Poet’s Bio:
Buddah Desmond (aka BDez) is a writer/poet, artist, singer, entrepreneur, and
health + wellness advocate. His writing highlights the gritty side of life,
while offering messages of hope, love, healing, and resilience. His writing has
appeared in numerous publications including MOOV, MUSED, MelaNation,
Mixed Mag, LitMag 2020, No Line Left Behind, Osamasetorbest.com,
and sana sana (vol. 1). 

He’s the author of five poetry projects, Prevail:
Poems on Love, Life, and Politics (2012), Exotic Shifter (2014), From
The Inside Out: A Poetry Collection (2020), shifting from the inside
out: love poems (2022), and Everything I Miss(ed) At Home (2023). He
is a member of Gamma Xi Phi, and has served as a healing leader for the
DC-based arts + faith + social justice organization, The Sanctuaries. 

He recently had
a few poems featured in volume 1 of Liquid Cat Quarterly, which is
available to purchase on Liquid Cat Books and Amazon. He’s also in the process of
selecting poems for the manuscript of his next volume of poetry tentatively
titled, Coming Up From The Downside. 

Deliah
Lawrence: What inspired you to be a poet?

Buddah Desmond: Aside from my love of words, I feel as if I always talk
about Maya Angelou’s work and the impact of hearing her poetry in the late
great John Singleton’s film Poetic Justice. But prior to the influence
of her work, and the work of Langston Hughes, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Nikki
Giovanni, and Sonia Sanchez (to name a few), I was greatly inspired by music
and the lyrics of R&B / Soul, Jazz, and Hip Hop. I learned early on it
wasn’t just the music that can move the masses, but also the words or lyrics
that accompany the music that can move the masses. There’s power in our words.
And how we wield that power matters. 

DL: If you were hosting a dinner party which three poets would be your dream
guests and why?

BD: These are always the toughest questions for me because I have so
many favorite poets, lol! It’s probably no surprise that I’d pick Maya Angelou,
Nikki Giovanni, and Sonia Sanchez. The opportunity to be able to connect with
them on this level would be amazing. Sharing their Wisdom about the craft,
their lived experiences, and their views on the world and where we’re going as
a people… The conversation would be next level. And I’m quite sure the food
would be phenomenal, too. 

DL: What
are three fun facts about yourself?

BD: If I’m
remembering correctly, I caught about 35-40 fishes when out with my
grandparents on our boat when I was about 7 years old. 

When out
crabbing with my grandparents, we caught a small diamondback terrapin turtle in
the crab net. I just had to bring the turtle home. I felt we were lucky to find
the turtle that day, so the turtle was aptly named “Lucky.” As you can imagine,
turtles became my favorite reptile.

I met one of my biggest poetry inspirations, Sonia Sanchez, at a book signing
in DC back when I was in 11^th grade. She was promoting her
collection, Shake Loose My Skin: New and Selected Poems. I had the
chance to meet her for a second time when she was in DC for the screening of
the documentary BaddDDD Sonia Sanchez at the DC African Diaspora
International Film Festival (ADIFF) in 2016. 

DL: In
celebration of National Poetry Month, can you share with us a few of your
poems?

BD:
Sure, here you go: 

The Words We
Used To Say

We don’t say
the words we used to say
Unfamiliar words and phrases have been
rolling off our tongues
Words that we didn’t know before
Words that seem like a new language
Our common language has become an
uncommon commodity

There are more
spaces between our words now
Gaps that extend beyond the concept of
distance and our understanding
Yet it’s those spaces that spoke the loudest—
sounding alarms that we needed to take heed                                     before what we
knew, what we loved, and                                       what we
cherished could be salvaged                                                    So the question now is—will we make it?                                              Will we speak the love language we used to know so well? Let’s check the spaces between the words again                          The undertones may speaksing the promise of our new day.

~ Buddah Desmond | Everything I Miss(ed) At Home (2023)

BLACK NATION

Ain’t moving
Ain’t leaving
This be foundation                                                                                                This be
salvation                                                                                              My emancipation

Ain’t asking
permission
Ain’t seeking validation
This be affirmation
This be formation                                                                                                 My beautiful black nation

Ain’t looking
back
Ain’t falling back
This be present conscious, future forward
This be blessed, highly favored, and flavored
My liberation

Ain’t hating
Ain’t discriminating
This be loving
This be welcoming
My rhythm nation

Ain’t keeping
that which serves no purpose
Ain’t settling for nothing but life’s richness and goodness
This be rebirth
This be new earth
My constitution

Ain’t moving
Ain’t leaving
This be me
This be we
My bold, beautiful, proud black nation.

~ Buddah Desmond | Everything I Miss(ed) At Home (2023)

DL: Where
can readers learn more about you and your poetry?

BD: Readers
can learn more here:

• Website: https://www.buddahdesmond.com
• Amazon Author
  Page: https://www.amazon.com/Buddah-Desmond/e/B008FVNE1S
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BuddahDesmond/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buddahdesmond/
• Book Buy Links:
• Everything
  I Miss(ed) At Home – Liquid Cat Books: https://www.liquidcatbooks.com/product-page/everything-i-miss-ed-at-home 
• Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BSJHSM8F/ 
• Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/everything-i-miss-buddah-desmond/1142971467
• shifting
  from the inside out: love poems – https://bit.ly/BDez-shifting-from-the-inside-out (free) 
• From The Inside Out: A Poetry Collection
  –https://www.amazon.com/Inside-Out-Poetry-Collection/dp/B086PNTJ2K
• Prevail: Poems on Life, Love, and
  Politics – https://www.amazon.com/Prevail-Poems-Life-Love-Politics/dp/1475916213/ 

DL: It’s
a pleasure having you here with us today. I know my readers will enjoy getting
to know you and your work.

BD: Much
gratitude again for this opportunity! 

Originally Published on https://vocalexpressions.blogspot.com

Deliah Lawrence Attorney, Author, Blogger, Workshop Facilitator

Deliah Lawrence is a Maryland-based attorney and award-winning author of two romantic suspense novels (Gotta Let It Go and Gotta Get It Back) set in Baltimore. She’s also a blogger and workshop facilitator who writes poetry and short stories.

When Deliah isn’t writing, you can find her reading a book, indulging in her addiction to investigation discovery shows; or painting her yet-to-be exhibited oil artworks of landscapes, portraits or whatever else comes to her creative mind. Constantly on the go, she is also a member of the Black Writers’ Guild of Maryland and Sisters in Crime.