How can it be Episode 24!
Blondy’s people has been a journey for me in so many ways. Par of that is connecting with people in a way that I haven’t before. Its also reminded me of things used to enjoy but just stopped doing. Today’s guest has both of these elements.
But we will come to that
Blondy liked to write. She liked to write stories from very young and once wrote a story in year 5 about the class all drinking a shrinking potion and running around climbing over giant pencils and such. This was around the time “Honey I shrunk the kids” move was out so I am thinking that’s where she got the idea. However, her spelling was poor and punctuation so bad that when teachers marked or read her work, there was so much focus on mistakes that the story always got kind of lost and never commented on. Which is quote reflective of Blondy as a child. Around this time her mum was teaching her about poetry. Her mum liked poetry and often wrote her own. One day she showed Blondy something she had written. Her mum had written a poem for her own farther, who had passed away the year before Blondy was born. Blondy asked her mum why she wrote poetry. Her mum thought about this and said, “Sometimes I need to get things out but there is often no one around who wants to listen, so I write it to myself, in a poem”. From that day on Poem played around with writing poems.
Blondy wrote one, about a year later called “Family Battle”. I don’t remember the exact words, but I know it’s in the loft with million other memories …. But it stated something like this…
Family war is a never-ending battle
And its always the kids that get treated like cattle
Moved around, pushed away
Never sure if he will go or stay
What if she goes away like he did once?
And I’m left alone for months and months
People you love get angry and go away
But not the pain, it always stays
It carries on like that, but I think you get the drift. I must have been about 10/11 when I wrote that. I was still technically in primary school for sure (Technically as in, should have been in primary school but was not attending)
I had a whole book of drawings and poems, but that one always stuck with me and was one of the few I kept. Looking back now it shock me how dark it was. I wonder what I was truly thinking. I have another poem called “ Shotting on my Bauer’s”. I’m not going to explain that one…but of you know you know.
I carried on writing poetry for years on and off, but lots of moving and round and such meant that things got lost and thrown away. And so, I stopped writing.
Now I think of it, I guess blogging is my new poetry. Its my new way of getting my feelings out there when I don’t have any one to tell or don’t want to actually talk about it, more just get it out. Blogging has 100% helped my mental health and has made me reflective in a way I can’t even explain.
Todays guest to Blondy’s People is Lady Unchained, and bwoy you are in for a treat when you watch our interview. We clicked from the second we spoke. It’s mad when it goes down like that.
Brenda…. well… she will tell you her story in the video but all you need to know is that she is out here making change and proving that there is life after prison.
She is also fighting for women…
Since 1995 the women’s prison population in the UK has doubled.
Women are being given custodial sentences rather than community service for minor offences
Black women are disproportionately represented in the justice system and are 25% more likely to be given a custodial sentence
Did you know already what you just read…no….? then like I said you need to watch the interview. I have added the video the Lady Unchained made about the above and I will leave it below…be prepared to be blown away… Lady Unchained is about the truth and the youth. She is about empowerment. She is about the power of word. She is one of the funniest people I have spoken to in my life.
Prison has always been around me in many different ways and it has taken me many years to come to terms to how I feel about prison and the way it has impacted on me through my life. I have seen what has happened to so many young people who have gone through the criminal justice system and come out unable to work and get back on their already unsteady feet. Lady Unchained speaks about this on a next LEVEL!
So, come…listen to us chat…watch how she makes me belly laugh.
Lady unchained is one of Blondy’s people because she has taken something that was bad and made it good. She uses her own experiences to help others and she gives the key ingredient to all the Blondy’s out there…. Hope. She is out here fighting with very little support (how has the women not got funding!!!) and she is killing the game. She is giving opportunity to youths that others have given up on and she is speaking out about things that others would not dare.
Brenda is one of Blondy’s people because just like Blondy, she was always trying to avid the trouble. I just kept finding her. When you come from the areas we do, avoiding trouble is a lot harder than it sounds and there are many people t hat are happy to not only led you down the wrong path…they will join you.
So, sit back…. kick off your shoes….and watch one epic interview
Follow Lady Unchained on Twitter HERE www.unchainedpoetry.com
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