Listen to the girls
The pace they tap their feet
Bobbing their heads to the tempo of the beat
Listen to the girls
As they giggle with glee
At all the sounds their imagination breeds
Listen to the girls
The sound of the future
Forging change on the DAWs of their computers
Listen to the girls
The voice of new leaders
Leading a world revolution through speakers
-Kaiya Nyasha, Listen To The Girls (2022)
Welcome to Kaiya’s Korner! Today I welcome you all with an original poem titled “Listen to the Girls'' in honor of U.S. National Poetry Month.
Whether we realize it or not, poetry is the cornerstone of our history. We’ve relied on the literary genius of poets throughout time to reflect and make sense of the world around us.
Modern figures such as 24-year-old Amanda Gormon stood boldly in front of the Nation’s Capitol to illuminate the work still left to be done to heal our country in her spoken word poem “The Hill We Climb”. Maya Angelou instilled hope in millions worldwide with her renowned poem “Still I Rise”. Time and time again, leaders have risen from the pack to charge generations with the task to provoke change.
In April 1996, the Academy of American Poets launched National Poetry month as an opportunity to celebrate the widespread impact poetry has had on our culture. This month encourages us to acknowledge poetry as a vessel to express our thoughts and feelings. We can observe this month with the objective of deepening our exploration of this genre and integrating poetry in our daily lives. Learn more by watching the video below!
If you’re interested in celebrating National Poetry Month, there’s still time! Here are some fun ways you can get involved:
Write Your Own Poetry Some may argue they don’t have the literary gift but sit down and try it! You may just surprise yourself with your own creativity. Here are some prompts to get you started: https://thinkwritten.com/poetry-prompts/
Research Your Favorite Poet Learn about the faces behind your favorite poems– what are their life stories? Who were their inspirations? Find out their hometown. Have fun exploring!
Create Your Own Poetry Slam Call up your family and closest friends and coordinate a poetry slam. A poetry slam is a competitive arts event in which poets perform spoken word poetry before a live audience and a panel of judges.
I hope you have fun trying some of these options or coming up with something of your own! Keep up with Girls Make Beats by continuing to follow us on all our social media outlets @GirlsMakeBeats and if you have a young girl in your life who would be interested in this program feel free to register here.
Peace & Blessings,
Kaiya (@kaiyanyasha)