Today centers contact around…Influences- Pillars, Pioneers, and or Poets - In honor of National Poetry Month as it comes to a close- Who are some of the Pillars, Pioneers, or Poets that have resonated with you throughout your poetic journey. Or what influences have shaped the poet that you are today. A small trace. A mark left without explanation. What you offer can be brief. A line. An image. An acknowledgment. Leave it where attention happened to land. Here's my offering: My grandmother heavily influenced the activism in my poems especially growing up in the jim crow/civil rights era. And of course reading the works of : Maya Angelou, Nikki Giovanni, James Baldwin and Langston Hughes at an early age because my grandmother was also a school teacher. Hip-hop help me mold the lyrisim/ and lyrical tools in my writing Watching Def Poetry Jam, Battle Rap, and other poetry platforms as well and seeing how they commanded the stage.

Let’s do it big for this last day of National Poetry Month!!! Theme: Where It All Began – Paying Homage to Hip-Hop Hip-hop has always been more than music. It was the beat. The story. The truth. It was our voice, culture, resistance, and our rhythm. Today, we go back to the foundation and pay homage to the artists, the influence, and the essence of true hip-hop and the fillings it gave Prompt 1 – If I Ruled the World (Imagine That) If power was placed in your hands, what would you do with it? What systems collapse? What would get built/rebuilt? Who would finally get a voice to be heard? Keep it honest. ⸻ Prompt 2 – Ain’t No Half-Steppin’ Write a poem rooted in full effort, full presence, and full intention. No shortcuts. No watered-down delivery. What does it look like to show up completely in your craft, your voice, or your life? ⸻ Prompt 3 – U.N.I.T.Y What does true unity look like? What would unity actually require to finally be had? Who defines it? What happens when unity is demanded but not practiced? Where do you fit into creating spaces for unity to take place? ⸻ Prompt 4 – Express Yourself Write a poem with unfiltered expression. No adjusting for comfort, no editing for approval. What does it sound like when your voice shows up exactly as it is? What is it you have been dying to get out? ⸻ Prompt 5 – Paper Thin Write a poem about something that doesn’t weight. A person, a story, a situation that was easy to see through. No matter what, things just wasn’t convincing. What make it so obvious, and what happens when it’s finally exposed? ⸻ Prompt 6 – The Formula What’s the formula that built who you are today? I’m not taking about the watered-down version of you but the bet it out the mud, the loss, the tears. This is going to be a reflective poem, where you will be vulnerable with yourself like you’ve never been before.

(Activity) Inner Weather Check (Exercise) Name your current internal climate using weather language. One phrase or term only. No explanation. Here’s My Offering (Example): Fatigue in the atmosphere, Body under repair, Breath learning a better rhythm, No rush on the rebuild, Healing doing its quiet work. #SouthernSeoulSpeaks #tresduravia

Theme: Narcissistic Behaviors Not everything loud is confidence. Not everything charming is genuine. Some behaviors center control, distortion, and self-preservation at the expense of others. Today we examine patterns—how they show up, how they operate, and how they’re recognized. ⸻ Prompt 1 – Focus Shift Write a poem about someone who can only see themselves. Every situation bends back to them. How does that affect the people around them? (Angle: self-centered perspective) ⸻ Prompt 2 – The Ventriloquist Write a poem about control through manipulation. When someone else is pulling the strings, shaping your words, reactions, or decisions. Who’s really speaking, and how much of you is left in your own voice? (Angle: control / manipulation) ⸻ Prompt 3 – The Author of It All Write a poem from the perspective of the one in control. Justify the behavior. Explain the choices. Twist the narrative in your favor. How do you make everything make sense—your way? (Angle: perspective / self-justification)

Theme: What’s Holding You in Bondage Not everything that binds you is visible. Some chains don’t clink, they repeat. Some cages don’t close, they convince. Bondage isn’t always force—it can be habit, thought, fear, or comfort dressed as control. Today we explore what keeps you stuck, why it still has power, and what it takes to break free. ⸻ Prompt 1 – The Addiction Write a poem about something you keep returning to, even when you know what it costs. It doesn’t have to be substance—this could be a mindset, a person, a pattern, or a need. What keeps pulling you back? (Angle: dependency / cycle) ⸻ Prompt 2 – Chasing the High Write a poem about the feeling that keeps you hooked. What does it give you in the moment that makes you ignore everything else? Why does that temporary relief feel worth it? (Angle: temptation / reward) ⸻ Prompt 3 – The Cost of Losing It All Write a poem about what’s at stake. What has this bondage taken from you—or what could it take if nothing changes? Lay out the loss, the risk, the price attached to staying where you are. (Angle: consequence / stakes)