www.summerofourlorde.wordpress.com

 (Lex's wardrobe provided by    Ammoliscious and sister-comrade Leah  Burke)
 I LOVE THE  SCHOOL  OF OUR LORDE WEBINARS!!!!!!
 After reading and discussing  Audre  Lorde's "Poetry is Not a Luxury"    the participants in the  School of  Our Lorde Poetry Webinar   collaboratively created these two  poems about  what poetry IS and what it   IS NOT!!!!   Much love to  Monchel,  Chantal, Rosa and Leana for being   badass cyber cypher  warriors!!!!
  not
 poetry is not a mask
 poetry  is not a  commercial
 poetry  is not homogeneous
 poetry is  not an  excuse
 poetry is not  perverse
 poetry is not  linear
 poetry  is not just for white  guys with nothing better to  do
 poetry is  not canonized
 not  a classroom unit
 poetry  is not a  bunch/of line breaks/in  random/places
 not a grade
  poetry  is not taught or  learned--it's the language we were born  with
 not  death without a  birth
 poetry is not inhibited
  poetry is  not brought to you  by hallmark
 a competition
 poetry   [will] not be televised
 not a "10"
 poetry is not about   meter
 poetry is not an  accessory in a psuedo-revolutionary   lifestyle
 poetry is not  oppressive
 poetry is not   convenient
 poetry is not always  easy
 poetry is not   boxable
 not a bindi on a dreadlocked  white girl's forehead at a   powwow
 poetry is not the destination  -- it is the journey
 poetry   is not standard english
 poetry  is not patchouli
  
   is
 poetry is my son's smile
 my fingers   walking across  his belly and squirming back
 poetry is a   heartbeat
 yes
 poetry is what i say to my reflection when i   think no one is   listening
 poetry is a place to live
 poetry   is goosebumps!
 poetry is breath
 poetry is prayer
 poetry   is a breath  of fresh air
 poetry is italian ice on a 90-degree   day
 lol
 poetry is your hand in mine
 poetry is   laughing out loud :P
 hee!
 poetry is an ecosystem
 YES
   poetry is  painful but not in vain
 poetry is a lifeline
 poetry   is  family
 poetry is an open heart
 poetry is a safe  space
  poetry  is knowing when you've met The One (or The Ones)
  poetry  is an  exorcism
 poetry is jabberwocky
 poetry  is knowing  when  you've met yourself
 poetry is a new spelling of  my name and   everything else
 poetry is the sound of sitting  still
 the   sounds of getting up
 poetry is raw
 sdrawkcab  si yrteop
  poetry is forwards
 poetry is a yes followed by  an oh yes!
  poetry is circular
 poetry is everpresent
 poetry  is old
  is silent when we're not listening, but still  persistently there
  poetry is about to happen
 poetry is  our only hope
 poetry   is wanted and feared
 poetry is your  skin knitting itself back   together
 poetry is omnipresent
 poetry  is an open door
 this   language is beautiful
 poetry is  love
 poetry is stinky   funky lust
 poetry is knowing when  to stop
 and start again
  poetry is what makes you say  "aww" when you see a little kid
 poetry   is putting into words  what had no words before
 poetry is  putting  into words what  never existed before
 poetry is what my  heart is  saying to my  hand
 poetry is constantly naming what is  so it  doesn't get lost
  poetry is mothering myself
 poetry  is how  my mom calls my  cell phone whenever i say (or type)  the word  “mother”
 poetry is  calling for my attention
to  join the School of Our  Lorde Poetry Webinar email  brokenbeautifulpress@gmail.com