By Leonora Anyango

When I take the podium
That day when I declare myself a poet, and let the world behold
What my pen had been penning, yesteryears, and today
I will feel light, and stand right and bright
I will beckon my heart, from deep within my being
And nudge it to celebrate, the dawn of my dream
When I take the podium

When I take the podium
That day in that place, unfamiliar and unknown
I will behold the elegance, and the splendor untold
I will adjust my shoulders, and elongate my neck
I will scan the throng, and proclaim my prowess
And render my voice, to echo its own echo
When I take the podium

When I take the podium,
That day when I take the mantra, to solemnize my words
I will speak with candor, and recite with relish
I will pace the rostrum, with a glorious gait
I will hear them ask, “From whence cometh she?”
And I will gaze straight, and recommence my words
When I take the podium