norouz
My reverie is delusional,
but built with blueprints
and solid foundations.
Bold with my long term engagements,
spiritual commitments,
and obligation to liberation.
Planting seeds with radical trust,
for something sustainable,
immeasurable,
and full of delight.
Embracing a new timeline with an open heart,
loving on the things in the light,
and keeping my mind open for those out of sight.
Not afraid to uproot to rebuild
the way we’ve always imagined
but was told was impossible.
Match our actions with our hopes
not the stories we’ve outgrown.
Legacy with full agency.
Choosing you, me,
and creating a new family.
We built this from the ground up,
we’ll say.
We were patient with each other,
we chose to risk it,
to trust it,
investing in our knowing,
because it was worth it.
We are worth it.
We need to get out of our own way
to tend to this garden.
Use the nourishment of all that we’ve shed to feed the soil of our wildest dreams.
Take my hand,
jump with me baby.
We, like spring, are ready to bloom.
the spoken word
I conceive these pieces with the beat of my heart,
then birth them with the fire of my voice.
i am ayla
born in the east, raised in the west
daughter of two academics, both artists
masters in human rights, committed to social justice
love affair with travel, art, and food
speaks four languages, laughs in all