Last Night, Some Feedback Saved My Life
I am not a good sleeper. As a child, I delayed bedtime by saying "Good night" to every inanimate object my little eyes could see. As a teenager, I stayed up in Blackplanet chat rooms. As an adult, the only times I've slept well are when my health summoned me to sit down.
To Me, Freedom Looks Like…
To me, freedom looks like
speaking my mind without fear of consequences.
Freedom looks like unconditional love,
like flowers in full bloom.
It feels like summer nights,
breeze blowing, eyes closed,
Poetry Reading: “I Am An Endangered Species”
Hey', y’all! I created a recording of me reading the poem I wrote last week and uploaded it to my YouTube channel. The poem is entitled “I Am An Endangered Species” and is in response to Sheryl Lee Ralph’s 2022 Emmy Award acceptance speech.
I Am An Endangered Species
I AM AN ENDANGERED SPECIES
A Poem By Farah Lawal Harris
I am an endangered species.
To be Black and woman
and strong and sensitive
and inspired while inspiring
is an incredible feat.
I need to rest my tired feet,
but I’m too busy filling up the one seat…
Visual Poetry Short Films
I am experimenting with a new art form: visual poetry—turning my poems into short films that are engaging and entertaining (I hope!)
I’ve done two visual poetry short films so far. My most recent one is “Sphinx’s Surgery” to accompany the poem I wrote on Day 5 of the 2022 National Poetry Month. The prompt was to write a poem about a mythical person or creature doing something unusual. I wrote about the Sphinx statue going to a plastic surgeon to get a consultation to repair her missing nose. This short film shows a news report about the Sphinx’s plans to get cosmetic surgery:
Impulse Decisions
Have you ever made an impulse decision that you immediately regretted? The last time I did this was when I was on a staycation with my family this past June. My son and I went to a horse and car show where there were different vendors selling their wares. I didn’t plan to shop—we were there to see the cool, classic cars. But a jewelry stand caught my eye.
“Just My Thoughts…”
Check out my latest YouTube video, where I chat about a variety of subjects while doing my makeup.
Stop Hoarding Information!
OK, picture this...
You are very accomplished in your career. You invested time and money to learn how to do what you do as well as you do it. You made some embarrassing mistakes when you were just an amateur, but you learned from them and improved your skillsets. You experienced rejection, lack of interest from gatekeepers, and underpayment for your time and services. You've failed many times--privately and publicly. But now…
The Support Struggle
Until more recently than I would like to admit, I used to count the empty seats at my theatre performances. The empty seats were a visual representation of the people I expected to support me who did not show up. I kept a tally because, in my mind, my closest friends and family were not meeting my expectations of what it meant to support me. Then I would spiral:
