Sandra Brown
About Sandra
Spoken-word poet Sandra Brown’s collection, Odyssey in Progress is the first of what will become a series of collections. She loves the abstract nature of poetry—an element that she believes fosters community-building. While we all may interpret a piece differently, oftentimes one piece has the capacity to speak to us all. As art reflects life, so poetry reflects the innumerable aspects of the human condition. Aside from writing, Brown enjoys her work as a Senior Advisor with the Women’s Justice institute.
Labor Pains
My time is up.
My due date
Is fast approaching
From the belly of Accountability.
Moments of contraction
Once slow, dull, and ignorable
Now quick, sharp,
And undeniable.
Like new life
coming into a
New world,
This strong woman
Snatched as a
Scared girl
Is back.
Back with a past,
But no longer from it.
Healed from old pain—
Not living to numb it.
Back for my name
With no ID number.
Back from the cage
Meant to tear me asunder
I’m back.
Back with life to live
And mouths to feed;
A home to make
And people who need
What I did back then
But couldn’t get.
Someone to believe me
And believe in me enough
To help me
Not just stand,
But to walk confidently
In my own shoes.
I found that somewhere in this cage…
But my time is up.
It’s time to take my steps,
To toddle, tread, and traverse
My new path.
Blockers old and new remain,
But I navigate
And circumvent them
Like my life depends on it.
Because it does.
This thing meant to abort me,
I used to birth me.
That’s just how the strength
Of a woman works.
Contact Me
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Phone: 323-519-7174