CheekedUp

“Poetry had my attention for a while and Maya Angelou was one of the poets I fell in love with. I started researching her and found a story about her traveling abroad. She was offered a drink by the person who was hosting her and in that culture raisins were added. Dr. Angelou came from our culture so she assumed the raisins were…something else. But her refusal to disrespect the host made her drink it and she spoke about how sick she got afterwards. Days later, she found out what was really in her cup…and realized how powerful her mind was. Which is why a majority of my thoughts keep my cheeks raised now. Because the wrong ones can literally make me mentally ill. And that can manifest into physical illness if it goes unchecked for too long.”