10.17.25 // 12:28am-1:13am

I went to redacted open mic!! And I read a poem!! I'm still working on it but here's the draft:

Good morning you beautiful soul!

How are you today?

Go on, pack your bags

You're getting out of SA

Take only the necessities

No room for your identity

Time to leave behind the Remedy

Go on, see all your favorite colors

Go on, satisfy all your wonders

Of what life could really be

Outside the big city

So many things to do

So many places to be

Go on, build a new home

While you still feel lost at sea

Look in the mirror

Who could it be?

Such a lovely soul

With no room to breathe

Only going on in hopes for a family

Good morning you beautiful soul!

How are you today?

No one can know

The true hurt of a soul

From a man who never grieves

I was nervous while reading it on stage but redacted told me I did good and she couldn't tell it was my first time. I couldn't tell if she was just saying that to be nice. redacted recorded it for me so I'm excited/nervous to watch it. But I'm really glad I decided to sign up. It was pretty much an ice breaker for me. I want to do more open mics in the future, so now I can better prepare for next time. While I was there I got inspired to start another poem. I've been editing it as different ideas come to me, but here's the draft so far:

I'll be honest

You had me astonished

Blinded by your narcissistic lies

I never noticed the arrogance in your eyes

Our souls once intertwined

Sharing the same cries

But manifesting different lives

I see the trauma you fail to recognize

Take some time to categorize

The hurt you feel

You need to heal

That poem started flowing out once I started writing it was nice. redacted genuinely inspires me to keep writing and allowing myself to write. I'm glad I met her. I know we'll find another spot to host it at, I'm excited to see where that ends up being. Same goes for my art studio. I need to keep that part free. I got my shirts back so we'll see how they sell at the redacted. I'm not sure how long I'll be there but it's a good spot to sell merch and art for now. I spent some time organizing the storage and there's so much in there. I'm going to post another video for any teachers to reach out to me so I can donate more supply boxes. I'm glad I've been able to keep these services free. This is what I'm meant to be doing. I love the community we've built so far and it's going to continue growing. I'm excited for what the future holds. I forgot how exciting living life can be. I feel free again. I've reclaimed my time and energy back. It feels good to know that.

Tomorrow/ later today I plan on grabbing some hangers and a lint roller so I can hang some shirts at the redacted. Then I'm going to organize the storage more. I also have to drop off redacted daughter at school and redacted at work. We need to leave the house by 7:15/7:30 so that'll allow me to get an early start to my day. I'd like to start waking up early again. I suppose to do that I would need to get some rest. I'll share more details soon.