Hello wild ones,
Firstly, happy International Women’s Day!
A day to honour, celebrate, acknowledge, and hold reverence for all the layers and cycles of womanhood.
I am deeply honoured to be part of this powerful women’s day initiative again as a co-author alongside
and . We are so excited to read everyone’s posts and sink into the celebration of what this day means for us all, collectively and individually. It was an honour and privilege to be part of this last year and truly was a highlight on Substack for so many of us.I am looking forward to reading many posts about women’s empowerment, personal and reflective pieces, stories of sisterhood and motherhood, and artistic literature that highlight the experiences of women from across the globe. I, too, could contribute something in the realms of these topics but my heart has felt called to share something a little less celebratory and a little more urgent, raw, and necessary - a truth that still lingers beneath the celebration.
This is a spoken word poem I wrote a few months ago in preparation for a poetry slam final I was performing at. It was a week before the slam and I had nothing written, and was feeling stifled in my creativity. I am not one to force the muse if it isn’t tapping on my shoulder, so I waited, and waited, and then quite suddenly and out of nowhere one verse came to mind. I wrote it down and still didn’t know what this poem was about or which direction it was going to take. Again, I waited. Another verse came, and another, and slowly it was becoming evident what this poem was about - something I needed to give voice to, in this way.
I contemplated why I was writing this poem, and why now, and it wasn’t until I remembered her name that I realized why this needed to be written, in this way, on this timeline. I had read about her in the newspapers, and her story hit me like a ton of bricks, her name wouldn’t escape my mind. I thought about her for days and weeks, and all the other women just like her, just like me.
Legalities have prevented me from speaking directly about my own experiences, but poetry, that is a space that no one can take away from me. It’s a space in which I have agency and can express the stories that my body has held onto for many, many years. A space in which I reclaim my voice, power, and body.
If you feel called to share how this spoken word poem landed for you, I’d love to hear your thoughts. And if it resonates for you, please share it with others.
This is my siren song that needed to be sung.
Laurita xx
I am tagging in some other women here who I would love to tap into this International Women’s Day initiative and share their own beautiful words and creative expression:
If you would like to connect with more of my spoken word poetry, you can follow me on Instagram @lauritagormanpoetry. This is a brand new account I have created to have a space solely for my writing and poetry, and if you love this kind of vibe, come hang out there with me, too. It’s currently bare bones, and you are the first to hear about it! After stalling for months, I felt it was fitting to launch this new page today on International Women’s Day. I have some potent pieces to share. Enjoy the 15 posts that are already there waiting for you. I would love your support as I venture down this new poetic path of reclamation.
In the spirit of International Women’s Day, I want to give a shout out to the incredible videographer who captured this spoken word film. This was filmed by my beautiful friend and talented videographer Nicole Scott from Acecraft Digital. If you are in Australia and would love to create some magic, she is your gal. Her contact details are below.
Nicole & Darcy
Acecraft Digital
https://www.acecraftdigital.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acecraft_digital/#
Happy International Women’s Day.
May we reclaim our voice, power, and body and collectively stand tall.
Stay wild,
Laurita
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