 --> 00:23:12.490
my soul is free. God, I'm your puppet on the

00:23:12.490 --> 00:23:14.710
street. I'm here to serve you, you are my king.

00:23:15.910 --> 00:23:19.190
Now, that's one of my very favorite, and that's

00:23:19.190 --> 00:23:22.890
on my wall. I hand this in large at myself, and

00:23:22.890 --> 00:23:25.369
said it to myself from God. And it's on my wall

00:23:25.369 --> 00:23:28.509
in my office. What makes that particular poem

00:23:28.509 --> 00:23:33.069
one of your personal favorites? Because I thought

00:23:33.069 --> 00:23:36.029
I had insomnia. I was taking sleeping pills out.

00:23:36.170 --> 00:23:39.549
I was drinking my quill, I was taking melatonin

00:23:39.549 --> 00:23:42.329
and all natural things, the prescription things,

00:23:42.549 --> 00:23:44.130
trying to get some sleep and he was just throwing

00:23:44.130 --> 00:23:47.250
it in there. And there's the paper pulls, not

00:23:47.250 --> 00:23:51.450
just the pulls. I chose the one things that I

00:23:51.450 --> 00:23:55.109
seen the image. He invited into my spirit that

00:23:55.109 --> 00:23:58.990
I know I was not even exposed to that print.

00:23:59.769 --> 00:24:02.890
So I know it didn't come from me. Share with

00:24:02.890 --> 00:24:07.269
me lines that you felt most proud about writing

00:24:07.269 --> 00:24:11.430
and also lawns that you may feel more challenged

00:24:11.430 --> 00:24:15.569
to write. I think he shows me his amazing grace.

00:24:16.049 --> 00:24:18.349
I think his grace over my life because I've made

00:24:18.349 --> 00:24:23.309
so many mistakes. Not intentionally. He still

00:24:23.309 --> 00:24:25.809
held on to me when I turned my back on him for

00:24:25.809 --> 00:24:30.890
not intentionally because this, even though it

00:24:30.890 --> 00:24:35.220
was not nurtured as a child. It still had no

00:24:35.220 --> 00:24:37.960
interest in my life growing up. You understand?

00:24:38.420 --> 00:24:41.240
I didn't surround myself by people of that nature,

00:24:41.519 --> 00:24:44.059
of that beauty, of that caliber to be expressed

00:24:44.059 --> 00:24:47.240
almost like I denied myself period of me and

00:24:47.240 --> 00:24:49.299
that was the guy in me that I didn't allow to

00:24:49.299 --> 00:24:53.579
die. So I think that by me saying I forgive other

00:24:53.579 --> 00:24:57.500
people, it allows me to love even when I don't

00:24:57.500 --> 00:25:02.250
want to because of reasons I... Come on, like

00:25:02.250 --> 00:25:04.089
that, get your people and while you're in it,

00:25:04.089 --> 00:25:09.529
get mental. Does it hurt you to write poetry?

00:25:10.289 --> 00:25:16.130
If not, why not? No, it does not, but I have

00:25:16.130 --> 00:25:18.789
written some pieces that has been hurtful to

00:25:18.789 --> 00:25:23.390
me because I have few of myself do my work. Okay,

00:25:23.710 --> 00:25:27.450
I'm pretty sure I should be laying on some psychologies

00:25:27.450 --> 00:25:30.599
or psychiatry couch right about now. I have actually

00:25:30.599 --> 00:25:35.720
healed myself by writing some of my poems. How

00:25:35.720 --> 00:25:39.299
adorable. I just thought in the formative section

00:25:39.299 --> 00:25:42.180
because it's giving you things that we all can

00:25:42.180 --> 00:25:44.440
relate to and stuff. Even if it didn't happen

00:25:44.440 --> 00:25:46.839
to you personally per se, it didn't happen to

00:25:46.839 --> 00:25:48.900
somebody you know. Well, you've been hearing

00:25:48.900 --> 00:25:51.480
about it on the news. You are knowledgeable of

00:25:51.480 --> 00:25:54.339
it. A lot of people don't understand that a lot

00:25:54.339 --> 00:25:56.960
of situations have actually happened to me or

00:25:56.960 --> 00:25:59.910
through me. have been closer to home it has been

00:25:59.910 --> 00:26:03.670
therapeutic for me earlier in our conversation

00:26:03.670 --> 00:26:08.430
you mentioned the word empathy which brings up

00:26:08.430 --> 00:26:10.789
the second part of the question that i asked

00:26:10.789 --> 00:26:15.349
you i now ask are you willing to be hurt by the

00:26:15.349 --> 00:26:21.490
poetry of others if not why not yes so i do empathize

00:26:21.490 --> 00:26:25.180
a lot with a lot of people and that's That is

00:26:25.180 --> 00:26:27.400
how they're able to find themselves through my

00:26:27.400 --> 00:26:31.700
work. Because I see things that they're willing,

00:26:31.980 --> 00:26:34.900
they're not unnecessarily comfortable to discuss,

00:26:35.079 --> 00:26:36.880
or they're not willing to admit that they said.

00:26:37.480 --> 00:26:40.319
And it's almost like I'm a reader. I'm not psychic

00:26:40.319 --> 00:26:43.960
or anything, right? But the poetry gives me an

00:26:43.960 --> 00:26:46.940
advantage through a situation where I can read

00:26:46.940 --> 00:26:50.619
through it, and instead of saying, oh, well,

00:26:50.759 --> 00:26:55.420
if you wanna... Ain't gonna equal B or your a

00:26:55.420 --> 00:26:57.680
led you to be I'll just write the plumber shirt

00:26:57.680 --> 00:26:59.920
with that particular individual and they'll know

00:26:59.920 --> 00:27:02.559
they could find himself in it as I have people

00:27:02.559 --> 00:27:05.480
that May have bought my book maybe a year or

00:27:05.480 --> 00:27:09.160
two ago. They will call me up They will call

00:27:09.160 --> 00:27:11.180
me up or they'll text me and they'll say can

00:27:11.180 --> 00:27:13.619
I speak with you for a minute? You may not remember

00:27:13.619 --> 00:27:16.900
me, but you were such a such affair or market

00:27:16.900 --> 00:27:19.660
and I just finally got around to reading this

00:27:19.660 --> 00:27:23.380
book and this This poem really touched my heart.

00:27:23.680 --> 00:27:26.380
Or they may say I didn't. Personally, I asked

00:27:26.380 --> 00:27:28.960
the way my family and this poem reminds me of

00:27:28.960 --> 00:27:31.940
it. And it just, it's really a good feeling when

00:27:31.940 --> 00:27:38.240
it comes back. Please share another poem. Okay.

00:27:38.779 --> 00:27:41.240
I know. I don't know why I just love this book.

00:27:41.420 --> 00:27:44.279
You know, my poetry was a twister. So, let me

00:27:44.279 --> 00:27:46.279
tell you about this book. You see it right there?

00:27:46.619 --> 00:27:50.740
That's a twister. So... I was like, so if I did,

00:27:50.980 --> 00:27:53.519
I would arrange all the plums on my table, my

00:27:53.519 --> 00:27:55.660
dining room table, and realize there was so many.

00:27:56.460 --> 00:27:59.700
And I said, and I started getting them named.

00:28:00.920 --> 00:28:02.779
My children, I started getting my children names,

00:28:02.779 --> 00:28:05.220
okay? And the first one I named the poetry with

00:28:05.220 --> 00:28:07.799
a twist. And I got that twisted because I was

00:28:07.799 --> 00:28:09.240
like, the world ain't ready for this stuff. I

00:28:09.240 --> 00:28:11.039
have never seen nothing like it. So I'm like,

00:28:11.140 --> 00:28:13.299
get ready, get ready, get ready. So my distress

00:28:13.299 --> 00:28:15.519
will sum up and I know it, I know it's gonna

00:28:15.519 --> 00:28:18.640
be awesome. So, this is the unknown. This is

00:28:18.640 --> 00:28:24.019
me again, waiting, anticipating, something extraordinary

00:28:24.019 --> 00:28:27.059
or out of the ordinary. Will it submit to its

00:28:27.059 --> 00:28:30.960
present? It's overwhelming, a long -forged insatiable

00:28:30.960 --> 00:28:33.720
relief with delight, needing desperately to break

00:28:33.720 --> 00:28:37.480
the monotonousness of the day, finding annoyance

00:28:37.480 --> 00:28:41.299
in every gesture that's renounced, mesmerized

00:28:41.299 --> 00:28:44.539
by the fantasy of it captivating my attention.

00:28:44.680 --> 00:28:47.039
and sending me soaring into a ductaloupe state

00:28:47.039 --> 00:28:49.640
of mind? Will its surrounding expire a stench

00:28:49.640 --> 00:28:52.380
in which it unpleasantly repulsed me to a point

00:28:52.380 --> 00:28:56.440
of regurgitation? Or am I to embrace the survival

00:28:56.440 --> 00:28:59.759
with fulfillment, such as the gentleness of the

00:28:59.759 --> 00:29:02.319
evening spray? Will its vibration roar through

00:29:02.319 --> 00:29:05.500
the energy of a volcano and break my solitude?

00:29:06.119 --> 00:29:09.779
Or will it whisper by so delicately, as calm

00:29:09.779 --> 00:29:13.480
as the inching breath? I'm imagining the intensity

00:29:13.480 --> 00:29:17.460
of a turn. with the texture smooth and soothing

00:29:17.460 --> 00:29:21.539
like the scourge across my face, preoccupied

00:29:21.539 --> 00:29:26.039
by the phantom that consumed me, my illusion

00:29:26.039 --> 00:29:28.779
torn by the thought of it possibly being pleasing

00:29:28.779 --> 00:29:32.940
to my eye. So all the day the evening I wait

00:29:32.940 --> 00:29:37.480
and all through the night the end. What do you

00:29:37.480 --> 00:29:41.319
think makes poets different from other people?

00:29:42.400 --> 00:29:47.400
I think What makes her different is we have this

00:29:47.400 --> 00:29:50.920
sense of freedom. We have this sense of we can

00:29:50.920 --> 00:29:55.000
unloathe. We don't have to be bottled down or

00:29:55.000 --> 00:29:58.839
desperate for anything. Because I noticed I was

00:29:58.839 --> 00:30:03.380
more anxious before I embraced my gift. I was

00:30:03.380 --> 00:30:06.519
more anxious for other people approval of me.

00:30:07.319 --> 00:30:11.099
Okay? I was more anxious of whether my perfection

00:30:11.099 --> 00:30:13.589
and whatever I did throughout the day. Okay.

00:30:14.049 --> 00:30:16.609
Now I'm more or less if they like it, they like

00:30:16.609 --> 00:30:18.829
it. If they don't, there's nothing. I'm more

00:30:18.829 --> 00:30:20.809
confident. It gives me a sense of confidence,

00:30:21.029 --> 00:30:23.569
gives me a sense of freedom, and it gives me

00:30:23.569 --> 00:30:27.390
a sense of power because I'm like adding one

00:30:27.390 --> 00:30:31.210
up in you, so to speak. Let's imagine for a moment

00:30:31.210 --> 00:30:34.769
that writing a poem is like baking the cake.

00:30:35.970 --> 00:30:40.009
What are some of the ingredients that go into

00:30:40.009 --> 00:30:44.150
the making of a poem? One ingredient for going

00:30:44.150 --> 00:30:47.710
to making a full think imagination will go in

00:30:47.710 --> 00:30:53.650
there. I think a mixture of Love will go in there

00:30:53.650 --> 00:30:56.630
Passion will be stirred around up in there. I

00:30:56.630 --> 00:30:59.009
think a lot of empathy will go in there. I think

00:30:59.009 --> 00:31:03.309
Consideration a lot of time a Lot of hard work

00:31:03.309 --> 00:31:07.150
will go into it So Jacqueline, what are you attempting

00:31:07.150 --> 00:31:12.420
to communicate? What are you trying to get across

00:31:12.420 --> 00:31:17.500
to people? What I'm trying to do is actually

00:31:17.500 --> 00:31:20.859
allow people to see themselves through my work

00:31:20.859 --> 00:31:24.500
allow people to heal Through my work allow people

00:31:24.500 --> 00:31:29.380
to grow Allow people to be able to get that self

00:31:29.380 --> 00:31:33.720
-confidence Back to say it's okay not to be okay

00:31:33.720 --> 00:31:36.960
and still be okay with it So they don't have

00:31:36.960 --> 00:31:42.259
to be so for a down and take everything So serious

00:31:42.259 --> 00:31:44.900
like everything is just a dire need. I don't

00:31:44.900 --> 00:31:49.440
pay my life to be a before the due date. Oh Everybody's

00:31:49.440 --> 00:31:52.920
that these high pressure state at life Especially

00:31:52.920 --> 00:31:55.339
during this time with Colby Colby cannot write

00:31:55.339 --> 00:31:58.259
the game changer for a lot of situations, right?

00:31:58.839 --> 00:32:00.619
But when you think about it, you gotta leave

00:32:00.619 --> 00:32:04.660
this earth regardless You're not meant to stay

00:32:04.660 --> 00:32:08.819
here So poetry allows me to live in one. That

00:32:08.819 --> 00:32:12.220
is my point of staying here. That's how I get

00:32:12.220 --> 00:32:17.240
to stay. It's part of your legacy. What is my

00:32:17.240 --> 00:32:22.519
legacy? Yes, it is. All writers have words they

00:32:22.519 --> 00:32:26.960
use over and over again in their work. What are

00:32:26.960 --> 00:32:31.119
three of your most favorite words to use in your

00:32:31.119 --> 00:32:36.369
writing? Something that you asked me there. I

00:32:36.369 --> 00:32:39.970
used the word unconditional a lot. I think I

00:32:39.970 --> 00:32:43.089
used the word Imaginal more a lot and I think

00:32:43.089 --> 00:32:46.049
I used the word like, you know, it's a lot of

00:32:46.049 --> 00:32:47.829
words and what I thought about that the other

00:32:47.829 --> 00:32:49.549
day as soon as I was writing them for them and

00:32:49.549 --> 00:32:51.670
I was like I didn't want to become redundant

00:32:51.670 --> 00:32:55.809
with my verb itself. If you were asking me that

00:32:55.809 --> 00:32:59.710
because I'm always flipping through my synonyms.

00:32:59.910 --> 00:33:02.819
I don't know. Well, it's all repeated, but it's

00:33:02.819 --> 00:33:05.319
actually the same meaning when you get the winning

00:33:05.319 --> 00:33:10.759
of this thing, right? Right. I think I think

00:33:10.759 --> 00:33:13.980
I used the word absorb a lot too because I try

00:33:13.980 --> 00:33:17.039
to get people and I try to get people to absorb

00:33:17.039 --> 00:33:21.279
that matches message and use the use that message

00:33:21.279 --> 00:33:24.920
and you're absorbing it to their psyche. So it

00:33:24.920 --> 00:33:28.240
becomes a part of them. You don't necessarily

00:33:28.240 --> 00:33:31.420
have to memorize the form. but to memorize the

00:33:31.420 --> 00:33:37.940
mix. We live in a world where there's good, bad,

00:33:38.940 --> 00:33:44.940
ugly, as well as indifference. What do you view

00:33:44.940 --> 00:33:49.240
as being the role of a poet in modern day society?

00:33:50.380 --> 00:33:54.140
So the majority of poems are driven by passion

00:33:54.140 --> 00:33:58.099
from a particular subject, right? So I think

00:33:58.099 --> 00:34:03.400
in today's society, We're influencers. We are

00:34:03.400 --> 00:34:07.099
the icebreakers in life. And we are the tenor

00:34:07.099 --> 00:34:10.079
in between right and wrong, hate and love, good

00:34:10.079 --> 00:34:14.820
and evil, with a voice of object or way of reasoning.

00:34:16.300 --> 00:34:19.420
I have found myself being able to talk people

00:34:19.420 --> 00:34:21.960
into liking each other. They were definitely

00:34:21.960 --> 00:34:25.260
at me. I'm certain that we were in the same circle,

00:34:25.719 --> 00:34:28.280
but they would come to me because I am a poet.

00:34:28.480 --> 00:34:33.539
And not only am I quit, but I'm sort of like

00:34:33.539 --> 00:34:38.940
a peacemaker. But I'm also, I'm the go -to. I've

00:34:38.940 --> 00:34:42.599
always been the go -to person. Like, there's

00:34:42.599 --> 00:34:45.119
autodontilent on my lap, and I will never be

00:34:45.119 --> 00:34:47.280
opinionated with it. I'm never the person that

00:34:47.280 --> 00:34:51.199
I told you so. I'll just rather allow them to

00:34:51.199 --> 00:34:55.280
see themselves. I am the looking glass. Little

00:34:55.280 --> 00:35:00.329
feet. Okay? So I'll go back. with the poll in

00:35:00.329 --> 00:35:03.530
reference, but not intentionally. Well, they

00:35:03.530 --> 00:35:05.809
don't think I'm doing it on purpose or at the

00:35:05.809 --> 00:35:08.050
same time. I'll just give it a little time. So

00:35:08.050 --> 00:35:11.090
can you revive it? But I haven't been able to

00:35:11.090 --> 00:35:14.309
connect. I'm a connector with different organizations,

00:35:14.489 --> 00:35:17.170
different people. Well, they didn't necessarily

00:35:17.170 --> 00:35:20.809
even know each other. Yeah. And I bring great

00:35:20.809 --> 00:35:24.650
organizations together. I brought community events

00:35:24.650 --> 00:35:28.199
together just because of my presence. and what

00:35:28.199 --> 00:35:32.079
each one had in common was me. It's a lot of

00:35:32.079 --> 00:35:34.440
diversity I create through my poetry as well.

00:35:34.960 --> 00:35:39.219
So it's not like really just or race or nothing

00:35:39.219 --> 00:35:42.000
like that. I have been able to create diversity

00:35:42.000 --> 00:35:44.880
because it's in the human language is one language.

00:35:45.420 --> 00:35:48.179
We don't cry in different languages. We all have

00:35:48.179 --> 00:35:52.139
pain. We all have sort. I've never felt one cry

00:35:52.139 --> 00:35:56.840
in Chinese. So we lose that we lose ourselves.

00:35:57.079 --> 00:35:59.480
when we're in pain and we lose ourselves when

00:35:59.480 --> 00:36:03.380
we're in pleasure. Those two lines can be like

00:36:03.380 --> 00:36:10.340
a connector. Please share another page. Now this

00:36:10.340 --> 00:36:12.119
is more when I was telling you about the dream.

00:36:13.880 --> 00:36:16.320
And when they were more like dreams they were

00:36:16.320 --> 00:36:20.079
just more like spirits that just wake me up.

00:36:20.380 --> 00:36:23.460
It was a little joint. It's a little joint but

00:36:23.460 --> 00:36:25.699
I just want to give you a little insight on that

00:36:25.699 --> 00:36:32.900
style. Why do your baby girl get more mudslides

00:36:32.900 --> 00:36:36.480
and my baby girl get rose petals? Your baby girl

00:36:36.480 --> 00:36:40.159
get a promise a Prince Charming with a cap, a

00:36:40.159 --> 00:36:43.519
perfect love story with a happy ever after. Why

00:36:43.519 --> 00:36:48.119
my baby girl get it now with rape and abuse with

00:36:48.119 --> 00:36:50.539
all the men in her life making some lame ass

00:36:50.539 --> 00:36:53.980
excuse. Your baby girl get two parents with a

00:36:53.980 --> 00:36:57.079
college phone. He gives her first coin 16 to

00:36:57.079 --> 00:37:00.059
wreck just the hope. My baby girl get an alcoholic

00:37:00.059 --> 00:37:02.360
stepfather and a father who steps in and out

00:37:02.360 --> 00:37:05.780
of her life. He's lucky to get food to eat and

00:37:05.780 --> 00:37:08.719
decently clothes without a fight. Your baby girl

00:37:08.719 --> 00:37:12.159
fantasize to marry the man of her dreams. The

00:37:12.159 --> 00:37:14.400
man to have her hand in marriage will work hard

00:37:14.400 --> 00:37:18.059
to the extreme. But my baby girl gets her virginity

00:37:18.059 --> 00:37:21.039
taken in a locker room by the principal's son.

00:37:21.860 --> 00:37:24.059
While half the football team watches. He had

00:37:24.059 --> 00:37:26.800
taken thought for wrong. Your baby girl will

00:37:26.800 --> 00:37:30.420
be asked to the prom by the most popular actual

00:37:30.420 --> 00:37:33.719
fella. She will wear an elegant dress tailored

00:37:33.719 --> 00:37:36.860
especially for her. My baby girl will go to the

00:37:36.860 --> 00:37:39.860
prom accompanied by her teenage girl. She will

00:37:39.860 --> 00:37:42.400
wear a dress that was donated by the privileged

00:37:42.400 --> 00:37:45.420
girls of the world. Your baby girl will come

00:37:45.420 --> 00:37:49.079
home on time from a chauffeur driven limousine.

00:37:49.679 --> 00:37:51.900
Her only worry would be if she danced too hard

00:37:51.900 --> 00:37:54.900
and ripped her dress thin. My baby girl will

00:37:54.900 --> 00:37:57.420
have scores for the rest of her life. She will

00:37:57.420 --> 00:37:59.800
have been gang raped and dropped off at a syringe

00:37:59.800 --> 00:38:02.599
house for the night. Your baby girl will later

00:38:02.599 --> 00:38:06.880
attend a prestigious college where she'll be

00:38:06.880 --> 00:38:10.639
highly educated. She'll graduate cum laude because

00:38:10.639 --> 00:38:13.559
of her dedication. My baby girl will attend a

00:38:13.559 --> 00:38:16.380
junior college and she'll be lucky to complete.

00:38:17.099 --> 00:38:19.840
She will have to work two jobs just to make ends

00:38:19.840 --> 00:38:22.940
meet. Your baby girl would marry her high school

00:38:22.940 --> 00:38:25.739
sweet girl who waited patiently for her while

00:38:25.739 --> 00:38:29.239
he did his part. She'll wear a long white gown

00:38:29.239 --> 00:38:32.800
and have the talk of the century wedding. She'll

00:38:32.800 --> 00:38:35.539
go on a little glorious honeymoon with sex and

00:38:35.539 --> 00:38:38.260
sheep for her bidding. My baby girl will win

00:38:38.260 --> 00:38:41.219
at a church with a small family prize, while

00:38:41.219 --> 00:38:44.360
she'll be forcibly low and marry a city hall.

00:38:44.960 --> 00:38:47.119
Your baby girl will have her first experience

00:38:47.119 --> 00:38:50.590
with her husband and offer him her prurity. My

00:38:50.590 --> 00:38:52.829
baby girl will have sex with her husband because

00:38:52.829 --> 00:38:55.789
she no longer have her virginity. My baby girl

00:38:55.789 --> 00:38:59.230
will wear a Dora to slide right down through

00:38:59.230 --> 00:39:01.710
the generational movement. Your baby girl will

00:39:01.710 --> 00:39:04.989
have a Dora with that seed will breathe roses

00:39:04.989 --> 00:39:08.269
to generate petals of love. My baby girl went

00:39:08.269 --> 00:39:11.130
into depression after her husband left. Your

00:39:11.130 --> 00:39:14.130
baby girl celebrates many anniversaries because

00:39:14.130 --> 00:39:20.050
she lived her happy ever after. Tell me more

00:39:20.050 --> 00:39:23.570
about it. What is the purpose of the home? It

00:39:23.570 --> 00:39:27.369
woke me up. Out of my sleep. I couldn't go back

00:39:27.369 --> 00:39:31.969
to sleep before I stepped back. No, I know. And

00:39:31.969 --> 00:39:36.010
that's how it is sometimes. Cause it literally

00:39:36.010 --> 00:39:41.050
takes control of me. And there's nothing I can

00:39:41.050 --> 00:39:44.309
do about it but stay satisfied. Or I could walk

00:39:44.309 --> 00:39:47.909
myself to sleep. I can take another sleep in

00:39:47.909 --> 00:39:51.719
a bit. P .O. or whatever, but it's not gonna

00:39:51.719 --> 00:39:55.179
do any good, I'm telling you. A very powerful

00:39:55.179 --> 00:39:59.639
claw. How was it received when you shared it?

00:40:00.760 --> 00:40:03.460
I had no choice, see, okay, when this claw was

00:40:03.460 --> 00:40:06.760
given to me, I had no choice to know that it

00:40:06.760 --> 00:40:11.739
wasn't mine. At first, I used to think that claws

00:40:11.739 --> 00:40:14.679
belonged to me because they came through, but

00:40:14.679 --> 00:40:16.559
they jumped for the world to learn something

00:40:16.559 --> 00:40:19.829
from it. and to understand. So I'm gonna give

00:40:19.829 --> 00:40:22.489
you this other poem, and then I'm gonna give

00:40:22.489 --> 00:40:24.630
you a poem that I intentionally wrote, okay?

00:40:25.090 --> 00:40:28.309
This poem right here, I was so tired, I think

00:40:28.309 --> 00:40:30.730
I had been up for a couple of days, and I still

00:40:30.730 --> 00:40:34.449
wasn't signing out. So I was so tired, and I

00:40:34.449 --> 00:40:37.309
wanted to relieve myself, and it came like this.

00:40:38.309 --> 00:40:41.750
Oh, God, I'll do it, I'll remember this. It came

00:40:41.750 --> 00:40:44.349
again. There are so many ways for one to see

00:40:44.349 --> 00:40:46.570
it, and there are so many things to be seen.

00:40:46.849 --> 00:40:50.289
I am guided on sleeping. I will read it in the

00:40:50.289 --> 00:40:54.429
morning. Let me read. This time it didn't stop.

00:40:55.929 --> 00:40:57.789
There are so many ways for one to see it, and

00:40:57.789 --> 00:41:02.369
there are so many things to be seen. The name

00:41:02.369 --> 00:41:05.630
of it is Round Black Group. There are so many

00:41:05.630 --> 00:41:08.489
ways for one to see it, and there are so many

00:41:08.489 --> 00:41:12.670
things to be seen. It was us waiting to be greeted

00:41:12.670 --> 00:41:16.210
with our big brown eyes, along with others patiently

00:41:16.210 --> 00:41:21.170
inside. We were totally ignored because we were

00:41:21.170 --> 00:41:24.309
black, and that was their intention to acknowledge

00:41:24.309 --> 00:41:27.769
that fact. Worry about me? They couldn't care

00:41:27.769 --> 00:41:30.530
less, even though I was arrogantly dressed my

00:41:30.530 --> 00:41:34.150
best. From my head to my toe, I was swackling

00:41:34.150 --> 00:41:37.250
clean, and the ruiners disgust me, but I may

00:41:37.250 --> 00:41:40.599
not assume them. But the place was freaky and

00:41:40.599 --> 00:41:43.119
overwhelmed by my class, and they knew in an

00:41:43.119 --> 00:41:46.400
instant I was way above the white trash. However,

00:41:46.500 --> 00:41:48.860
they gathered up the party that had been waiting

00:41:48.860 --> 00:41:51.800
least of the time, leaving behind the obvious

00:41:51.800 --> 00:41:55.159
and that group was mine. We all took a pause

00:41:55.159 --> 00:41:58.460
and we bit our tongue. We didn't want our troubles,

00:41:58.659 --> 00:42:02.300
but we came out for fun. Our time had come, and

00:42:02.300 --> 00:42:05.820
they split us up into three. That's a table across

00:42:05.820 --> 00:42:08.559
from us. Big enough, please. We just want to

00:42:08.559 --> 00:42:11.460
laugh and reminisce on our day. Those were the

00:42:11.460 --> 00:42:15.260
words I just had to say. As innocent as they

00:42:15.260 --> 00:42:17.940
may have sound, it sent the crowd into a frenzy.

00:42:18.239 --> 00:42:20.500
And as quickly as I turned, we were arrested

00:42:20.500 --> 00:42:23.820
by men. What was the charges? What were we guilty

00:42:23.820 --> 00:42:26.960
of? Because of our fiend, it was something they

00:42:26.960 --> 00:42:29.860
just could not love. On the way to the station,

00:42:29.940 --> 00:42:32.760
we were beaten and maced. And I lost consciousness

00:42:32.760 --> 00:42:36.469
if I felt sick in my face. Disregarding it all,

00:42:36.690 --> 00:42:38.989
we were thrown into fields with opposite sex,

00:42:39.489 --> 00:42:41.469
and there were disgusting criminals sweating

00:42:41.469 --> 00:42:44.769
up against my dress. When we faced the dirt,

00:42:44.769 --> 00:42:47.789
he was told that we resisted arrest, but the

00:42:47.789 --> 00:42:51.090
judge dismissed it because our silence surpassed

00:42:51.090 --> 00:42:53.869
his stick. Nevertheless, we were given a warning

00:42:53.869 --> 00:42:57.130
not to ever return to his town. Regardless of

00:42:57.130 --> 00:43:00.610
our money, our skin would feel brown. Thank you.

00:43:01.849 --> 00:43:07.369
So that part was so emotional. for me. So I cried

00:43:07.369 --> 00:43:09.949
for about 10 minutes, and then I three died for

00:43:09.949 --> 00:43:13.409
it, using me as a bathroom. And then when I gave

00:43:13.409 --> 00:43:16.210
me my composure, I was able to write this one.

00:43:16.510 --> 00:43:21.130
And this poem was like a revelation of, like,

00:43:21.570 --> 00:43:24.949
knowing that they did not belong to me. So the

00:43:24.949 --> 00:43:28.590
name of it, poems, make me write. Sometimes I

00:43:28.590 --> 00:43:31.230
think about poems, sometimes poems think about

00:43:31.230 --> 00:43:34.380
me. And they found the right poet who has the

00:43:34.380 --> 00:43:37.280
courage to sing. I write the thoughts. They're

00:43:37.280 --> 00:43:40.719
sent to me. They're so obviously not my story.

00:43:41.059 --> 00:43:43.539
Nevertheless, I embrace them without any worry.

00:43:43.980 --> 00:43:46.659
I compose the rhymes that's been trapped within

00:43:46.659 --> 00:43:49.880
time. I surface the flow and the beauty becomes

00:43:49.880 --> 00:43:52.760
mine. They lure me in a corner with my back up

00:43:52.760 --> 00:43:55.619
against the wall. And before long, I'm convinced

00:43:55.619 --> 00:43:58.380
that I must write it all. Sometimes they're approached

00:43:58.380 --> 00:44:01.650
and I just want to scream. Nevertheless, I indulge

00:44:01.650 --> 00:44:03.969
them because their words run, shatter, drain.

00:44:04.510 --> 00:44:07.130
I have the ability to allow their voices to be

00:44:07.130 --> 00:44:10.289
heard and mesmerize my audience as they focus

00:44:10.289 --> 00:44:13.650
my words. I surface their scores in all of their

00:44:13.650 --> 00:44:16.170
pain. I turn the light on their secrets in their

00:44:16.170 --> 00:44:18.789
hidden shade. Once their guilt is acknowledged

00:44:18.789 --> 00:44:22.050
and their indiscretions are revealed, it satisfies

00:44:22.050 --> 00:44:24.690
the interchief and the properties of the field.

00:44:25.650 --> 00:44:30.110
Thank you. And I was able to read. Incredible.

00:44:31.809 --> 00:44:34.449
Jacqueline, we've almost come to the end of our

00:44:34.449 --> 00:44:39.130
poetic journey. But you've written too many poems

00:44:39.130 --> 00:44:42.550
for me not to invite you to return to the podcast

00:44:42.550 --> 00:44:46.349
later in the year. I would really like you to

00:44:46.349 --> 00:44:49.769
return. I want to hear more and more of your

00:44:49.769 --> 00:44:52.610
work. Thank you. I would love to return. Well,

00:44:52.610 --> 00:44:56.190
thank you for having me. This was new. Also,

00:44:56.349 --> 00:44:58.829
I'd like you to be a part of a program that I'm

00:44:58.829 --> 00:45:02.449
planning. The title of the program is the role

00:45:02.449 --> 00:45:06.110
of spirituality in black women's poetry. There

00:45:06.110 --> 00:45:11.269
will be six black women poets and I'd like you

00:45:11.269 --> 00:45:14.030
to be one of them. I tried to pull this together

00:45:14.030 --> 00:45:17.969
last year, but it did not happen due to technical

00:45:17.969 --> 00:45:23.190
reasons. So maybe this is how God had it planned.

00:45:24.079 --> 00:45:27.960
He wanted you to be a part of it. This is how

00:45:27.960 --> 00:45:32.320
it was supposed to be. Thank you. That's an amazing

00:45:32.320 --> 00:45:39.860
opportunity. I love it. Yeah, you're great. We've

00:45:39.860 --> 00:45:42.980
now reached what I view as being my favorite

00:45:42.980 --> 00:45:46.960
part of the program. I view it as being a mini

00:45:46.960 --> 00:45:50.360
poetry lovers concert. This is an opportunity

00:45:50.360 --> 00:45:54.570
for you, Gapland, to share. Four or five of your

00:45:54.570 --> 00:45:57.889
works back -to -back without interruption from

00:45:57.889 --> 00:46:04.570
me Jacqueline you're on the stage Let me see

00:46:04.570 --> 00:46:08.050
what I got for y 'all. Okay. I like it. Hey,

00:46:08.130 --> 00:46:11.730
let me give you a little bit of a laughter war

00:46:11.730 --> 00:46:16.309
laughs laughs laughs loud another one of my favorite

00:46:16.309 --> 00:46:25.000
and This is a woman's thing. Okay? Where is my

00:46:25.000 --> 00:46:31.159
exigent? Oh, I get women with this every time.

00:46:32.159 --> 00:46:34.300
You wanna know something, word? I'm about to

00:46:34.300 --> 00:46:37.159
grow a grey bird. All of my exigent has faded

00:46:37.159 --> 00:46:39.960
away, and I'm turning masculine by the end of

00:46:39.960 --> 00:46:43.159
the day. My words have lost their gentle squeak,

00:46:43.420 --> 00:46:52.847
and I'm sssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

00:46:52.840 --> 00:46:56.159
I'm forming muscles on my chest, and I'm looking

00:46:56.159 --> 00:46:59.539
roughly with that hand right. I lost the four

00:46:59.539 --> 00:47:02.880
limbs in my nilce in the prayers of my ego. Guess

00:47:02.880 --> 00:47:05.480
to give my feminine back, the doctor prescribed

00:47:05.480 --> 00:47:09.280
a hormone pack. Those say if a woman kneels to

00:47:09.280 --> 00:47:14.960
her right, oh, eh? You actually fade away. I

00:47:14.960 --> 00:47:17.480
was born a woman, I guess, to woe -lit enough

00:47:17.480 --> 00:47:27.500
to man. her. I like louder. So I got another

00:47:27.500 --> 00:47:31.460
one for you. Jackie's coming and she got something.

00:47:33.380 --> 00:47:36.139
Yes, I always suspected something from me every

00:47:36.139 --> 00:47:38.039
time I pulled up, every time I truck pulled up.

00:47:38.480 --> 00:47:41.079
Yeah, Jackie coming and she got something. Something

00:47:41.079 --> 00:47:44.320
in her big bag or in her hand. He's gonna meet

00:47:44.320 --> 00:47:46.900
you with life demands. She coming with presents,

00:47:47.099 --> 00:47:49.179
she coming with gifts, she stopping with something

00:47:49.179 --> 00:47:51.820
to make your life chill. If you need a ride,

00:47:51.940 --> 00:47:53.780
just jump in the side. She'll drive you around,

00:47:53.880 --> 00:47:56.179
shit comes in my eye. If you're down on your

00:47:56.179 --> 00:47:58.360
luck and it ain't funny, she'll just drive at

00:47:58.360 --> 00:48:00.559
you and give you some money. If you're hungry

00:48:00.559 --> 00:48:03.059
or in a bad mood, she'll stop and she don't know

00:48:03.059 --> 00:48:05.659
where to bring some food. If you're in need of

00:48:05.659 --> 00:48:08.420
some new clothes, she'll give you the shirt off

00:48:08.420 --> 00:48:12.539
her back, even if it's old. Y 'all, Jackie's

00:48:12.539 --> 00:48:18.019
coming, and she's got something. So, it's the

00:48:18.019 --> 00:48:21.070
lady going around spreading porn to us. Now,

00:48:21.369 --> 00:48:23.590
telling true the same facts, telling people about

00:48:23.590 --> 00:48:26.010
yourself. She really wants to write it, but I

00:48:26.010 --> 00:48:28.090
suppose I heard it very nice, but you haven't

00:48:28.090 --> 00:48:32.570
heard of it? If we're treating this off back...

00:48:32.570 --> 00:48:36.349
Rock on. Rock on past oppression. Rock on past

00:48:36.349 --> 00:48:40.429
adolescent. Rock on past pressure. Rock on past

00:48:40.429 --> 00:48:44.889
rejection. Rock on past expulsions. Rock on past

00:48:44.889 --> 00:48:48.980
negativity. Rock on past insecurity. Rock on

00:48:48.980 --> 00:48:53.000
past inferiority Rock on past doubt Rock on past

00:48:53.000 --> 00:48:56.820
deception Rock on past temptation Rock on past

00:48:56.820 --> 00:49:01.179
confusion Rock on past illusion Rock on past

00:49:01.179 --> 00:49:04.920
violence Rock on past failure Rock to confidence

00:49:04.920 --> 00:49:08.920
Rock to completion Rock to productivity Rock

00:49:08.920 --> 00:49:12.840
to education Rock to positivity Rock to independence

00:49:12.840 --> 00:49:16.719
Rock to dedication Rock to preservation Rock

00:49:16.719 --> 00:49:20.150
to determination Rock to creativity, rock to

00:49:20.150 --> 00:49:23.030
happiness, rock to employment, rock to respect,

00:49:23.449 --> 00:49:26.170
rock to accountability, rock to responsibility,

00:49:26.690 --> 00:49:31.250
rock to trustees. Jacqueline, were you destined

00:49:31.250 --> 00:49:37.150
to be a poet? Oh, yes, yes, yes. I was born to

00:49:37.150 --> 00:49:41.690
be a poet. It'll be hard. It'll be hard. That's

00:49:41.690 --> 00:49:45.090
our most comfortable in my skin through my poetry.

00:49:45.469 --> 00:49:47.980
This is... The most comfortable time of my life.

00:49:48.099 --> 00:49:52.579
I love it. I'm never tired. I just want people

00:49:52.579 --> 00:49:56.820
who want more from me. I can carry my stuff with

00:49:56.820 --> 00:50:01.500
my work. I can heal my beauty. I can, I'm telling

00:50:01.500 --> 00:50:04.559
you. I was, that one little last laugh, laugh

00:50:04.559 --> 00:50:07.500
louder. I was in my bedroom when my son came

00:50:07.500 --> 00:50:09.300
by and he was like, he actually thought I had

00:50:09.300 --> 00:50:12.440
company. I said, no, I had to become my own best

00:50:12.440 --> 00:50:15.889
friend, keep myself entertained. I don't need

00:50:15.889 --> 00:50:19.949
nothing, oh my goodness. And the feed people

00:50:19.949 --> 00:50:23.630
give me from my work, it just builds my confidence.

00:50:24.670 --> 00:50:28.949
It reassures me that I continue to put my oil

00:50:28.949 --> 00:50:33.670
as my priority. Do we have a few more that you

00:50:33.670 --> 00:50:38.789
can share with us before we end? I start with

00:50:38.789 --> 00:50:42.070
her beauty. Her beauty, rippling through the

00:50:42.070 --> 00:50:46.150
ocean tide. Watching the Sun as it rides Behold

00:50:46.150 --> 00:50:49.829
her bottom filled with treasure Countless glinting

00:50:49.829 --> 00:50:54.289
to no measure Dirt less surfers waiting to ride

00:50:54.289 --> 00:50:58.630
The highest point from her tide Whirling around

00:50:58.630 --> 00:51:01.630
as the wind grows strong Brightly shining as

00:51:01.630 --> 00:51:04.550
the day is long Beating through the breasts of

00:51:04.550 --> 00:51:09.349
the ocean shore Attracting tourists as she roars

00:51:09.349 --> 00:51:13.150
Navy blue with a poem At the bottom of her bed,

00:51:13.489 --> 00:51:16.409
top head feels the top of her head. White, blue,

00:51:16.489 --> 00:51:19.989
and green covers the middle of her scene. Her

00:51:19.989 --> 00:51:22.889
belly filled with tropical fish. To name them

00:51:22.889 --> 00:51:25.710
all would be a wish. Fishermen come as sellers

00:51:25.710 --> 00:51:30.929
go to watch their cat be a show. Collecting oysters

00:51:30.929 --> 00:51:34.949
and seashells for the absent ones. Please do

00:51:34.949 --> 00:51:39.550
tell. Riley sheds the sun her way, freezing through

00:51:39.550 --> 00:51:45.039
a sweaty day. Tourist winds at her age they meet

00:51:45.039 --> 00:51:48.820
Rushing the sand from beneath their feet hundreds

00:51:48.820 --> 00:51:52.760
of waves flutters past blowing winds they cannot

00:51:52.760 --> 00:51:57.719
last taking Cheers when you're near needing to

00:51:57.719 --> 00:52:01.280
know how beauty is there then great seeing the

00:52:01.280 --> 00:52:07.500
ocean again Thank you Then it's probably race

00:52:07.500 --> 00:52:12.039
which is something I struggled with So I want

00:52:12.039 --> 00:52:16.099
to spread it. My ethnicity and race is all confused.

00:52:16.679 --> 00:52:20.059
Society speak of us to bring bad news. We're

00:52:20.059 --> 00:52:22.719
already stereotype as being the worst of the

00:52:22.719 --> 00:52:25.619
worst. I was cursed by the plague right from

00:52:25.619 --> 00:52:29.980
birth. I'm really the owner of my nationality.

00:52:30.199 --> 00:52:32.440
I'm mixed with some of this and some of that.

00:52:32.679 --> 00:52:34.619
I'm more than African -American and that's a

00:52:34.619 --> 00:52:37.320
fact. My skin is quarrel is beautiful to me.

00:52:37.579 --> 00:52:40.280
That's nothing you can say or do to lure my self

00:52:40.280 --> 00:52:45.119
esteem. We shouldn't be judged by race or the

00:52:45.119 --> 00:52:47.940
color of our skin. What defines a man is his

00:52:47.940 --> 00:52:51.000
character. But within, the Americans are not

00:52:51.000 --> 00:52:53.400
our true breed, and an African race would don't

00:52:53.400 --> 00:52:56.260
fit in. African -American, what exactly does

00:52:56.260 --> 00:52:59.079
that mean? A race spawned from a white man's

00:52:59.079 --> 00:53:02.380
sin? We were rejected from the very start, and

00:53:02.380 --> 00:53:04.579
labeled as being ignorant and a bunch of retort.

00:53:05.099 --> 00:53:08.920
We were given common names that followed us throughout

00:53:08.920 --> 00:53:11.530
our lives. hoping to gain heritage when a man

00:53:11.530 --> 00:53:13.849
takes the wife. All the generations of Kong were

00:53:13.849 --> 00:53:16.809
by that name, not knowing the circumstances but

00:53:16.809 --> 00:53:20.289
understanding the shame. We just continued trying

00:53:20.289 --> 00:53:22.829
to live with everyday life until the prejudice

00:53:22.829 --> 00:53:25.909
hit us and we were up for a fight. We had to

00:53:25.909 --> 00:53:28.190
fight for freedom. We had to fight for equality.

00:53:28.530 --> 00:53:30.309
We had to fight for justice. We had to fight

00:53:30.309 --> 00:53:33.030
for civil rights. We had to fight for equal rights.

00:53:33.369 --> 00:53:36.130
We had to fight for human rights. Are our ancestors

00:53:36.130 --> 00:53:38.610
well enough to pay the price for all our lives?

00:53:38.889 --> 00:53:41.369
I'm tired of fighting. I don't know about you.

00:53:41.710 --> 00:53:43.789
The struggle's long and the fight isn't through.

00:53:44.369 --> 00:53:47.369
We all need to keep our armor protection. God's

00:53:47.369 --> 00:53:49.809
grace will lead us in the right direction. No

00:53:49.809 --> 00:53:52.050
matter what our ethnicity, race, creed, or color,

00:53:52.550 --> 00:53:54.690
though God's ass will also present brothers.

00:53:54.969 --> 00:53:57.010
So the next time you look at the skin of my faith,

00:53:57.409 --> 00:53:59.570
remember to judge me by my heart and not my race.

00:54:01.250 --> 00:54:05.369
Thank you. Writers and poets write for a myriad

00:54:05.369 --> 00:54:08.500
of different reasons. Some write primarily to

00:54:08.500 --> 00:54:12.019
speak a message to the audience, because to stay

00:54:12.019 --> 00:54:15.820
silent is not an option. So when you think about

00:54:15.820 --> 00:54:19.760
it, why do you write? More importantly, why do

00:54:19.760 --> 00:54:23.639
you continue to write? You're right. Absolutely

00:54:23.639 --> 00:54:26.079
right, Dr. Michael. Staying silent is not an

00:54:26.079 --> 00:54:29.579
option. Well, I do write to give people information,

00:54:30.059 --> 00:54:32.900
to kind of bridge that gap between different

00:54:32.900 --> 00:54:35.739
cultures and race, kind of bring a connection.

00:54:36.650 --> 00:54:39.969
a right to unify, and I write most of all to

00:54:39.969 --> 00:54:44.969
say I'm here. I'm here, and I'm mad. Eloquently

00:54:44.969 --> 00:54:49.289
stated. Thank you. Jacqueline, what is one thing

00:54:49.289 --> 00:54:52.889
you've learned about yourself as a result of

00:54:52.889 --> 00:54:57.829
being a poet? I think I can successfully transform

00:54:57.829 --> 00:55:01.469
my thoughts into other people's headspace. I

00:55:01.469 --> 00:55:03.429
can actually make you feel what I'm feeling.

00:55:03.550 --> 00:55:07.500
I can make I can allow you to visualize what

00:55:07.500 --> 00:55:10.739
you're being like trapped or denying yourself.

00:55:11.320 --> 00:55:15.039
You may be a denial of certain incidents or situations.

00:55:16.039 --> 00:55:21.340
I can get inside your head with my poetry. And

00:55:21.340 --> 00:55:24.360
I can transform my soul into your kid's face

00:55:24.360 --> 00:55:27.880
where it will change your mind and your perspective

00:55:27.880 --> 00:55:31.079
because knowledge is power. And a lot of times

00:55:31.079 --> 00:55:33.659
people don't understand things and it makes them

00:55:33.659 --> 00:55:36.539
shy away from them. Simply because they're ignorant

00:55:36.539 --> 00:55:39.460
to that situation. But ignorance doesn't necessarily

00:55:39.460 --> 00:55:42.800
have to be bliss. Where can people find your

00:55:42.800 --> 00:55:48.639
work? I have a website. And my website is rhymejj

00:55:48.639 --> 00:55:53.719
.com. It's R -H -Y -M -E -S jj .com. If you go

00:55:53.719 --> 00:55:55.880
through my website, you will see all the different

00:55:55.880 --> 00:55:58.059
work and the services that I provide. I also

00:55:58.059 --> 00:56:01.610
do a portrait workshop. Why teach your students

00:56:01.610 --> 00:56:04.130
through the YMCA and other community centers

00:56:04.130 --> 00:56:08.489
how to write poetry, how to clean up their verbiage,

00:56:08.829 --> 00:56:11.230
how they can express themselves on that form

00:56:11.230 --> 00:56:15.050
of thought. Also write personalized poems, such

00:56:15.050 --> 00:56:17.849
as birthdays, anniversaries, anniversaries, recognitions,

00:56:18.349 --> 00:56:20.929
weddings, that piece of that nature of bereavement

00:56:20.929 --> 00:56:23.909
that I don't charge anything for. I can compose

00:56:23.909 --> 00:56:26.949
your story into a work of art, a laminated environment.

00:56:27.389 --> 00:56:32.309
I also do what is called consulting, and do my

00:56:32.309 --> 00:56:35.809
consulting work to help other poets or writers

00:56:35.809 --> 00:56:39.590
find their niche into what genre they would like

00:56:39.590 --> 00:56:43.409
to express themselves. Because a lot of times,

00:56:43.650 --> 00:56:45.949
we'll have writers block because they have a

00:56:45.949 --> 00:56:47.869
lot to say, but they don't know what category

00:56:47.869 --> 00:56:50.949
to put it in or how to express them, and that's

00:56:50.949 --> 00:56:54.769
what I can do. What's next for you creatively?

00:56:55.489 --> 00:56:58.440
Where do you go from here? What's next on your

00:56:58.440 --> 00:57:03.860
agenda? Oh, well, what's next on my agenda is

00:57:03.860 --> 00:57:07.000
hopefully I can get picked up by traditional

00:57:07.000 --> 00:57:09.639
publishing houses I can tour the world at for

00:57:09.639 --> 00:57:12.679
expense. Of course, my end game is to open a

00:57:12.679 --> 00:57:15.380
school of art so that a lot of young people,

00:57:15.619 --> 00:57:18.300
their talents won't lay dormant, such as mine

00:57:18.300 --> 00:57:22.420
did. Now, I think it costs a lot of money and

00:57:22.420 --> 00:57:25.420
a lot of misconception when you go through life.

00:57:25.449 --> 00:57:28.090
Not knowing who you are other than who other

00:57:28.090 --> 00:57:31.969
people tell you you are or what you should be

00:57:31.969 --> 00:57:34.989
So that's really important for me to open it

00:57:34.989 --> 00:57:39.590
up Thank you Jacqueline James for being my guest

00:57:39.590 --> 00:57:44.429
You are absolutely incredible. You are a phenomenal

00:57:44.429 --> 00:57:48.230
woman as dr. Maya Angelou would say you are truly

00:57:48.230 --> 00:57:51.510
a phenomenal woman You are a renaissance woman

00:57:51.510 --> 00:57:55.829
because you do it all Your work runs the gamut

00:57:55.829 --> 00:58:00.349
of different perspectives and it all interrelates.

00:58:00.590 --> 00:58:04.570
And that is so beautiful because empathy, whichever

00:58:04.570 --> 00:58:07.170
the direction, is embedded throughout all of

00:58:07.170 --> 00:58:10.670
your work. So thank you. I wish you nothing but

00:58:10.670 --> 00:58:14.449
continued success. And I look forward to your

00:58:14.449 --> 00:58:20.789
return to this program. Take care. Wow. We hope

00:58:20.789 --> 00:58:23.289
you enjoyed the episode. Jacqueline's poetry

00:58:23.289 --> 00:58:26.130
is medicine. It's ministry. She brings it everywhere.

00:58:26.449 --> 00:58:28.769
Nursing homes, schools, churches, communities

00:58:28.769 --> 00:58:32.789
that need healing. The following five bonus poems

00:58:32.789 --> 00:58:35.510
recorded exclusively for timeless classics show

00:58:35.510 --> 00:58:38.409
her range. Spiritual grace, timeless wisdom,

00:58:38.690 --> 00:58:41.750
joyful humor about aging, and fierce social justice.

00:58:42.389 --> 00:58:44.949
From devotion to laughter to prophetic truth,

00:58:45.469 --> 00:58:48.349
she offers poetry that serves, heals, and won't

00:58:48.349 --> 00:58:52.489
stop giving. Hi, my name is Jacqueline James.

00:58:52.570 --> 00:58:56.010
I will be reading some of my poetry for my authentic

00:58:56.010 --> 00:58:59.750
collection This is from the spiritual collection

00:58:59.750 --> 00:59:04.150
Humble yourself Humble yourself and be kind to

00:59:04.150 --> 00:59:07.789
others Respect yourself your father and your

00:59:07.789 --> 00:59:11.550
mother live every day as if it's your last day

00:59:11.550 --> 00:59:15.510
Allow Jesus in your heart as you humbly pray

00:59:15.510 --> 00:59:19.550
Praise God's name as you lift your voice Pray

00:59:19.550 --> 00:59:23.349
without cease throughout this course. Give God

00:59:23.349 --> 00:59:26.929
the glory for your daily work. Then in your life,

00:59:27.070 --> 00:59:31.429
He should not desert. Be slow to anger, yet quick

00:59:31.429 --> 00:59:35.389
to repent. Jesus' blood was shed, so forgiveness

00:59:35.389 --> 00:59:39.150
you'll get. Forgive others that may have offended

00:59:39.150 --> 00:59:42.389
you. Because of God's mercy, it's the right thing

00:59:42.389 --> 00:59:47.079
to do. Don't harbor thoughts over any ill feelings

00:59:47.079 --> 00:59:50.500
because we serve a God that's always in the blessing

00:59:50.500 --> 00:59:54.820
business. Be a faithful servant to all of those

00:59:54.820 --> 00:59:57.980
around, then God will brighten your days with

00:59:57.980 --> 01:00:01.239
cheerful smiles. Throughout your life, embrace

01:00:01.239 --> 01:00:04.840
God's amazing grace, then you'll spend your eternity

01:00:04.840 --> 01:00:13.039
in His sacred place. Jacqueline James. The next

01:00:13.039 --> 01:00:18.159
piece is for my educational selection a wise

01:00:18.159 --> 01:00:24.340
man a wise man who long to listen did less talking

01:00:24.340 --> 01:00:28.460
and became more attentive nothing less than knowledge

01:00:28.460 --> 01:00:32.199
did he desire with great wisdom he delivered

01:00:32.199 --> 01:00:36.219
the message that he acquired the information

01:00:36.219 --> 01:00:40.179
he sure made perfect sense because importance

01:00:40.179 --> 01:00:44.280
of teaching he insist as the days ahead came

01:00:44.280 --> 01:00:48.739
to pass The words he spoke were sure to last.

01:00:50.059 --> 01:00:53.900
Next, this same wise man took to silence and

01:00:53.900 --> 01:00:58.460
he kept his peace to avoid any violence. He hibernated

01:00:58.460 --> 01:01:02.460
for months to years while the outside world lived

01:01:02.460 --> 01:01:06.139
in fear. Those who followed his prestigious plans

01:01:06.139 --> 01:01:12.860
once again, they saw this wise man. This next

01:01:12.860 --> 01:01:17.539
piece is from my motivational selection. I don't

01:01:17.539 --> 01:01:20.599
want to talk about it. I don't want to talk about

01:01:20.599 --> 01:01:24.019
all the prejudice and the hate. I don't want

01:01:24.019 --> 01:01:26.940
to talk about the country always in a debate.

01:01:27.880 --> 01:01:30.300
I don't want to talk about all the limitation

01:01:30.300 --> 01:01:33.280
and restrictions that they put on human beings

01:01:33.280 --> 01:01:36.239
to keep them bounded and shackled behind the

01:01:36.239 --> 01:01:39.500
scene. I don't want to talk about it. How they

01:01:39.500 --> 01:01:42.739
keep them feeling inferior and always in doubt.

01:01:42.760 --> 01:01:47.119
to deprive them from the basic necessities and

01:01:47.119 --> 01:01:49.860
watch them go without. I don't want to talk about

01:01:49.860 --> 01:01:53.460
it. How we can trample on other humans' rights.

01:01:53.820 --> 01:01:56.039
I don't want to talk about it. In order to live

01:01:56.039 --> 01:02:00.300
a peaceful life we must fight. I don't want to

01:02:00.300 --> 01:02:03.739
talk about it. How we always at war. I don't

01:02:03.739 --> 01:02:06.460
want to talk about it. How if we find freedom

01:02:06.460 --> 01:02:10.500
through chivalry we must travel for. I don't

01:02:10.500 --> 01:02:12.860
want to talk about it. how the same people we

01:02:12.860 --> 01:02:16.099
vote for to enforce and instill the laws. These

01:02:16.099 --> 01:02:18.900
are the same people who deny us the first amendment

01:02:18.900 --> 01:02:23.599
and keep our backs up against the wall. I don't

01:02:23.599 --> 01:02:25.980
want to talk about it. How a certain race of

01:02:25.980 --> 01:02:28.880
people are still being sold into slavery in the

01:02:28.880 --> 01:02:31.519
21st century. I don't want to talk about it.

01:02:31.760 --> 01:02:34.179
How the government allows these situations to

01:02:34.179 --> 01:02:37.820
go unreported and refuse to be mentioned. I don't

01:02:37.820 --> 01:02:40.929
want to talk about it. How every Thousands of

01:02:40.929 --> 01:02:43.469
innocent children are being used and abused.

01:02:43.969 --> 01:02:46.789
I don't want to talk about it. How society avoid

01:02:46.789 --> 01:02:50.710
mentioning it on the evening news. I don't want

01:02:50.710 --> 01:02:53.869
to talk about it. How people rally together and

01:02:53.869 --> 01:02:56.710
protest for civil rights, equal rights, gay rights,

01:02:56.789 --> 01:03:00.269
and even human rights. And behind closed doors,

01:03:00.289 --> 01:03:03.090
they won't even do what's right. I don't want

01:03:03.090 --> 01:03:05.949
to talk about it. How poverty and phantom has

01:03:05.949 --> 01:03:08.780
stricken millions of lives. I don't want to talk

01:03:08.780 --> 01:03:11.739
about it, how disease and sufferings have plagued

01:03:11.739 --> 01:03:15.239
minis from day to night. I don't want to talk

01:03:15.239 --> 01:03:18.860
about how basic healthcare is overpriced where

01:03:18.860 --> 01:03:21.760
no man can afford to relieve his own suffering.

01:03:22.179 --> 01:03:24.719
I don't want to talk about it, how the same suffering

01:03:24.719 --> 01:03:27.579
was created through man -greed and destruction.

01:03:28.199 --> 01:03:30.559
I don't want to talk about it, how everything

01:03:30.559 --> 01:03:33.619
is for sale including salvation for men just

01:03:33.619 --> 01:03:36.360
to earn a buck. I don't want to talk about it.

01:03:36.409 --> 01:03:39.110
How the lottery and other get rich schemes are

01:03:39.110 --> 01:03:42.010
put in place to press our luck. I don't want

01:03:42.010 --> 01:03:44.309
to talk about it. How we live in the richest

01:03:44.309 --> 01:03:47.130
country in the world, yet one third of the population

01:03:47.130 --> 01:03:49.809
is in poverty. I don't want to talk about it.

01:03:50.210 --> 01:03:52.570
How children are starving and their parents try

01:03:52.570 --> 01:03:56.329
to survive by committing armed robbery. I don't

01:03:56.329 --> 01:03:58.619
want to talk about it. how mothers are selling

01:03:58.619 --> 01:04:01.800
their own babies into prostitution just to get

01:04:01.800 --> 01:04:04.340
high I don't want to talk about it how young

01:04:04.340 --> 01:04:07.139
children are committing suicide with no will

01:04:07.139 --> 01:04:10.119
to live they rather die I don't want to talk

01:04:10.119 --> 01:04:13.719
about it these subjects are just too hard to

01:04:13.719 --> 01:04:15.820
talk about it because you don't want to talk

01:04:15.820 --> 01:04:20.960
about it now the next piece is coming from my

01:04:20.960 --> 01:04:23.960
entertainment section let's put a little laughter

01:04:23.960 --> 01:04:29.119
into this shall we was my estrogen. You want

01:04:29.119 --> 01:04:31.659
to hear some word? I'm about to grow a gray beard.

01:04:32.159 --> 01:04:34.980
All of my exogen has faded away and I'm turning

01:04:34.980 --> 01:04:38.219
masculine by the end of the day. My words have

01:04:38.219 --> 01:04:40.820
lost their gentle squeak and I'm starting to

01:04:40.820 --> 01:04:44.360
sound manly and my voice is deep. I can't keep

01:04:44.360 --> 01:04:47.280
my manners in their place and hairs growing on

01:04:47.280 --> 01:04:51.159
my face. I'm forming muscles on my chest and

01:04:51.159 --> 01:04:54.380
I'm looking rough with saggy breasts. I lost

01:04:54.380 --> 01:04:57.079
the fullness in my lips and the curves for my

01:04:57.079 --> 01:04:59.980
hips. Just to get my feminine back, the doctor

01:04:59.980 --> 01:05:04.099
prescribed me a hormone patch. Some women say

01:05:04.099 --> 01:05:07.800
to live a ripe old age, sometimes the exogenous

01:05:07.800 --> 01:05:11.119
just simply fade away. I was born a woman, I

01:05:11.119 --> 01:05:15.900
guess the woe. has left the man. This next piece

01:05:15.900 --> 01:05:22.800
is from my educational section. Getting Older.

01:05:24.159 --> 01:05:26.599
I thought I was a bowl of cereal, much as my

01:05:26.599 --> 01:05:30.099
bones popped, and when I walked, my knees knocked.

01:05:30.519 --> 01:05:33.519
I've gotten older, and I'm about to fall apart.

01:05:33.860 --> 01:05:36.719
But lucky for me, I have a strong heart. However,

01:05:36.780 --> 01:05:39.579
the rest, I think, is glued together because

01:05:39.579 --> 01:05:42.400
I start hurting and aching all over. with the

01:05:42.400 --> 01:05:45.099
change of the weather. I take aspirins because

01:05:45.099 --> 01:05:48.019
my head hurt all the time, but when I take a

01:05:48.019 --> 01:05:52.820
nap all day, I feel just fine. My knees pop when

01:05:52.820 --> 01:05:56.239
I turn my head to side to side. I keep a crook

01:05:56.239 --> 01:06:00.059
in my neck that I try hard to hide. My arms hurt

01:06:00.059 --> 01:06:02.519
when I stretched in my wide, and when I move

01:06:02.519 --> 01:06:06.500
around, I feel cramps in my side. All of my joints

01:06:06.500 --> 01:06:10.199
pop as I move, and they don't stop. I'm wondering

01:06:10.199 --> 01:06:13.420
what that's really about. My back hurt whether

01:06:13.420 --> 01:06:16.659
I'm walking, standing, or sitting down. And if

01:06:16.659 --> 01:06:19.239
I stand too long, I lose my balance and fall.

01:06:19.800 --> 01:06:23.420
I got arthritis in my fingers and my hands. And

01:06:23.420 --> 01:06:26.820
my legs are so weak, I can barely stand. My feet

01:06:26.820 --> 01:06:30.679
swell up as I move about. And the back of my

01:06:30.679 --> 01:06:35.320
legs hurt because I have gout. My toes, nails

01:06:35.320 --> 01:06:38.389
are overgrown. I try to clip them. but I can't

01:06:38.389 --> 01:06:42.010
reach them on my own. I pass gas all day long,

01:06:42.190 --> 01:06:45.050
and I look around and see what's smelling so

01:06:45.050 --> 01:06:48.550
foul. I try to talk on the phone, but I can hardly

01:06:48.550 --> 01:06:51.210
hear, and I'm wondering if there's something

01:06:51.210 --> 01:06:53.969
wrong with my ears. I constantly, constantly

01:06:53.969 --> 01:06:57.469
repeat myself, and I'll convince myself it happened

01:06:57.469 --> 01:07:01.570
as I waste my breath. I'm stressing when I drive

01:07:01.570 --> 01:07:04.309
a car, and it doesn't really matter if I'm not

01:07:04.309 --> 01:07:07.329
going foul. I feel like the weight of the world

01:07:07.329 --> 01:07:10.090
is on my shoulder, and if I didn't know any better,

01:07:10.369 --> 01:07:13.590
I'd say I was getting older. But as far as my

01:07:13.590 --> 01:07:17.489
mind, it's as sharp as can be if I can just remember

01:07:17.489 --> 01:07:20.389
who was talking to me. Jacqueline James, thank

01:07:20.389 --> 01:07:27.360
you. Still craving poetry? Hundreds of episodes

01:07:27.360 --> 01:07:31.579
of the quintessential poetry podcast are available

01:07:31.579 --> 01:07:35.860
to listen to or download on iTunes, Spotify,

01:07:36.380 --> 01:07:39.739
and other streaming platforms. To learn more

01:07:39.739 --> 01:07:43.179
about the popular podcast or how to become a

01:07:43.179 --> 01:07:51.880
guest, visit www .qlporyt .com. Till next time.

01:07:52.059 --> 01:07:56.340
Take care and let poetry ring throughout the

01:07:56.340 --> 01:07:57.139
land!