Name: "Being Human"
Uploaded: 2021-11-10T21:44:20Z
Duration: 4 min 2 s
Description: In this stunning spoken-word performance, poet and "freedom-forging futurist" Naima Penniman celebrates the wonders of the natural world and humanity's connection to it. "I wonder if the sun debates dawn some mornings," she says.

Naima Penniman: "Being Human"

"Being Human"

In this stunning spoken-word performance, poet and "freedom-forging futurist" Naima Penniman celebrates the wonders of the natural world and humanity's connection to it. "I wonder if the sun debates dawn some mornings," she says.

Every element of the natural world, from the hesitant sun at dawn to ocean waves constantly pulled back to sea, becomes a metaphor for human vulnerability and resilience. The poem imagines rain afraid of falling, clouds trying to hold themselves together, and snowflakes burdened by the pressure to be perfect and unique. By exploring these parallels, the piece celebrates the deep kinship between humanity and nature. Through intimate questions, it reveals how all things grapple with change, uncertainty, and the longing to belong.