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.
Remember Me
i want my life to be more than memories splattered/
pain and sorrow screaming too loud for my heart to heal
strong women build legacies
remember me when faith and courage and joy is spoken
my pain transformed to beauty
sacrifices and sorrow drowned in grace
i want my life to speak love
It has truly been an honor to be chosen as the Mad Poet of 2023-2024 and I appreciate the opportunity to revisit and share some of my favorite poems.
I came across this poem recently that I wrote in the summer of 2019, just a few weeks before my book Toni's Room ; a poetic journey to restoration would be released on Amazon. I must have been thinking about how far I had come on this journey called life and how important it is to make sure you don't leave the story, the poem, or whatever your heart desires within you. Poets wear their heart outside for all of the world to see and it's both scary and gratifying. I didn't add a title to this poem in my journal, but I think I'll title it “Remember Me.”
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/.