There’s a journal called “One Line A Day” that acts as a 5-year diary that allows you to record what you did on any particular day and see what you did on that same day in the past. The simplicity of this tool captured my attention. It’s fun to compare how much you’ve changed (or stayed the same) year to year.

I started my own version of this on Valentine’s Day in 2013. I gave myself the prompt, “I am thinking about love…” and wrote a short paragraph on what bubbled up around love that I’d learned or experienced that year. I continued this tradition each year, and in 2020, compiled all of these entries into a single spoken word poem.

My favorite thing about poetry is that it changes as we change. Similarly, my view and perspective around love have also matured, developed, and deepened throughout the years. Tomorrow I have the privilege of sharing this poem. In front of a live audience. On Valentine’s Day. All of those aspects make me excited. I’ve revamped verses, added new ones, and removed old ones.

I’ll be sharing the stage with Esther Young, who will accompany me with her guitar. I’m a firm believer that music adds layers of emotional depth and nuance to poetry, so it’ll be exciting to co-create art together. And, to add to this sense of magic, we’ve agreed that our on-stage collaboration and performance will be the first time we will dance in this space together. I can’t wait!

Here’s to stepping into the arena with courage, curiosity, and creativity!