The Distance Between

by

Lmareeb

I was introduced to poetry in the 80s; an introduction that came through hip-hop music. I fell in love with lyrics and rhymes. The wordplay, the story telling, the metaphors captured my attention like nothing else could. While my peers fell in love with beats, melodies, choruses, and hooks, I found myself lost in the words. By age 9 I was penning basic silly rhymes and eventually rewriting and changing the words to popular songs to mirror my life. As I grew more and more inspired by female hip-hop pioneers such as MC Lyte and Queen Latifah, the content of my writing evolved to include personal tales of struggle, self-empowerment, and social issues.

My life's travels have taken me through higher education, eventually landing me in teaching and more recently, school leadership. I am currently a Principal-in-Residence at a charter school in Brooklyn, NY with plans to relocate within the next two years to open up my very own school. While my love for education has been a constant, my passion for poetry best defines me and I often struggle with balancing a career with my desire to pursue my passion full-time through recording and publishing.

Over twenty years later, I still keep a notebook with me to record my thoughts and personal stories. I write to release all that's in me. I write to sort out everything inside of me. Within the last two years, I've become open to sharing my work at open mic venues, prompted by close friends who enjoy my work. I look forward to continuing to share with the world.

Never will I waive my right to write...

Read Poems The Distance Between

Poems Included The Distance Between

Begin

Woman at War

Burn Bridges

Fork in the Road

Stuck

Lump in My Throat

Traitor to Trust

Love Note...Pt. 1

The Threat of My Thirties

Commit Men

Babies

Over the Dose

Shooting Distance

Organic Stress

Do Without

Love Note...Pt. 2

No Reign in Your Forecast

Exiting Your Expectations

Sense Us

The Bitterness of Blame

Puppet Master

The Beautiful Ugly

Mirror Then Window

I Can

Celebrating the Quest

Read Our Interview With Lmareeb