2022 FEATURE: Poetry by Kawoni

“As Kawoni heals, she reclaims her Cherokee name and its meaning, drawing strength from her Native American ancestors”.

I am Kawoni

My birth name is April, but that is not who I am.

Call me Kawoni, for that is who I truly am.

April is a small and broken little girl.

Who was beaten, broken, abused,

She was left with a giant wound.

She was never strong enough to fight her demons.

Her sorrow and pain just deepens.

The name April means to open.

To her those words “to open” means open your legs and close your mouth.

To open does not mean to grow or flower, it is a curse that drowns her from the inside out.

April is shy, she hides, and she never smiles.

Her trails go on for miles.

She was hurt as a child by those who she could not live without.

Then she was hurt again by monstrous men who sold her body as if she was nobody and selling her was just like selling something to a buyer with a hobby.

Lets not forget the man that quote “saved her” in some ways he was the worst of them all, as he threw her against the wall.

To her April means dirty, shame, hidden, fear, and pain.

Someone who gave up and had nothing to gain.

Kawoni was the one that survived.

She is the one that thrives.

Kawoni was given to her by someone that cared.

Kawoni they say is her Cherokee name, her ancestors are near together with the strength they shared.

Kawoni in Cherokee means flower moon, it is the season for many things; new.

It brings new birth, and with it new medicine and herb plants

which taught mankind how to defend against sickness and injury – as the ancestors chant.

It is the time of the rivers and streams, which are controlled by the spirit.

The spirit known as long man that renews their lives.

She feels the vibes and rises anew just like the river,

She has been delivered too.

She is one of the 13 Cherokee moons,

As she always sings to the moon’s tunes.

The secret meaning of the name Kawoni can not be described in a few words.

It means destiny, hearts desire, and a pioneering spirit, she is not of this world.

She may have endured hardships but she did so to explore new places and things.

In the end her name means to carry on, brave and breathtaking.

Kawoni is more than a name, it was the little part of April that refused to give up,

who refused to die.

She carried her in her time of need and now it is time for Kawoni to shine.

You may never understand and that is quite alright.

But know this, I hope that you never lose your Kawoni that fights for you, that you carry deep within and I pray you hold on to her with all your might.