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The Rest of Us with Dana Tenille Weekes
The Rest of Us podcast explores rest as self-liberation for advocates and professionals who are losing themselves to the demands of work, loved ones, friends, strangers, and this dizzying world. The Rest of Us cultivates a community through honest reflections, conversations, and laughter for people willing to embrace rest differently.
The Rest of Us with Dana Tenille Weekes
Poetic Interlude - Omavi Shukur reading "thingafication of a soul"
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How would you describe the difference between liberatory rest and predatory leisure? In this Poetic Interlude, Omavi Shukur shares his poem "thingafication of a soul" (originally published in Hanging Loose magazine, Issue 118).
Creatives, including poets, show us how to embrace our humanity and act on our truths. We in The Rest of Us community view this as a deep connection to one’s own agency — our definition of rest.
Settle into the work of Omavi Shukur and even explore your own creativity, which we define as liberatory rest.
ABOUT OMAVI
Omavi Shukur is a poet, civil rights attorney, and legal scholar from Little Rock, Arkansas. His writing appears in various publications, including The Root, Hanging Loose Magazine, and the Georgetown Law Journal.
Say “hello” to Omavi on Instagram @omavispeaks.
You can also visit therestofuspodcast.com to read Omavi's poem and reflection prompt, along with other featured poets in the Poetic Interlude community.
PODCAST TEAM
Host, Dana Tenille Weekes
Producer, Annabelle Oh
Editor, Sagheer Muhammad
Content Manager, Annabelle Oh
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Until next time, rest, my friends.
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Welcome to the Poetic Interlude as part of the Rest of Us podcast. Each poetic interlude holds space to remind us that creative expression is a portal to rest as liberation. Creatives, including poets, show us how to embrace our humanity and act on our truth, not fear, in this present moment, which we in the rest of us community view as a deep connection to one's agency. Our definition of rest. Let's settle in. His writing appears in various publications, including The Root, Hanging Loose Magazine, and the Georgetown Law Journal. Say hello to Omavi on Instagram at OmaviSpeaks. That's O-M-A-V-I Speaks. You can also visit the RestofusPodcast.com to read Omavi's poem and reflection prompt along with other poets in the poetic interlude community. Let's settle in.
SPEAKER_00My name is Omavi Shakur, and I'll read my poem Thingnification of a Soul. Your resume, an error obituary, convulsing in an ivory tower, unable to provide refuge from divine assignment ignore. It reads, He died as he lived, grasping for something that was not there. Your title, an epigraph, stone with scar tissue, paperwork confetting fallen white leaves on a youthful wasteland, remember? Falling to where light is enactment to bottom feeders on the prowl, peddling some shiny newfangle privilege. Did you bent your soul for a well? Or were you too busy tending to hunger pains in your defense? Some of them were real. You started pushing fairy tales to oligarchs, just so they could loosen the chains, just so you could breathe, just so you could return to a home ravaged in your wake. Now you search for someone whose name you forgot, old heads imploring you to dance, but you're salmoned between a marble floor and still boot worn by compliments on your resilience. For a moment, you thought this nightmare ain't so bad once you saw the limb. Maybe your maker is fond of foreplay, wants you to see it make love to all you could be gone you gone, but still here, clinging with sweaty hands to a love letter that limbs a shadow hiding in the dark all alone. As you receive this poem, settle into this reflection. You can think in silence, rewrite, draw, or even craft a poem. How would you describe the difference between labatory rest and predatory leisure? How would you describe the difference between labatory rest and predatory leisure? By predatory leisure, I mean leisure secured by helping capitalists dispossessed working people, indigenous people, and the otherwise martial arts.
SPEAKER_01Thank you for listening to this poetic interlude. Remember, we are all creatives, whether we believe it or not. And creativity itself is a source for what we in the rest of us community call liberatory rest. Want to listen to more poetic interludes? Visit therestofuspodcast.com or listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Until next time, rest, my friends.