“Tenacious, often over extended”

Recently, CBCA and the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce collaborated on a special event, “Backstage with Women in the Arts“. This panel conversation included amazing professional women in the arts and creative industries. At the conclusion of this insightful and inspiring discussion, one of the panelists, Bianca Mikahn (artivist, educator, performer), shared a poem she had crafted during the course of the dialogue that evening. Thank you, Bianca, for generously sharing these words with us.

 

Tenacious

often over extended

existentially ambitious

Women

How did we start with

a front row empty

at a table not always

feeding these bellies

Still quickly conquering

everything before us

 

One step in front of the other

The passion of this sector

Is sectioned off

 

A goal

A dream to be whole

These briefcases only carrying

costume changes

and compassion changes

and memories of when

that one time

when a chair was thrown

in the name of business

 

What of us makes this space

These leaders always feeding

connecting with those led

Respecting the most capital

Human capital

Answering the questions asked

and those only implied

 

We are an art form

These dynamic differences

simply tools

The failing and rebuilding

replacing ego with question marks

Ask anyone

Ask everyone

until the answer is born

 

This is our blooming

building each other up

as the soil changes

as the seeds are shifted

sometimes blocked from sunlight

How can we smooth the path

welcome the future

sow our hope

reap the lessons

Walking in strength

A family of creatives

defining horizons

for every eye

By Bianca Mikahn