Finding So Much Beauty In My Scars
La Casita at Lincoln Center and Pregones Theater
August 11th and 12th
La Casita Artist : Manny Vega
This summer I was part of La Casita at Lincoln Center’s Out of Doors free outdoor performances. La Casita is a program intended to celebrate the oral traditions of the Caribbean, Africa, the United States, Native America, Spain, and Latin America through music, poetry, storytelling and dance. The event is co-curated by Bill Bragin (Lincoln Center Out of Doors), Melody Capote (Caribbean Cultural Center), Lillian Cho (Consultant), C. Daniel Dawson, Caridad de la Luz, Claudia Norman (Claudia Norman Management), Richie Villar (Acentos Foundation), and Shawn Termin (The Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian). This year’s event was hosted by my friend and fellow poet Simply Rob.
When deciding which poems to recite I settled on performing the poems that began my career as a spoken word poet and writer. I selected the poems that reflected my story as a survivor of physical and emotional abuse because I wanted to honor this full circle moment where the events that could have made me stagnant did, in fact, bring me to a Lincoln Center stage. It was a moment to praise the strength in my scars.
Saturday, beneath a shady canopy of trees at Hearst Plaza, the audience (that included a group of my family and friends) enjoyed diverse performances and celebrate this moment with me.
Sunday at Pregones Theater, as I was making my way through the street I was quickly ushered into the lobby by and George Acevedo and George “Urban Jibaro” Torres. There I had the pleasure of meeting an icon, Mrs. Miriam Colon Valle, an award winning actress and founder of the Puerto Rican Traveling Theater (better known to many as Scarface’s mother).
I gave her both my books and she enthusiastically asked me about each one. As I shared my story she shared hers. She even stayed to watch me perform although I went on late in the evening. Her warmth towards me and my story was humbling.
Again, as I have expressed several times before, I have found beauty in my scars and know for certain that I was destined to heal.
Ashé
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