Word: February 2026 - The Marion Mosaic

WORD | FEBRUARY 2026

The written word is one thing. Hearing it is another. Each month we invite you to both.

I Hear Sayings

WRITTEN AND PERFORMED BY: AMIRA SIMS

PHOTOGRAPHY + VIDEO BY: JOSHUA JACOBS

This poem is a nod to the idea that there is always some level of translation or change when others speak, and we really hear them. We interpret their message, sometimes we adopt it other times we change it to meet our needs, wants or desires. In this poem I focus on three quotes that stirred something in me—Harriet Tubman, the civil rights activist who is best known as a person who freed many people from slavery in the U.S—L.E Bowman who is a poet in north central Florida—a quote from Ayn Rand’s book Atlas Shrugged…and the rest is all me—my idea of Sankofa—that it is not too late to go back for that which was lost—I am learning from others and hopes of also teaching.

FROM her MOUTH to my MIND

L.E Bowman said

I will not apologize for my strength

And the way it intimidates you

I will not tame my spirit

And the way it howls.

I will not be less.

I heard

Less is more doesn’t apply to courage and will power

My self-determination is more than a badge of honor

I will not apologize for overcoming the shackles of your oppressive regime

And the way it was supposed to hold me down but it didn’t

I will not tame my wild, beautiful mane, nor my big bright mind

And the way my magic creates a culture that you adore and envy at the same time

I will be more of myself because

most of the time

more is more

From her mouth to my mind

Harriet Tubman said

If you hear the dogs, keep going

If you see the torches in the woods, keep going

If there’s shouting after you, keep going

Don’t ever stop, Keep going

If you want a taste of freedom, keep going

I heard

If you hear the dog whistle keep speaking your mind

If you see the tikki torches in the Home Depot,

Don’t forget the significance of your superior agility

If there’s shouting over a mermaid,

Smile, pick up a folding chair

Don’t ever stop, keep remembering that Sankofa is real

If you want to do more than survive

You will have to free your mind from this

Fucked up reality where black and white are not colors on a spectrum

But rather praise or penalty that will determine the quality of your requirements to be considered exceptional

So. Sit in spaces where there is standing room only

Stand in places where someone has to mind the gap

Be the light that’s in your heart

And never, ever quit

From her mouth to my mind

They said “you’ve never suffered”

Your ancestors pain is not your pain

Our attempts at degradation have no use to you

You have no claim to your misery or your greatness

I hear…suffering can produce progress

I hear.. suffering can lead to overcoming and progress

I hear my ancestors in my dreams

I hear them in my time with nature tending to plants

I hear their screams when I look at trees where strange fruit hung

I hear their sighs when they smile with new life, new progress

The attempted maiming and controlling and cajoling to forget my greatness has only strengthened

My resolve

It has only made me more determined.

So that my claim is even more righteous than the indignation I experience on a daily basis

I can now go quietly into darkness and

Embrace the awesome power and reverence for

Creativity!