“I speak of healing more than I do the undoing. For those whose feet have made a home out of a pool of thorns” -moonchild Bee Have you ever wondered how poetry can be so moving? How it can evoke an array of emotions? Why individuals post verses from poems on their social media pages? When did Poems become such an integral part of our day-to-day life? Well, I do not know the answers entirely but I can see why. The art of poetry has been an integral part of the Rwandan culture for many years. Traditionally, it is known as “Imivugo”, an expression of speech that is still being practiced till this day. Though this is an expression of speech, it was derived from the written aspect of verbalization, poetry. Before we go any further, let us look at the literal meaning of poetry. According to Oxford Languages on Google, it is defined as “literary work in which the expression of feelings and ideas is given intensity by the use of distinctive style or rhythm.” That is understandable on the surface level, but how is it that poetry can be transformational? How is it that a couple of words, or phrases, regardless of how beautifully crafted they are, can reveal, bring understanding, encourage, heal, and influence change? Audre Lorde, the renowned African American writer explains that: “It (poetry) forms the quality of the light within which we predicate our hopes and dreams toward survival and change, first made into language, then into idea, then into more tangible action. Poetry is the way we help give name to the nameless so it can be thought. The farthest horizons of our hopes and fears are cobbed by our poem, carved from the rock experiences of our daily lives”. Poetry tells stories, peels off the layers like most forms of art do. But more intriguing than this, is that it can be done by either reading or even writing it. The former resonates with the newly self-published Rwandan author and poet Ines Belinda Uwase Murayire, who goes by the pen name “_moonchild_Bee”. Belinda recently launched a poetry collection titled “Daring The Sun To Love Me”, a body of art that has been therapeutic in her journey of reflection, the learning and unlearning but most evidently, of healing. It’s truly fascinating how so much can be done by a collection of words. Personally, I never used to understand what the ‘big deal’ was with poems. However, as I try to find my footing in the world, I begin to resonate with these stories. This is also the case for Belinda, in her poetry collection, she speaks on diverse topics, highlighting on her relationships with family, friends, life, loss, just to name a few. She writes: “My words have always been stuck in my throat So, when they begged for freedom, I promised all I could do was free them on paper.” For Belinda, there is an inexplicable freedom in writing poetry. She is able to be true to herself and most importantly be her most vulnerable as she embarks down the scariest and probably unsure road of self-discovery. Like so many female poets before her, her words are not just read but felt. Over the years, the world of poetry has seen the introduction of many female black poets, from the likes of Audre Lorde, also known as Gamba Adisa, June Jordan, Ijeoma Umebinyuo, Nayyirah Waheed and so many more. These women wrote and many continue to write boldly, with audacity, tackling various issues that Black women face, that Africans and African Americans are still facing. Belinda has drawn inspiration from their work, gaining the courage to also publish her poems, in the hopes that they too might inspire those that come after her. One thing I have come to learn about poetry, is that on the one hand, it is a form of storytelling, it has the ability to make sense of feelings, of certain situations, and then simultaneously, be a declaration of war to your fears, status quo, and social norms. For Belinda in “Daring The Sun To Love Me” it illustrates both worlds: the good and the bad, the learning and unlearning, as well as, the past and the present. Belinda pens: “Have you ever met souls that loved you so gently you forgot you knew loss?” That, right there, is the transformational power of poetry. The writer is a social commentator and practitioner in the marketing communication industry The views expressed in this article are of the writer.
