Hey! So Glad You're Here.

​I have always been intrigued by words. My mother was an Executive Secretary, and in Paula Duckett's house, baby, you would speak well if you didn't do anything else! 

 

Even as a young person, I can remember wanting to know the many ways there were to communicate one simple word. I have been writing poems (and my big thoughts) since I was a little girl. I would write something and put it down, come back, put it down, and continue to whittle away until it felt right or my thoughts were articulated in a way that was authentic, conversational, and unfiltered. ​

 

There is so much creative space in me that goes untapped far too often. I clutter the space with work and taking care of others, and for that reason, my writings are precious because they represent times when I was beautifully selfish, wise, and creative. ​

 

My poems are meant to feel like home, or to evoke emotion, contemplation, or to feel like the neighborhood hangout; somewhere so familiar. I can't go there when I let anyone else in. I read and reread each poem probably a hundred times until it has the conversational cadence it deserves.

 

As when I was younger, some of my poems have sat for over a year. I never force my writing, nothing here is contrived; I leave them until I am able to connect intimately with not only the words but most importantly to the way they sound as I read them aloud. I always know it's time to close the laptop when there's no more rhythm left in my voice for the day. Sun's usually gone anyway.

 

It might be a day, a week, or a year before I begin anew on a poem. Sometimes I've gotta live a little more, or see a little more. Sometimes I've gotta laugh a little more, or finish mopping up my own damn mess before I can put the period at the end of the sentence. ​

 

My name is VanNessa Duckett. I am kind of a native Washingtonian. I lived in Fort Washington, MD until I was around 10, and then we moved to DC. I've been here ever since; with the exception of college.