Poets logo

to be free

"Even if you are not ready for the day, it cannot always be night." - Gwendolyn Brooks, Speech to the Young: Speech to the Progress-Toward (Among them Nora and Henry III)

By R.C. TaylorPublished 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago 1 min read
Runner-Up in In Eclipse Challenge
to be free
Photo by Clarke Sanders on Unsplash

every word has an undercurrent of ancestors humming

‘cause we will not be kept under the

light of the North Star. We are invoking

Igbo Landing, self-emancipation, our

poetry running free from confines like all the runaway

slaves you couldn’t catch, syllables hitting the page—

elusive bare feet pound echoing down history seeking only one thing

Acrosticslam poetrysocial commentary

About the Creator

R.C. Taylor

I write to invoke, to process, to honor, to resurrect, and—sometimes—to grieve but, above all, I write to be free.

Follow along for stories about a little bit of everything (i.e. nostalgia and other affairs of the heart).

🌱Instagram🌱

Reader insights

Outstanding

Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!

Top insights

  1. Excellent storytelling

    Original narrative & well developed characters

  2. Eye opening

    Niche topic & fresh perspectives

  3. Heartfelt and relatable

    The story invoked strong personal emotions

Add your insights

Comments (14)

Sign in to comment
  • Susan Payton10 months ago

    Poetry running free from confines. Going around reading poetry today to try to learn about acrostic poetry. This was outstanding. Nicely Done!!!

  • Joe O’Connor2 years ago

    A powerful message said in so few words, and I particularly like “syllables hitting the page— elusive bare feet pound”. Nicely done R.C. 👏

  • D.K. Shepard2 years ago

    Really outstanding! Well deserved challenge placement!

  • The Dani Writer2 years ago

    Oh my WORD! I adore this!!! It slipped by me but will now be read MULTIPLE times 😍😍😍 The Ancestors are well pleased and little ol' me is also. Congratulations on placing with a showstopper of an acrostic, RC!

  • John Cox2 years ago

    As per always, wow, RC. Absolutely loved this. Congrats on placing in the challenge. Well done!

  • J. Delaney-Howe2 years ago

    I love this. You knocked this challenge out of the park. Congrats on being runner up!

  • angela hepworth2 years ago

    Amazing imagery!! Congrats on the win!

  • Shirley Belk2 years ago

    So powerful! Congratulations...how did I miss reading this before???

  • Christy Munson2 years ago

    Absolutely breathtaking imagery in this insightful, haunting acrostic. Brilliantly penned. Loved it. Congratulations!! 🥳

  • Babs Iverson2 years ago

    Congratulations on the runner up win!!!

  • Powerful, moving, irrepressible. Astounding poem.

  • Novel Allen2 years ago

    Preach it Sistah. I hear those feet echoing down the ages. A poem to match the times.

  • Kendall Defoe 2 years ago

    This is really fantastic! Thank for this!

Find us on social media

Miscellaneous links

  • Explore
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Support

© 2026 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.