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!