The Birth of a Voice: A Collection of Poems

By Mia C. Gorlick

The Birth of a Voice comprises six years of work, enveloping the reader in a bold exploration of the growing up process, the human condition, and the relationships that shape us. It is an urgent call to humanity to recognize, reclaim, and review the experiences and emotions that make us human so that we all can move one step closer to fully realizing the strength within ourselves and the collective.

Life is a circuitous road traveled by all, yet we often feel as though we must traverse it alone. We often forget that we are connected through the human experience far more than we are separated by life's minutia. We all grow up. We all endure hardship. We all experience joy and loss. The Birth of a Voice tells the dynamic story of us all–human triumphs and tribulations–and reminds us that we all have permission, and indeed the responsibility, to harness the power of our voices.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Outskirts Press
• Release date: Aug 31, 2023
• ISBN: 9781977268150

Mia C. Gorlick

Mia C. Gorlick is a student living in Southern California. From an early age, she expressed a fascination with language, cadence, and patterns, and has since channeled her creative efforts into writing poetry. She spends much of her time with loved ones, and is often found listening to music, playing the violin, researching topics of interest, or reading a book. Mia’s poetry and articles have been featured in school publications as well as a literary magazine, a national creative arts contest, and an international humanities and philosophy club website. Much of her work encompasses themes related to social justice, ethics, politics, and the human condition.

Book preview

The Birth of a Voice

A Collection of Poems

All Rights Reserved.

Copyright © 2023 Mia C. Gorlick

v2.0

This is a work of poetry. The opinions expressed in this manuscript are solely the opinions of the author and do not represent the opinions or thoughts of the publisher. The author has represented and warranted full ownership and/or legal right to publish all the materials in this book.

This book may not be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in whole or in part by any means, including graphic, electronic, or mechanical without the express written consent of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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Cover Design © 2023 Mia C. Gorlick. All rights reserved - used with permission.

Cover Images © 2023 public domain. All rights reserved - used with permission.

Outskirts Press and the OP logo are trademarks belonging to Outskirts Press, Inc.

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

In dedication to and in loving memory of Dr. Gary M. Gorlick, my grandfather. Thank you for teaching me to be an angel on the planet, and for being one yourself.

At first there was darkness,

A hollow and yet complete starkness,

A gloom that swallowed all light,

Leaving the sky entirely starless.

It was an unnerving sight,

A horrid product of a world in silence.

Hunched figures crouched within trees,

Incapable of writing and unwilling to speak.

Branches cracked in a soundless breeze,

The current so strong, it could bring the world to its knees.

The whirlwind shuddered and convulsed,

Turning a tornado that threatened and forced

Its way through the wasteland.

It flowed and it threatened,

Tiptoed on the brink of all-out destruction,

Ebbing and receding,

Relaunching in hostile condemnation.

Silent terror at the threat of obliteration,

And yet still no courage, no words spoken.

But at last from the debris a hand slowly reached,

Driven to action by a blood-curdling screech.

A silent spark within her had urged and beseeched,

And at last she listened, at last she was freed.

Her pulse took on a rhythm,

No longer a soundless beat,

Its nothingness grew into a hymn,

And drove her to speech.

She sang a song to save what was built,

Remained steadfast and strong as the world stood off-tilt.

The destruction halted, stunned at the sound,

At her cry of defiance, as words fell to the ground,

Threatening to hound

Every last bit of darkness

Deep into the nothingness

It sought to create.

She sang and she sang,

For the growth of a new people,

A new way of being,

That encompassed more than survival,

But true and vibrant living.

She did not stop until the wasteland receded,

The reign of darkness permanently unseated.

Others stood and joined her song,

Finding courage in the solace she found,

Voices rising, growing, becoming one,

A battle against darkness, waged and won.

Table of Contents

The Miraculous Juncture

Tears

There is Nothing Far about Anaheim

The Paradox

Too Naive

The Birth of a Voice

Child of Shadows

This Path

Reaching for Rockwell

Burgundy Car

The Miraculous Juncture

My First Memory of You

The Last Drive

The Thursday We Grew Up

Diamonds of Diaspora

Horizon

Musings from the 45 Minutes Before

The Human Condition

The Sickest of Them All

The Human Condition

Insurrection

If Only She Knew

Unapologetically

Never Kneel

Renaming Love

Not Mine

Fireworks

Unattainable

A Voice Unrestrained (My Take on Maya Angelou’s Caged Bird, 1983)

sundown town

Rochambeau

Introduction

The Photograph

The Home

The Song

A Note to the Reader

Waxing Poetic

The Miraculous Juncture

Tears

August 26, 2018

I cry, letting tears slide down my cheeks,

Tears that I thought used to blur my vision.

I cry