The Exchange is the Weekly’s poetry corner, where a poem or piece of writing is presented with a prompt. Readers are welcome to respond to the prompt with original poems, and pieces may be featured in the next issue of the Weekly.
the strength of will by Chima “Naira” Ikoro
so
what
if
you embark on a new goal and
nobody is proud of you?
what if
no one even cares or notices
that you finished, that you stopped or started,
that you made it out or
made it in safe?
even the people you told
they didn’t care.
i’m sure your lungs noticed.
said the darkness has begun to fade.
i bet your cuticles and nails noticed they were no longer
on the menu.
your eyes and feet,
rapid in motion,
uninterrupted by the doom scroll. and
nobody was proud of you
except for your body itself,
filled with water and food
and freedom
to recover.
i bet the white blood cells,
who were not being paid
time and a half to re-patch your skin,
they noticed.
i bet your teeth noticed—discovered
what it felt like to stop grinding
and take the rest of your life
off.
i bet your neck noticed
you’re back
your shoulders
unhardened and made
new. i bet the grass noticed
something is standing here
and it is alive. and
no one cared. and
nobody said congrats, you did it, but
your body
said thank you.
Prompt:
“Who or what has given you the strength to protect your peace instead of seeking approval?”
This could be a poem, journal entry, or a stream-of-consciousness piece. Submissions could be new or formerly written pieces.
Submissions can be sent to bit.ly/ssw-exchange or via email to chima.ikoro@southsideweekly.com
Happy BirthDay by Gabrielle Pickens
It wasn’t until I became pregnant that I realized the magnitude and importance of preserving, seeking and keeping peace. At some point during my pregnancy something inside of me told
me solitude was all I needed to bring my baby earth side, so that’s what I did. With only her father and my midwife by my side, I pulled my baby out and onto my chest in one fell swoop.
I needed the energetic space to be free and as large as my spirit needed to be, so that meant I needed to be alone.
As I transitioned from a “new mom” to that of a toddler, my tolerance for bullshit shifted, too.
Birth revealed the truth—that we are the co-creators of our life and we truly have the power to be, see and do whatever we choose.
That said, the clarity that came after childbirth let me see that so many of us consciously and unconsciously choose violence, confusion and fear to lead us.
It is a part of our programming. It is a part of our culture.
But it is in fact a choice.
And I knew that I didn’t want to make that choice for myself, my child or my future.
So I thank the miracle of birth for blessing me with new eyes, a new heart and a new outlook on life. It is because of this gift that I am renewed in my life’s walk. Affirming and attracting the abundance of life and all that it offers. Leaving fear, lack, pain and waste at the door.
Chima Ikoro is the Weekly’s Community Engagement Coordinator.