Gina Loring - Somewhere there is a poem

[crystal]

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Gina Loring - Somewhere there is a poem



Somewhere there is a poem
And I want to write this poem
I want to speak this poem
I want to feel this poem
I want to experience this poem
Cradle it in my arms
Feed it a good meal
And send it on its merry way

I want to sing this poem
“Amazing grace, how sweet the sound”
Somewhere there is a poem screaming
Get up, stand up
Stand up for your rights
Human beings, human beings
Beings being so
Caught up in the tangible material surface
Or that they never actually feel
Their touch is liquid and grazes right through
But misses the core
This poem whispers to me
And rocks me to sleep
And tells me stories of indigenous people
Diseased and tricked and slaughtered
And made to be extinct
But this ain’t no pterodactyl
Or tyrannosaurus rex blood flowing through my veins

I am a Creek American Indian
I exist
I am an African
I am an old Jewish woman muttering prayers in Yiddish
As my name is replaced with a number on my arm
I am a little Japanese girl
Staring in horror
As my village is bombed and burnt to the ground
I was born in India, but not to the right caste
So regardless of what I accomplish
I will always be a peasant
I died in Mexico three feet from the border
Gunned down by evil troops
Who shoot for a living
Who sacrifice their souls for
The man-made boundaries of these Americas
Somewhere, there is a poem somewhere
Dozing in subway stations
And flying high on a 405
And taking the L to Brooklyn
The 15 to Vegas
And the Marter through Atlanta
And cruising down a dark street in Oakland is a poem

This poem comes from somewhere deep
Somewhere where the angels sleep
Where pixies dance and mermaids weep
Where hymns are hummed
So God will keep us all in mind on Judgment Day
This poem warns, but does not sway
For what you do is up to you
Where you go and who you know
If you close up, or if you grow

Somewhere there is a poem about the insanity
Of war, Hiroshima, Hiroshima
Hero, hero, war hero
Hero-, hero-, heroin is
Crack cocaine is
The systematic genocide of my people
Brown skin behind bars
Locked up behind bars
Trapped behind bars
And slaves behind bars
Kept in lines behind bars
Counted behind bars
Bars, there are more bars
Selling alcohol on a single reservation in Oklahoma
Than in all of Ventura county, county
Counting me in ‘cause I’m down for the revolution
Which may not be televised
And may not get radio play
But it will be told through poetry
‘Cause somewhere there is a poem

This poem speaks to me and draws me in
Like an amusement park to a kid
I want to freak this poem and dream this poem
And share it with y’all
Hold up, shhhhh
I just did

Gina Loring: Featured Poet, Def Poetry, seasons 3 (2004), Episode 6

[Frederique]

Gina Loring, Featured Poet, Def Poetry, seasons 3 & 5

[...]With a rich, soulful voice, thought provoking lyrics, and a powerful stage presence, Gina Loring is in a league of her own. With a strong following in both Los Angeles and Atlanta, Gina’s music is reminiscent of classics like Nina Simone and Billie Holiday, with the innovation and talent of a Lauryn Hill or a Jill Scott. One of very few artists who seamlessly balance music and poetry, both of Gina’s talents are equally strong enough to stand on their own. As a guest poet of the American Embassy’s cultural envoy program, Gina has traveled to Kuwait City, Kuwait, Yekaterinburg Russia, and Togo and Ghana, West Africa.. According to the American Embassy and Kuwaiti records, Gina made history as the first American poet/ hip hop artist to perform in Kuwait. While abroad in Kuwait, Russia, and West Africa, she made several television appearances, performed her original poetry and music to packed crowds, and conducted creative writing workshops for high school and University students. Among her other accolades, Gina was recently honored to win Queen Latifah’s CoverGirl Persona Contest for female hip hop artists.
The top ranking female poet at the 2002 National Poetry Slam, she was featured on two seasons of HBO's Russell Simmons' Def Poetry and BET's Lyric Cafe.[...]

Links: ginaloring.com


Gina Loring

Poems published in Translatum:

• Somewhere there is a poem
• You move me

Def Poetry, also known as Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry or Def Poetry Jam, which was co-founded by Bruce George, Danny Simmons and Deborah Pointer, is an HBO television series produced by hip-hop music entrepreneur Russell Simmons. The series presents performances by established spoken word poets, as well as up-and-coming ones. Well-known actors and musicians will often surprise the audience by showing up to recite their own original poems. The show is hosted by Mos Def. Def Poetry is a spin-off of Def Comedy Jam. As he did on Def Comedy, Simmons appears at the end of every episode to thank the audience.