#soulcries

[magnoliasandpalmtrees]

Reflecting on the Soul Cries Poetry Showcases

Sometimes I forget the things that I am made of

I forget the fire in my belly

I’ve swallowed so much trying to put it out 

I forget the sound of my voice

And how it felt to scream fire

I forget that I am a Child of God 

The daughter of Joseph

Then the lava bubbles up in my stomach

And I am reminded

I will always do what I have always done

Back during my days at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss), I was feeling incredibly frustrated. It seemed like black voices were being drowned out on campus, so I took matters into my own hands and created the Soul Cries poetry showcase.

The first event was "Breaking Silence," followed by "Society Kills," and then "Caged Bird," all revolving around themes of silence, confinement, and isolation. As a broke college student struggling academically, this endeavor was my beacon of hope.

Against my family's advice, I chose to attend UofM, which led to a lot of internal conflict. The racial climate there during my sophomore year was tumultuous, highlighted by a riot when Obama won the election. It was a tough time, and Soul Cries was my response.

Looking back, I question my choice of imagery (using photos of white women with taped mouths) but it was what resonated with my message. Through this process, I learned to organize, collaborate with local artists, and forge lifelong friendships with poets.

I'm incredibly proud of my younger self for being so creative and brave, even in moments of doubt. Soul Cries became a space not just for me, but for others too. My friends carried on the legacy after I left, and that fills my heart with pride.

[deliramento]

Falta ar

Tem dias que a alma sufoca. Parece que tudo está fora do lugar. E fica difícil de encontrar o motivo que te trouxe até aqui. Você olha para os lados e nada faz sentido. Questiona e compara, mas não muda nada. Parece não haver outra opção, a não ser seguir em frente. Mesmo não gostando da paisagem. É uma sensação de não pertencer ao lugar. Escorrem lágrimas. Fica cinza. Falta vida. A alma chora. Ainda bem que existem novos dias. Dias que não são assim.

[kaevibez-blog]

Soul Cries

He heard something deep inside of me. The sounds he heard even when he wasn't inside of me. A groan folded inside of a moan covered with a melody. Following no rhythm but fluttering to what seems to be a remedy. The soul cries from my inside as your outside comes in. Pouring into my insides as the soul cries within. Feel the pulses that engulf your very being, who you live to be. Dance on the inside til the soul cries how a soul cries to be free. --Kae Vibez

[catchabeene]

Deadly Wild Fires

Be careful with : the wounds you bury, the bitterness you carry, the skepticism you live by, the doubt you stand on, the passions you empower, the emotions that drive you, the "truths" you embrace, the gods you live for. These are wild fires. A collection of small choices that have come to decide your fate.   

What we entertain in our minds, increases in our hearts and is eventually lived out in our lives. Actions are links to a chain that will anchor your soul to either death or life. These fires, these flames, are what shape characters and determine destinies. 

Like the Mumford and Sons song: "in these bodies we will live, in these bodies we will die. where you invest your love, you invest your life." 

I say, "In your choices you will live, in your consequences you will die. Where you invest your time, you can free or you can bind." haha Okay, a little cheesy, but the lyrics are true none the less! Invest it well, for every minute stands on it's own: a moment of time never to be re-lived. Moments can be lost but never gained. Hold nothing that will not give you stronger wings to fly higher. Bury nothing that will not bloom something more beautiful. Waste no time in things that will not bring you closer to God.

Live Now- Procrastinate Later.