Welcome to Poetically Yours. Poetically Yours highlights poems by northern Illinois poets. This week’s poet is Danyla Nash.
Nash is a first-year student at Northern Illinois University majoring in journalism and pursuing a minor in communication. She started writing in elementary school and said she’s performed slam poetry since she was 12 years old. Nash became Urbana’s first youth poet laureate in 2022 and served for one year. She said she loves to write, color, paint, and learn. Nash joined WNIJ's Poetically Yours Poetry Workshop April 25. She didn't write this during the session but chose to record it as a part of the workshop. It's called "Grown don’t look like grown."
I got to college and said I ain't feel grown
enough
He got a vape
She got a bottle and
They got neck tats and already a father but
Don't mistake what I say for judgement.
I don’t want kids but still wanted into a lot of other
ruckus but
I didn't feel grown.
Got here and thought I was behind
Job and boyfriend but
No tat’ and don't drink like that but
What even is grown?
Is it understanding the idea of maturity or
Falling in line with the majority is it
Paying bill and rent on time or is it
Prioritize and take time for my mind is it
Sitting down and learn to love or 18 plus
section Friday night at the club
Y’all what is grown?
To me
Grown don't feel like nothing I've seen
Uncharted and confused
Fast and completely obscene I mean
I walked into world beyond me.
If you noticed I switched from past to present
Whole time for me because I still don't get
it.
I thought it would fall into place over time
First generation ain't for the weak
But I know I ain’t even touched my prime.
I got goals to finish and a life to live so
I'm planting seeds in a garden I'll never get to
see
It's called legacy.
The way I'm mixing my past with the
knowledge I got now like magic
Call it alchemy
And while I don’t know what grown is yet
I'm still gone tend to these seeds to make sure
this fruit is sweet.
