Next Man Up, Poetry in Motion

Wesley Knight 0:00
This is a KU NV studios original program. The content of this program does not reflect the views or opinions of 91.5 jazz and more the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, or the Board of Regents of the Nevada System of Higher Education. Here we go. Here we go. Move it. Move it. Move it.

Donavan LeDean 0:22
The next man up.

Donavan LeDean 0:40
Hello and welcome to the show. I am your host. Donna Billy Dean, actor, author and inspirational rhythmic poet, you now tune in to next man up, poetry in motion, where the mission is to promote good mental health for everyone. This poetry show will motivate, educate and inspire you with spoken word, through cultural expression. We have a special guest today, Amira, a youth poet residing in Las Vegas, Nevada and a junior at Valley High School. She is putting her stamp in the Vegas Valley Performing poetry at youth poetry showcases, telling her story, speaking the truth a mirror. Thank you for being

Amira 1:15
here. Thank you for having me

Donavan LeDean 1:18
as a poet performing at these events. How has that experience been for you?

Amira 1:23
There aren't many youth showcases, but they're ones that they have been having. Have been absolutely amazing. I've got had a great experience meeting people through these poetry showcases. And I think overall, just it's very welcoming, phenomenal.

Donavan LeDean 1:41
And what inspired you to pick up the pen and start writing poetry?

Amira 1:45
Definitely my mom, she also does poetry, and just being able to see someone that close to me be able to speak their own truth and sort of just be able to express it through their writing and their art. And then, of course, I have my own writing, but it used to just be stuck to pages and being able to see other people as well during these poetry showcases go up without fear and speak really encouraged me to do that myself.

Donavan LeDean 2:13
Okay, and amira's mother shout out to Miss Jenny, you Dean, a phenomenal poetress, by the way, so had the pleasure of seeing you before your poetry at Las Vegas Book Festival 2025, downtown. And one poem that has stood out for me, it was alarming. The poem you the poem you wrote, was a form of a journal expressing your grievances about adults, mainly teachers, crossing boundaries, getting personal with you not as well instead of teaching on several occasions in your own words, elaborate on some of the grievances that you have experienced at school and take note. This show is dedicated to mental health, so you're in a safe space to express what you feel and express how you see.

Amira 2:58
It okay. So one of the more major grievances I have, I believe, would just be sort of not being able to speak about it, not being sure if I was in the wrong for feeling like it was not only overwhelming, but just completely inappropriate. The adults in my life definitely have helped me sort of learned that it is okay to feel like that's wrong, because it is especially in a learning environment. And I think just knowing that there were probably other kids at the time who didn't know what to say or what to do was another issue that I had. It definitely impacted me. I was very uncertain if I would be sort of an outcast for discussing it and being the first to say something. But again, my poetry allows me to speak about it and speak about it in a way where I am more certain of myself and my feelings.

Donavan LeDean 3:55
Well, I would like to, well, first of all, I applaud you for, you know, speaking up and speaking out. And just want to just show well. Also just want to appreciate you, know your courage, your bravery, telling your story, standing up for righteousness, using your voice for the voiceless. So we appreciate you. And before we go, I would like for you to share a poem for us. You ready? Yeah, a mirror. Talk to him.

Amira 4:19
I am 16, not grown, but let me tell you what's got me messed up. I've met tons of adults who tell me to stay in my place and treated me like I was grown before I had the capacity to know it was wrong, teachers that told me about their life struggles when all I wanted to do was get to the next page of the book. This isn't a poem. I'm telling you my grievances. I was in middle school when people talked to me like I was an adult, then told me to watch my tone, and I appreciate the transparency, but I wish they wouldn't shut up. They were grown. Who do you think you are? Telling me what you think all the other students have if you're not licensed, you shouldn't diagnose and no offense, I don't care if you're depressed when I'm trying to learn equations and want to go. Home. Keep it professional. A middle schooler doesn't need to know what you've got going on at home. It's insensitive, I know, but do you feel my anger? An adult told me that I remind him of his brother days later in a conversation, just to find out that man hates the same person he compared me to. So what was he really trying to tell me and excuse my lack of grace, but I'm done playing nice. A lot of people thought it meant that they could share things with me, and just because I was listening does not mean I wanted to be there. I was too young to know how to say I'm uncomfortable, and just because I'm concise does not mean I'm free. Therapy. Communication is key so you forget there are limits to what you can share with me. For every adult that crossed my boundaries, get a grip and let me be clear with you. Figure it out yourself. I am no longer playing games with you. Ask your psychiatrist for a remedy, or just do your job. Are you incompetent or pushing limits on purpose? You may think I'm disrespectful, but I'm not talking out of the side of my neck. If I'm supposed to stay in a child's place, you stay in the adults, and let that line be set powerful. Amira, thank you for your time. Thank you so much for having me again.

Donavan LeDean 6:03
The poets that'll be featured on our playlist today are Jess Flo the unknown, Otis, Rachel, davera, Tariq Moore, donnavilly, ding, Liz Prince, Stein, Pedway, Sheldon, Alex Sebastian, Jenny you ding, Zachary, Gutierrez and Gabby Moreno. Now let's get on with the show. This is next man up, poetry in motion. Here we go. Here we go. Next man up.

Speaker 1 6:26
Where do we go now? This is a forest wide out in the open air, with plenty place to hide and many more to seek. This is discovery. So many go alone, but will you go with me? I mean, to journey on as many dare to do, it's such a place to be, but better off with you and better off with us on the unwritten path. Let's make it worth the risk and all the aftermath.

Donavan LeDean 6:55
Next man up, Dave,

Speaker 2 6:59
before we go, I would like for you to share a poem for us.

Amira 7:09
Amira, talk to him. I am 16, not grown, but let me tell you what's got me messed up. I've met tons of adults who tell me to stay in my place and treated me like I was grown before I had the capacity to know it was wrong, teachers that told me about their life struggles when all I wanted to do was get to the next page of the book. This isn't a poem. I'm telling you my grievances. I was in middle school when people talked to me like I was an adult, then told me to watch my tone, and I appreciate the transparency, but I wish they would have shut up. They were grown. Who do you think you are? Telling me what you think all the other students have if you're not licensed, you shouldn't diagnose and no offense, I don't care if you're depressed when I'm trying to learn equations and want to go home. Keep it professional. A middle schooler doesn't need to know what you've got going on at home. It's insensitive, I know, but do you feel my anger? An adult told me that I remind him of his brother days later in a conversation just to find out that man hates the same person he compared me to.

Amira 8:26
So what was he really trying to tell me and

Amira 8:29
excuse my lack of grace, but I'm done playing nice. A lot of people thought it meant that they could share things with me, and just because I was listening does not mean I wanted to be there. I was too young to know how to say I'm uncomfortable. Just because I'm concise does not mean I'm free. Therapy. Communication is key so you forget there are limits to what you can share with me. For every adult that crossed my boundaries, get a grip and let me be clear with you. Figure it out yourself. I am no longer playing games with you. Ask your psychiatrist for a remedy or just do your job.

Amira 9:12
Are you incompetent or pushing limits on purpose?

Amira 9:16
You may think I'm disrespectful, but I'm not talking out of the side of my neck. If I'm supposed to stay in a child's place, you stay in the dolls and let that line be

Speaker 2 9:28
set my people. I present to you the lovely, sensational poet Chelsea Murray, Queen tauto Here we go. Here we go. Next man up.

Speaker 3 9:39
We were born. Where sirens sang lullabies, where cracked sidewalks raised us like tired elders and bullets whispered prayers in the night, the corner store became our church, neon lights glowing like stained glass while mamas bent they backs like sacred Psalms just to keep the lights on, we learned earlier. See that survival was an art form. The unwritten code don't run when the blue lights flash. Keep your hands where the world can see and learn how to laugh in silence. That way, Joy doesn't sound too much like a threat. The rules black folks memorize. Y'all know, ladies to walk home alive. Keys between fingers, smile, soft, voice steady and keep our rage swallowed. I carry the hood in my chest. I've seen eviction notices taped to doors like warning labels on our futures. I've seen brothers disappear into cells before their voices even finished cracking, and our mother's prayers was the only brutes that didn't leak when the world rained down on us every day was survival math. How many blocks can I walk without colors claiming? How many times can I smile polite enough to prove that I ain't a threat? I learned to keep my eyes wide open, because danger doesn't knock it kicks the door in, I came up where the street lights preach curfews, where police cruisers stalked like hungry wolves. I am every black child the hood tried to swallow, every miracle the concrete could not crush. So when you see me, know this truth, I am proof that beauty could bleed through asphalt, and that divinity survives even in the shadows, and that we black unbroken, unforgotten are roses made by the sacred struggle. Our roots are stubborn and holy drink from the ache of our ancestors who bent but did not break seed. God plants us in soil. The world discard seed. God plants us in soil. The world discards, yet still we prosper, dreams painted on brick walls, spirit as strong as gospel thunder. We are not defined by the cracks. We are the light pushing through them. So when you see me, know this, I am proof that you can bloom in the hardest of places, and that beauty belongs even in the broken, and that every black child from the hood is a miracle The world wasn't ready for next man up. Be

Speaker 4 12:22
delusional. Emotional, be delusional, like skyscrapers, dreaming they can scrape the sky like rivers, thinking they can drown the tide like seeds in the cracks of sidewalks that believe they'll become forests despite concrete lies be so bold that logic takes a backseat, like shoes with no souls, still running their streets like hunger, gnawing at the bones of defeat, but still feasting on the thought that destiny can taste sweet. They'll call you crazy. Say you're building castles on quicksand, say you're chasing shadows with open hands, but tell them the moon only lights up the night because it's stubborn enough to steal the sun's spot. Like poets who think words can change the world laugh in the face of practicality, like fireflies flirting with eternity, like gravity trying to hold down the wings to the ground, but the wings just laugh and keep on flapping around like hope, screaming louder than doubt, like fear knocked out by a dream too stubborn to sit down be delusional like stars that refuse to fall, like soldiers training in snow, sleep Rain because they're too insane to believe that obstacles means stop speak your visions out loud, like prophets with no followers, but stories got endless crowds. They'll say it's impossible, but impossibility is just a dare thrown down by reality to see if you care, to see if you'll fold or fight. So be delusional. Be the Phoenix before the flame, the lion before the roar, the champion even when bruised and sore. Be the impossible, the improbable, the reckless soul who broke through the mold, just to prove that some stories can't be

Speaker 2 14:27
controlled. Here we go. Here we go. Next man up. Before I let you go, I would like you to share a poem for us. You ready?

Speaker 5 14:38
Let me get ready. See okay. I don't clock in. I lock in, tapped into frequencies. Most folks don't even notice I'm bilingual in meltdown plus motion, fluid and silence and devotion. They see tantrum. I see sensory overload. They see picky eater. I see protecting peace from chaos on the plate. They see nonverbal I see a. Universe, about the world, and even earn the privilege to translate. They try to speak for him. Instead of letting him speak as him. They assume silence means confused, like I choose words for him. Stop seeing disability. Start seeing possibilities. Autism isn't a misprint. It's a difference. Brilliant, I'm the translator, interpreter, advocate, navigator, therapist, teacher, researcher, educator, appointments on calendars, patience and stamina, balancing meltdowns, holding space, holding stamina. IEP meetings where they judge what he's lacking while I subtract their assumptions and multiply backing, proving daily that growth ain't measured in talking. Some babies speak words. MAN SPEAKS energy when they walking. His silence ain't empty. It's full, full of galaxies, and meaning full of brilliance. They keep missing, full of everything. They don't need permission. They label my baby. Don't label my fight. Don't label the journey. When you can't handle the light. The ancestors didn't sign us to be easy. He assigned us to be legendary, believe me, thank you.

Speaker 6 15:58
Next man up. This poem is titled wounded bird. I've been wounded, I've been cured. I've been healed, I've been hurt, I've been blessed, I've been cursed, I've been better, I've been worse. Life's a balance with verbs, putting my trust in the universe, even when the odds are against me, I still come up first. Let go of my ego and left it all to Mother Earth. I always had my faith. I didn't need a church. Even at my lowest, I knew eventually it would be my turn, not the most patient, but I'm always putting in the work. I always got pure intentions and keep my word. I sought help when my anxiety and grief collided, my trauma and pride. Tried fighting. This girl's journey is like deep diving, uncovering new depths for my soul. Sometimes it feels tiring. Self seeking is not for the faint of heart. It's facing your pain head on. Never been a victim, been both Aladdin and Jafar. This journey has left me with scars. Without my art, I wouldn't have made it this far. Learn to protect my energy, because I got a big heart. Let others deplete me in the past. Now I'm in charge. Now I keep myself on guard. Stay sharp. Lately, I've been more in tune with the signs. The other day, I looked into an injured bird's eyes, could see its fear and resilience. It wasn't ready to die. Realized how many times I didn't give up the fight. Reminded me of how many times I've fallen, but took it as a lesson, how many times I've been betrayed. But it was a blessing. Mother Nature telling me great things are ahead, even though life's a challenge, this is my rebirth. You're about to witness the ascension of a savage next man up, Dave,

Speaker 1 17:28
time to make something new, fresh out of hell, living incarcerated in the devil cell. Soon as I break out of here, I'm gonna drink from the Holy Grail and I'm gonna fish in the heavens whale yearning for freedom and good food, or even a good burger. I never claim to be all that. I'm just spilling my guts. Only when you pick up a couple nickels, you trying to get some change, walking through this life and your thoughts just trying to be the change, because they'll be jealous of how you move, colliding is what you'll do, stunting like a half beast in the Shadow Lands, colliding with other crews trying to be famous, knowing that it's devilish. You're being forced into the closing circles, and you're being cornered like you're in a Royal Rumble, and you are the main event, climbing to the top of the building trying to scaffold it. But there's nobody there. No cameras, no King Kong, no planes, no white girls, no Denzel. It's just you waiting to drop off of it. So live your best life. A second chance might never come again. If you don't believe me, just ask the other O'Hara's that was gone with the wind. The city is crumbling, but I'm ready for destruction been on my back so long that it's time to make something new get ugly and beautiful again.

Donavan LeDean 18:54
Here we go. Here we go. Next man up gossamer.

Speaker 7 19:00
She was trapped. Her wing caught on his sticky paper, wriggling to be free, only to go deeper and stuck her whole body to be free. She had to rip one of her wings off. A couple legs gone limping towards breath scathed and about to die. Her flowers hugged her when she arrived, the bees brought her honey to eat with each day, the pain started to dissipate. She grew her legs back, and her wing even stronger and more colorful. With the help of her friends and those that believe she healed into the best version of herself, next man up,

Acamea Deadwiler 20:18
coexisting in many realms of thought, a walk in prayer, meditation. I can't evade frequencies. I can't explain speak to me. And wisdom's name, I've been on that resonance before they coined it. Schumann's Babylon can't control me. I broke out the show like I was Truman, the human. Programmed analytics can measure the spirit, thus they can't fully study us. At this point, it's apparent. Know thyself, mental, physical and etheric lyrics. Tap into your central node, to the soul. You can feel it. Sit in the sun, download codes. I can hear them. There's a natural mystic flowing on Mother Nature's by a rhythm, get on beat, connect with every single living organism, like ancestors before these evil ways of the system, walking the less traveled road. I and I have seen many visions, many nights, sitting still, yet still I listen. Guidance enters the vessel with pure precision, a choice to make daily. Why do we wrestle right decisions, tussling with the test illusions, carrying us away from the way we already know what's best. Come back home, beloved, you no longer have to beat an eagle's chest. Perch inside like an eagle in its nest, followers Cliff dive into the next trend since the you always been taking heed to the riddles the elders were testing. Now I'm years ahead with good investment. Just bump my head a little less than nonetheless, an imperfect perfection, a walk in prayer, avid meditator, realms of thought between each I'm a mediator, a metaphor of sorts, seeing obstacles as sport. I must master slow and steady. Wins the race. I learned that in the beginning chapters of a book without middle or end, life goes on again and again. I write on and on with my mind as my ink and my soul as my pen.

Speaker 2 22:36
Next man up, I would like for you to share a poem for us. Yes. Jenny dudine Queen, talk to them.

Jenny Uddin 22:45
Okay. This poem is called, What is poetry? What is poetry but the act of running back and forth through the most traumatic moments of our lives while hovering above them in Eagle Eye View, trying to understand so we write, we take those moments dress them up in the right emotions sit for hours in hidden chambers, music vibrating through us until intimacy blooms and the source speaks louder. What is poetry? Is it the desperate reach for peace pushing through so the feelings never claw their way back again? Or is it the mind replaying, rewinding, choosing the best scenario, hoping we can rewrite reality. Is poetry a kind of self gaslighting, convincing ourselves that the way we saw it, the way we felt it wasn't distorted, convincing others we love I am not delusion. What I lived was real, what I felt was true. What is poetry? Is it not this endless act of holding memory and meaning until they burn into words and we set ourselves free.

Donavan LeDean 23:45
Next man up, Dave akamia deadweiler,

Speaker 8 23:50
Daddy's little stranger.

Donavan LeDean 23:54
Share an example of your story versions that covers the topic of mental health.

Speaker 8 24:01
It was, I said, the biggest part is, there's the situation and there's the story. The situation is the facts. It's what happened. And that's where we can get into trouble with assigning labels if we don't add meaning to what we're sharing and then and to the readers. And that's how we reduce people to their mental health struggles, rather than creating, you know, full characters, and it's important to do that. So one example, if I were to say she was paranoid, she thought people were watching us through the windows. She thought the food was poisoned so she didn't feed us. She thought the floor was poisoned so we couldn't walk on it. Those are facts. That is the situation. But what is the story? And this is the story version that reflects those same facts. I remember too much, but also forgot a lot. I forgot how my mother and I were before our love was interrupted by tragedy. I forgot she'd always taken care of us, until one day she didn't, and even on that day, convinced our floor was contaminated to the point of untouchable, she lowered to her hands and knees and crawled. With us on her back, she touched the poison wood so her children wouldn't have to that's an excerpt from my memoir Daddy's little stranger. It frames an entire story where even in that state of psychosis, even in that challenge she was experiencing, she was loving us, she was mothering us the best way she knew how, with the tools that she had. And that really helped me tell that story in a way that didn't disparage someone that I truly care about, and still put her in a positive light. Because it was a mental health crisis. It wasn't, you know, this, this terrible thing that that she'd done. It was, you know, it was a health issue.

Donavan LeDean 25:35
I came here dead while Daddy's little stranger next man up

Speaker 9 25:42
in the absence of the sun, I dream of hope, but my eyes tell stories of a wounded heart. Throughout my trials and tribulations, I have sought a better way to understand myself, to wrap my mind around this life and make it mine. I am in search of serenity, gender touch, but these karmic entanglements keep me chasing the darkness that lives within combat comes with the price tag, and I must give in to complete the mission. In the end, I win again, because nothing can hold me down. I am here with reason and purpose to encapsulate and translate the multi dimensional arrays of the human experience, the light will shine through me guide my way back home.

Donavan LeDean 26:38
Here we go. Here we go. Next man up

Donavan LeDean 26:41
Palindrome, one at sea. Can I achieve hope all by myself when I'm far off, almost lost in causing waves, in causing waves, almost lost when I'm far off all by myself. Can I achieve

Donavan LeDean 27:11
hope before we go? I would like to conclude with a power message. It's a message about self acknowledgement. People may not acknowledge your greatness, but trust and believe they notice it. They see you networking. They see that your content is evolving, building more views. They see you becoming a boss, jump starting your business idea, starting from a one studio apartment to now a fully licensed operated business corporation owning several large properties, your greatness doesn't need approvals. Let the work speak for itself. People are already benefiting from your efforts, so congratulations. Take out this time to celebrate you. Thanks for tuning in to next man up. Poetry in motion. I am your host, Donna Valley Dean. To see my inspirational and poetry reels, you can go to YouTube at Donna Valley Dean. Also, you can find my poetry books, children's books and coloring books on Amazon under my name, Donovan Lee D for actor or poets bookings. You can contact me via email, DV media, one zero@gmail.com, special thanks to my guest youth poet Amira for stopping by on discussing life poetry and her mental health challenges and perseverance in school. I am Donna Valley day actor, author and inspirational, rhythmic poet, until next time. Peace. You drive.

Donavan LeDean 28:48
Drive, you.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai