Our heartfelt thanks and deep respect to Spoken Word artist, Kurt Peloquin, for sharing his talent and insights with Brooklyn ambassadors, Naya & Miana as they craft their own Spoken Word performance for the United Nations World Creativity & Innovation Week.
These brilliant young women are going to rock the world!
In their own words . . . Naya Mason and Miana Vega
Synthetic Delusion
The walls we built were meant to be seen
A way for us to guard our intelligence and block out the ignorance
There is a reason we are known for being crazy
(MEN)
And it gives me whiplash to do double takes when the men in my family say “If my woman cheated on me…”
Oh, you beautiful hypocrites
Tell me again not to date boys. But look me in the eye and say it is not because you fear them to turn out like you.
The man who raised me, the boy raised with me.
You, the End and the Beginning
Pain and Satisfaction
Blood, Sweat, Tears, and Love
You, 50% of my being
One of my three creators
My protector and My abuser
Tell me you are not what you want me to avoid.
I fear becoming like the men in my home, with charmed tongues and confident broken promises.
No, not all men are alike, that’s logic.
But trust issues shatter, bind and shred logic like Rock Paper Scissors.
(WOMEN)
And the women who tell me not to trust.
I am confused, the sounds of crying on my left and of laughter on my right make me question who is lying.
Look me in the eye and tell me you have shown me what to look for in my future.
I am unsure of my identity, I am told it comes from the color of my skin and the prize between my thighs
But I AM a pessimist, the monsters in my closet taught me a lesson, the infections oozing out of the T.V. taught me reality, the demons climbing off these pages taught me to stop before it was too late.
I fear my sanity being robbed by imaginary perfume and lipstick stains on his collar
(Pause)
But most of all, I fear becoming like the women who stay put and do nothing in the name of keeping peace.
(PAUSE)
OH, YOU BEAUTIFUL HYPOCRITES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am not content with this predicament, with the inability to control how I am defined. I am not content.
I am not a mindless drone my silence is not evidence of consent. Do not put your hands on me, I am not yours!
I am not understanding, your side of the story isn’t important to me if it is wrapped in lies and coated in insanity. I do not care to know, if your words are plastic.
(Pause)
But sometimes, the lies you tell entice me
Drawing me deeper into your arms
So I float and stare up at the sky wondering when this will all be over
There is a reason they call us crazy
