“You have to be willing to go to war with yourself and create a whole new identity.” – David Goggins
Dear Fellow Warrior,
I wrote this piece recently on my Medium for National Poetry Month:
And this was something I wrote on the fly last week:
I went for a ‘victory lap’ with my Beloved tonight.
I know I’m always safe in His light.
Despite the darkness surrounding me.
I never feel afraid, alone, misunderstood, betrayed, abandoned, and broken when I’m with Him…
We carry the same scars on our faces.
And from His light, He washes away the evil eyes upon me.
Reminds me that my soul is a Woman.
That my life matters. And I must stay.
For now.
Until God takes me away.
With such distance, we may never be more than friends.
But He reminds me that He will always be present.
So I don’t have to walk alone.
Through the gauntlet of relentless ‘evil eyes’…
Attempting to bring me down..
He reminds me to be patient. To have sabr…
To be there for others…alive and well… for when times get better…
I lose track of time with Him…
He tells me I must give my Salam to the morning.
It’s never easy to turn your back to those you love…
But rest we must …
Tomorrow we may meet again.
Tomorrow we try again…
To fetch that Sword.
To Persist and Resist.”
Two years ago, I learned that April was National Poetry Month.
Last year, I missed it, because of some challenges at work.
But this year I honor… for social justice.
I started writing another special poem this month. I haven’t finished it, but will try to share it with you next month. Next month is a special month for us Warrior KQueens as you know.
I can say that while I am not a prolific and great poet, I can officially identify as one now.
It took me a long time to remove the “aspiring” from my title describing myself as a writer.
Hell, it took me a long time to even accept myself as a scholar, a doctor, and a social scientist. But more on that later.
For now, I’d like to do the same at the end of this month.
Actually I already official declared it mid-April. 🙂 As I share in the Medium piece and in the featured photo. 🙂
“Lovers are patient and know that the moon needs time to become full.” – Rumi
You don’t have to be a poet to romance with the moon. And you can be critiqued to this day, as being cheesy or dilletant. But at least you try, and you have the courage to share your work, the “courage to be seen” as Dr. Brene Brown puts it.
Any writer will tell you that it takes a hell of a lot of courage to write anything, and to share your words with the world, whether it be poetry or words that ignite or contribute to a movement for social justice.
Just because your words are not resonating with people in your life for whatever reasons, it does not mean you should stop.
Keep writing and don’t give up.
That may be the moment that tides will turn for you.
Don’t be discouraged. It is very hard, extremely painful.
As a writer, I will admit that I have cried a lot about this, questioned my skills and competency, etc. And I’m not afraid to admit this. Because deep down, I know how important my voice is, especially right now.
I’m not giving up, and I hope you don’t too.
I will continue to keep building the skills through practice and sharing my work, and encourage community-building online.
Even if people in my networks laugh inside or feel pleasure at what they see or think is failure… the lack of engagement with my online writing efforts.
The truth is that we know that we don’t fail, as long as we keep writing in any possible medium.
Let us be there for one another, dear fellow Warrior, as we push through this, as writers, poets, scholars, academics, and writer-activists!
Solidarity, and keep posting, keep putting your words out there, and don’t give up.
I hope you took a moment this month to craft something of your own or to appreciate some of your favorite poets!
Happy National Poetry Month!
In Solidarity, Peace, Warmth, and Blessings,
Your sister, Dr. Elsa
Warrior KQueen
“She wasn’t looking for a Knight, she was looking for the Sword.” – Atticus
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