The following poem was commissioned by the Community Foundation of Greater Flint and performed live during the National Day of Racial Healing in Flint, Michigan. I was tasked with composing in real time, listening for the spirit of the room and shaping language that reflected the themes of racial healing, justice, and shared responsibility. Spoken throughout the event, the poem became a shared effort, formed through attentive witnessing of the conversations taking place and guided by the facilitators’ intentions. What emerged was a beautiful reminder, a poetic set of meeting minutes that honored the collective presence in the room and named why we came.

Photography by Jessica Hatter Photography

“The first note into “Journey in Satchidananda” was low and felt familiar. Then she stretched the portal further with loops, inviting us into the cyclic nature of existence. If you ask me, it all felt like a distraction, like a mother spoon-feeding her baby pre-chewed vegetables with an airplane. We all waited until the last resonating vibration and clapped because we were indeed full”

“In that moment, I understood, my grandma was my first teacher. My introduction to old-school hoodoo. The kind rooted in the Baptist Church and the Christian Religion. The kind who mopped the carpet from back to front. Who scrubbed couch cushions every Sunday. Who spent 90% of her time in the prayer closet, rebuking the unseen, hanging photos of her mama and her mama’s mama over her bed. She had prophetic dreams.”