I got this urgent text from my baby girl, Anastacia. I freaked out, thinking something was wrong. Super Daddy was ready to launch into action.
She asked if I could talk because she had just written her best poem ever and had to share it with me immediately. I put my cape away.
My girlfriend and I finished our late dinner quickly and rushed to the car to Facetime her. My heart was racing in anticipation.
She has been writing since she was 8 when I took her and her big sister to their first spoken word workshop in 2012.
They both fell in love with the art form and the community. We continued to attend and started to perform regularly and even had a couple of paying gigs. I decided to get them a coach to help push them in their writing and performance.
The fact that Anastacia had something to share was not surprising. The fact that she felt it was the best piece she’s ever written had me eager to hear.
The lousy connection we had made it difficult to understand every word, so she had to restart a couple of times.
She.
Blew.
My mind.
As you can imagine, I’m very biased. Anastacia has evolved into such a beautiful and prolific writer. I often wonder how such a young human being can write so well. Then I shake myself and remember that she’s been writing for many years. This is not an accident. The kid basically speaks in iambic pentameter.
Getting them involved in the spoken-word community was one of my best decisions as a father. The moment I heard Amanda Gorman share her powerful voice at the Presidential Inauguration, I felt even more sure of my decision.
She’s working on compiling a collection to be printed soon. Be on the lookout. 👀
PS
I’ll write another essay on the many life lessons and skills that spoken word poetry has taught my girls. The benefits are so many. Stay tuned.
