It’s Bloganuary Day 25, and today’s question asks us: “What is a song or poem that speaks to you and why?”

This is an incredibly difficult question to answer, as on any given day, many songs can speak to me, specifically to my mood.

When I feel like dancing, I play my Afro-Caribbean playlist on Spotify. It consists of mostly independent artists, such as Nana Fofie, who is a mashup queen, and Naïka, who has posted amazing covers of popular songs on Instagram, but I love her original music even more. I just want to sway my hips in the moonlight whenever I listen to her melodies and her effortless transitions from English to French to Patois. Also, her resistance song, “My Body, My Choice,” in response to the overturning of Roe v. Wade is so empowering.

When I feel like throwing a house party with Me, Myself, and I (see what I did there?), I put on Beyoncé’s Renaissance album.

When I’m feeling sultry, I put on her protege, whom I’ve dubbed “Baby Beyoncé,” Chlöe Bailey. It’s ironic because just a couple years ago, I was one of those people clutching their pearls when she started releasing her solo music. I mean, that “Have Mercy” video was wild!

But she’s growing on me, and I’m so happy she finally has a release date for her debut album!

When I need to cleanse my palate of all this secular music…

Oh, gosh, that sounded terrible. Okay, let me try this again…

When I want to feel the Spirit of God and get into His presence, I play one of my many praise & worship Spotify playlists.

Okay, that’s better…

When I’ve had a rough day/rough week or when I’m feeling depressed/depleted/empty or I’m craving something I can’t get anywhere else—not from people, TV, movies, books, other music—I simply need God, that’s when I will listen to these playlists. I have a long one that’s about 21 hours for all-day worship and a few bite-sized ones of four to seven songs to get me through my morning and night routines or if I just need a praise break.

I should clarify that you don’t have to wait until you have nothing left to want God. You can seek Him in the good times too—when you’re happy, full, needing/wanting nothing. Unfortunately, I must admit that I don’t always do this. I’m a work in progress. But I at least have the assurance that I can call on Him when I’m at my wits’ end: the beauty of God’s grace!

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Psalm 46:1 (KJV)

Whenever December rolls around, you already know! I post my Christmas playlist right here on the blog in the sidebar every year!

When I’ve been binge-watching Pakistani dramas to learn the language, I play the OSTs (or soundtracks) from my favorite shows. I know some of the words… 😉

When I want to escape and get lost in the music, I listen to Michael Jackson.

When I want to go on a journey—all of her projects so far have taken me on an emotional journey—I listen to Tinashe.

I’m not the biggest fan of rap, but I do appreciate the moral messages embedded in J. Cole’s music. This is what the kids should be listening to!

There are many other songs by many other artists that I will listen to occasionally…

Oh my gosh, I can’t believe I forgot to mention little miss Ariana Grande! “Thank U, Next” was the anthem back in 2019!

If you were to browse my Spotify Wrapped summaries for the last few years, you would see that these are the songs and the artists that I bump day after day. So I guess you could say that they all speak to me.

As for poems, again there are many. But there’s one poem that speaks to me and describes this Twilight Zone era that I’m living in to a T, and that is Emily Dickinson’s “Much Madness is divinest Sense”:

Much Madness is divinest Sense -
To a discerning Eye -
Much Sense - the starkest Madness -
’Tis the Majority
In this, as all, prevail -
Assent - and you are sane -
Demur - you’re straightway dangerous -
And handled with a Chain -

That’s it for me! What about you? Are there any songs or poems that speak to you?

—Nortina