The Mad Poet of the Year blog posts share the poetry of a long-time Mad Poet. This year-long appointment provides readers with a deep dive of the writer’s work and thoughts on poetry. We are thrilled to have Tonita Austin (aka Toni Love) serve as the Mad Poet of the Year for 2023.
Kwanzaa
by Tonita Austin aka Toni Love
Black colors
Brown faces
Strong arms to hold and embrace you
Big smiles
Hearty laughter
Habari Gani
Smells of ancestors lurking in each corner of the house
Rising from the love scented crumpled foil
Floating in on recipes passed down through generations
Warm pots and pans carried in the hands of family
Friends who cherish our rituals and faith
Stand by to learn
To share
Umoja
Children laughing, playing
Yearning
to participate
Waiting to put warm Sahara colored food on their plates
Love
Warmth
Family
Ancestors
Kwanzaa
I chose this poem for January because my siblings and I come together on January 1st, the last day of the Kwanzaa celebrations, for a family feast. Aside from the chance to see one another and eat, we spend time sharing about the seven principles of Kwanzaa, what they mean to us as a family and community, listening to stories from our elders and recognizing accomplishments made by our youngest members of the family. It really is the perfect way to start the new year. Ironically, I wrote this poem after one of our Kwanzaa feasts (Karamu) but have yet to read this poem at our Kwanzaa celebrations. I guess I already have a goal for 2025!
Tonita Austin also known as “Toni Love” is a gifted poet, singer, activist, and writer born in West Philadelphia. While attending Columbia University, Tonita was a student of Amiri Baraka and performed in Ntozake Shange’s “For Colored Girls” as the Lady in Orange. Her writing is influenced by both experiences. She is a contributor to the anthology The Black Body and featured poet in the 2018 and 2020 Winter/Fall edition of the Philadelphia Arts and Urban Literary magazine. The Restoration EP is her first published recording; Toni’s Room is her first published book. Toni currently resides in Media, PA. For more info, visit www.tonitalove.com and https://tonilove.hearnow.com/.