the perfect storm

from when the poems do what they do by aja monet

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TheSlowMusicMovement In amongst the modern messaging murkiness Aja Monet's voice rings loud, clear & true. Indomitable positivity abounds, words are woven not spat, injustice unearthed, struggles laid bare, hands held, guillotines sharpened, sleeves are rolled up, activism encouraged & road maps out of the mess are made. If that wasn't enough her voice is heaven sent, ancestrally enriched & her collaborators the cream of the modern jazz crop. If you don't like poetry then you haven't heard Aja Monet yet.

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lyrics

aja monet:
the perfect storm empties a country of abuelitas padres
hermanos
mujeres
y niños
a disaster that doesn't seem so natural
waves of wind
damaged homes
hovering roofs made of tarp
if you wanted to take land from a people bent on resisting colonialism insert mcdonalds
walmart
or the jones act
or blame it on a storm of a woman named Maria
who grew up in spanish harlem
who reminded us of the western story
that as the rich are getting richer
the poor are getting poorer
never mind the wealth
that ain’t so common under the foot of US force
the way loss runs through steep hill sides
or
rivers swell the veins between vacant towns
we blame the thirsty but not the corporations that tax water
the shocking doctrines of profit over people
exploited tunes and tones of rhythms Taíno for tourists and escapism por la isla de encanta

we, we lament the boriquen tongue
in power outages of spanglish
cursing the companies of settler colonial conditions
for the prayers and litanies
tears like rosary beads
in the sewers of sorrows
where fantazma sing
from the sore throat blueness of blood
the border between refugee and nomad
migration is the art of fleeing sad songs for blooming in suitcases la gente fuerte
and mourn wondrous
we belong
we belong to each other
before any notion of a nation
no one will understand
the tangled trues
of being from here and nowhere
the beaming cocqui that still visits in dreams
they wont write us in history
if we don't write ourselves
the uncle who drowned in coronas
and ham sandwiches
visions of never playing pro baseball
or the aunt
who claps the roof of her mouth
when she speaks
asthmatic and always, always, always high
who lost 6 children to the government
or
abuela who is always working 2/3 jobs
to make up for the guilt
of coming to america
and how she couldn't face returning to no running water
and still there are spirits
there are spirits
who know every chupacabra has its day
it is time x 6
for us to take the red fire of our wounds
and weapon our mouths
toward new movement songs
remember
remember Campos suffering in silence
separated by an ocean, and a language yet still free
free
in the love of a people fearless and unafraid
always
always a hurricane
it’s always a hurricane
it’s always a hurricane before the grand exodus
before the grand exodus
the fight for dignity and independence

San Ciriaco
rattles
rattles, rattling in every roar
every roar of revision is history
pa’lante people
pa’lante
milagros de movimientos
soar x 2
because if we are to live
if we are to live with the fierce force of knowing anything anything that is sacred x 2
is worth fighting for x 2
bienvenido
bienvenido a la lucha
we are worth
fighting for
Eryn Allen Kane:
worth, fight x 9
aja monet:
we are worth fighting for
the perfect storm
always precedes great miracles and we are worth fighting for did you know x3
that you are powerful
did you know that you have everything you need that every, everything you need is within you that you
that you are worth
you x6
i mean you are worth fighting for
and that everything
everything you need
everything
i mean everything
everything x 2
everything you need x 2
is within you
that you are so powerful
great storms precede great miracles
remember that
great storms precede great miracles
-The Young Lords-

credits

from when the poems do what they do, released June 9, 2023
aja monet - Lyrics
Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah - Chief Adjuah’s Bow, Adjuah Trumpet
Weedie Braimah - Percussion
Luques Curtis - Bass
Marcus Gilmore - Drums
Elena Pinderhughes - Flute
Samora Pinderhughes - Piano

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about

aja monet Brooklyn, New York

Aja Monet is a poet, performer, and educator from East NY, Brooklyn, best known as the youngest individual to win the legendary Nuyorican Poets' Café Grand Slam title. She is an internationally established poet, recognized for combining her voice and powerful imagery on stage. Aja Monet has captivated audiences across the United States, Europe, Bermuda and Cuba. ... more

ajamonet.com

shows

Jun 9

Flynn Center for the Performing Arts

Burlington, VT
Aug 15

Wimborne St Giles

Wimborne, UK
Aug 15

Fasching

Stockholm, Sweden

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