Welcome to this week's Poetically Yours. Poetically Yours showcases poems by northern Illinois poets. This week's episode features Christopher D. Sims.
Sims is from the West Side of Rockford and first shared his poetic gifts onstage at Haskell Elementary School, thanks to Dorothy Paige-Turner.
Rooted in Black joy and celebration, his poems wind through the landscapes of this country's past and present. He hopes they will inform, engage, and entertain. Sims, who originally wrote rap and hip-hop lyrics, said his poetry has a bebop cadence. In this episode, Sims sums up his feelings about Juneteenth.
These days Sims can be found hosting open mics and Inscape Collective and Katie’s Cup in Rockford.
He's a teaching artist for The Porch of Nashville, TN and The Lighthouse Writer's Workshop out of Denver, CO. He's also performing in Chicago on Feb. 11th at Tuesdays@9 Chicago. Here’s his poem “Yoga After the Election.”
I feel a need To do some yoga
after the presidential election;
I need to stretch, flex, reach up
and out to the sun;
I do need
Some yoga, some yoga
after the presidential election;
sun salutations are welcome
after the campaign to help me
remain sane!
I need a tree pose!
I need to see where else
my feet can go, as I reach,
pause, stand still, feel the strength
of my back, my arms, my legs.
I feel the need
To so some yoga
after the presidential election;
I need some quiet reflection,
deeper introspection, a connection
to something deeper, higher than
me. I am running on empty, drinking
too much coffee, the numbers, the data
has cost me too much time, energy.
I need yoga
after the presidential election;
my yoga mat is calling my name;
this election cycle was a pain; from
all of the confusion, the emails, the
Facebook posts, I need to refrain. My sense
of self I need to regain. I need moments of silence
from all of the political violence to keep me
tame.
I need to downward-facing dog,
or to mountain pose, or to
bridge pose. After then, I’ll rise
to become one with the divine
Reclaiming the softness of my soul
and all of the beautiful things happening
around me and in my life. .
© Christopher D. Sims
November 2024
All rights reserved
