Hendersonville provided magic and culture as I perused as a poet for the first time in the beautiful North Carolina continuous backdrop of clear blue skies and black mountains. Befriending fellow writers Tony Robles and Robert Zachary engaged me in conversations about our shared People Of Color status in ways that were engaging and familiar just the same. It is important for People Of Color no matter where we are to engage one another in conversation about culture – especially poetry and music. We are able to understand ourselves better while sharing our talents and gifts within the communities we work and play in.
Robert and I recited poetry at an amphitheater in Tryon where we experienced the cultural settings dedicated to the life of Nina Simone. A fitting journey for two writers, to thinkers, two men who appreciate landscape, the love of music, and where we get to explore and enjoy in North Carolina.
All the while we spoke of music, of writers, of poems, of what we were writing or had written. We embarked on the sharing of our lives, family, food, what makes us intersectional in our goals or aspirations. Whenever I travel to or create new roots in, I look forward to these exchanges. It helps me grow. It helps me get to know people while creative a new narrative for travels in North Carolina, the Hendersonville area.
What multiculturalism reveals to us in community teaches us about the importance of us all getting along together. We do not have to force it, it should never feel uneasy or uncomfortable. Learning about one another is enough to change who we are and the people we convene or collaborate with. Hendersonville provides ample opportunity for this. The canvas is there. We only need brushes, in the form of listening and a willingness to learn, to paint something inclusive, beautiful, informative. Imagine how our children will benefit from these examples.
It is magic
in a conversation
where you collect
knowledge, information,
saying with syllables
to know.
We know people
by pursuing insight,
by what they way,
how they write, how
they go about living
with insight.
A car ride.
A morning cruise.
A sit-down. A saying.
Praying through amens!
The shaking of hands,
the “Hey, I’ll see you
again friend!”
This is the are of multiculturalism. This is who we are through poetry, through storytelling. This is the magic of getting to know one another, being interested in who we are, what we do, what drives us, what is our favorite song or place to sip coffee. We strive towards better world when art and the meanings of ethnicity are at the center of conversations or community.
