Meet local Atlanta artist - Mokka!
April is National Poetry Month and we celebrate an artist who simply goes by the name Mokka. "I discovered literature in the fifth grade," says Mokka, who has been writing and reciting poetry since she was 12-years-old. "I discovered Black people who wrote poetry...Langston Hughes, Lorraine Hansberry and Maya Angelou. And I began to see poetry as a vehicle to express myself as opposed to the structured writing that I was used to."
"Poetry is where I fit in naturally. It offers a place for me to live in my truth and exist comfortably."
Listen as Mokka recites her poem, Motherland II. Enjoy!
Motherland II
I followed chickens &
ate with my fingers
No judgment from European Castles
Just boiled eggs & beets in my salad
New culinary flavors that were
familiar
Slimy greens to Heal you
My bones & joints ache
for you, But now I feel no pain as I stand
on your dust & red land
I could breathe & sleep BETTER
Not a complete surprise because,
looking you in the eyes was salve
on my wounds
Throwing out forks & spoons
Fufu between my lips
No one offended by my hips
"Sistah" & "Auntie"
they called me
Asking myself... Is my land
really free? Sure we have some
modern commodities
BUT, the richness you showed
me was not for sale
You opened your heart
& freed my CELLS
Wounds I feel
but hugs that Heal
the daughter born across the pond
Nothing like that Mothaland bond
Poet Mokka is also a photographer. Follow her on Instagram @mokkabeesees.