Poetry Prompt- A Season of Relevance

When I was in junior high, I first learned about poetry. My brother's girlfriend at the time had created an assembly for the kids at my school. She wanted me to read "Still I Rise" by Maya Angelou in front of the entire school. The entire idea filled me with dread. Getting up in front of everybody and reading this poem? I couldn't do it. I didn't quite understand the meaning behind the poem. I hadn't reached a point where that poem had significance to me.

What I found so interesting about this piece is that with age came understanding of what it truly meant to me. I think that is the way of a lot of writing that passes through our lives. It is very relevant for a time period or a season. Sometimes it will vibe with you throughout life. It's all so very subjective and something I'd like to explore this week.

Poetry Prompt:

To tip a hat to Black History Month, choose a poem written by a black poet. Read over it a couple of times and ruminate on it. Can you relate to this at this stage in your life? Can you relate at all? How does it make you feel? Write down the feelings it invokes in you. After you've done this, write a poem including those emotions. Here's an article that mentions 20 famous black poets to help you along. You can use any poem from any black poet, famous or not. The article is just a suggestion.

Here's the poem that I was talking about and the inspiration for my poem:

Tamara Woods writes, because she can’t imagine a life where she didn’t. She grew up in the poorest state in the United States, West Virginia, as a laid-off coal miner’s daughter. She learned from this that money isn’t the root of all happiness, but it sure makes it easier. One fateful summer at a youth workshop she learned both the art of stolen kisses and being open in her poetry: lessons she’s never forgotten. Tamara’s poetry is spoken word with a heavy emphasis on things that we all know and do. Her fiction hits on darker, uncomfortable subjects, because she’s a firm believer that stories can be beautiful without being pretty. She is the Editor of The Reverie Journal, online poetry site. She is the moderator of #writestuff a writing tweetchat that's every Tuesday at 9 p.m. EST. Find her poetry on her blog PenPaperPad. Connect on Social Media: Follow her on Twitter, like her on Facebook, and check out her book and writing videos on YouTube.