As Loud As I Want: "Wrong" by Jayonna

06/17/21 • 4 min

Welcome to As Loud As I Want, a podcast that reflects the experiences of young women in rural Columbus County, North Carolina through the COVID-19 pandemic. We use spoken word and sound to share what we've been feeling, seeing and hearing in our communities. This podcast was created by a series of workshops where we learned about poetry and the arts of sound. In this episode, Jayonna of Bolton, NC shares her piece, "Wrong."
This workshop and podcast is funded in part by a grant from South Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional support from North Carolina Local News Lab and the Working Narratives Production and Education Fund. Learn more about our work and other audio productions at www.shoresides.org.Produced by Coastal Youth Media, Community CPR, and Jayonna. Hosted by Indya Barfield. It was Friday the 13th,
March 13th, 2020.
I didn't know life would change.
They told us we would be out of school
For two weeks.
At first, I thought it would be a good break.
Little did I know things would
Change so fast.
I was in seventh grade,
And I didn't think coronavirus
Would be that big of a deal.
I was wrong.
Actually, I liked the idea
Of us being out of school.
I thought I wouldn't be doing any work,
And I could chill.
I was wrong.
My gma had me up the first Monday
Chopping grass.
It was so itchy.
That was wrong.
I had to do packets of schoolwork.
They thought I'd be doing the work packet.
They were wrong.
Then they had us to pick up our Chromebooks
And told us to be online by 8 a.m.
Me and my friends thought it would be easier
Doing schoolwork at home.
We were wrong.
Finally, I got out for summer.
I thought I would be enjoying
A break from school.
I was wrong.
My gma.
Yep.
She had other ideas.
That first week we were back in the garden.
Picking corn in that itchy grass.
That was wrong,
August came, and
I thought I'd be back in school.
I thought I would be able to experience
All that was eighth grade.
I was wrong.
They put me in theater arts.
We just watched videos.
If people think that is a good way to learn, t
They are wrong.
I did get to practice with the cheer team.
I finally got to do something
I actually wanted to do.
That felt right.
However,
we didn't get to cheer at any ball game,
And I didn't get to experience eighth grade formal.
That was wrong.
It is now a Wednesday in May,
May 26, 2021.
Nope, I had no idea
How much life would change.
They said it would be two weeks,
But it's been a whole year and two months.
Things that changed so fast
Became things that changed for so long.
I was wrong.
Music:
Unsilenced by Ketsa
Separation by ANBR
Sounds:
Ambiences - Vol 1 - Large Gym, Few People, Reverberant by Julien Matthey
Zoom Doorbell Sound Effect by JedSpielberg
Theatre Arts - Terms & Concepts by Richard Schnider
NC Schools to remain closed for rest of year
NC schools closed as new coronavirus case in Wake County reported

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Coastal Youth Media reporter and resident animal-lover Nyaira Danley, from Jacksonville, NC speaks to conversationists and forest rangers about how climate change is affecting small wildlife in a big way in her hometown.
Climate Stories | Youth Report is a podcast by Coastal Youth Media & NC Health News exploring how climate change is shaping our neighbors lives in unexpected ways. The project is funded in part by a grant by North Carolina Sea Grant through the Community Collaborative Research Program.

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As Loud As I Want: "Quarantine" by Indya Barfield

Welcome to As Loud As I Want, a podcast that reflects the experiences of young women in rural Columbus County, North Carolina through the COVID-19 pandemic. We use spoken word and sound to share what we've been feeling, seeing and hearing in our communities. This podcast was created by a series of workshops where we learned about poetry and the arts of sound. In this episode, Indya Barfield of Whiteville, NC shares her piece, "Quarantine."
This workshop and podcast is funded in part by a grant from South Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional support from North Carolina Local News Lab and the Working Narratives Production and Education Fund. Learn more about our work and other audio productions at www.shoresides.org.Produced by Coastal Youth Media, Community CPR, and Indya Barfield. Hosted by Indya Barfield. "Quarantine"
Covid changed everything,
our lives will never be the same.
Thinking back to how things
Used to be,
Riding down to Myrtle Beach
Walking to Coastal Grand Mall
Or through Broadway.
How can anyone stay sane?
Wearing masks every day.
The feel of paper against my cheeks,
No smiles from strangers.
It's a different type of pain.
No fun,
No walking the aisles of Wal-Mart
On Columbus Corners Drive.
The sweet smells
From the bakery at the front
As I picked out my favorite
Sugar scrub.
Greeting family members,
Classmates from high school.
No games,
No deep conversations with
Nyasia from Hallsboro,
Trinity from Fayetteville.
My mom says to quarantine,
And I do.
Everyone is beginning to complain.
Out of work,
Out of money.
Checking our bank accounts,
Waiting for the stimulus.
Shortages on toilet paper.
When Whiteville hears
A hurricane is coming,
It's gone:
Bread, water, toilet paper.
This is the same.
Where there's sunshine
There's rain.
Is this a never ending
Pandemic game?
Lost loved ones.
Friends grieve grandmothers.
Broken families.
I try not to focus on it
As I drive to a new job,
Mask on,
Making do with what I have.Music:
Unsilenced by Ketsa
Reflections on the Water (ft. DYEBRIGHT) by SPEARFISHER via ArtlistSounds: Unemployment Claims Rise To Nearly 50 Million Amid Coronavirus Pandemic by NBC News NOW
NC toilet paper maker: ‘We can’t keep up with demand’. By Fox 46 Charlotte
Supermarket - Store Ambience, Checkout, Scanning Products Beeps by Shirley Spikes
Cityscape and Streets - Pedestrian Mall, Walla, Footsteps by West Wolf