Jamisha Norman, team leader of the Collington culinary staff, is pursuing a degree in Elementary Education in hopes of teaching young students. But, as the author of a deeply personal self-published poetry book, All Lanes Thru, she will undoubtedly impart more than reading, writing and arithmetic.
A Place for Redemption
Delving into such raw emotions as loss, love, confusion, the young poet’s debut book underscores the joys and sorrows of life and a sensitivity to the human experience that transcends age.
Delivered age appropriately, Jamisha’s insight and perspective stand to make a profound impact on little people with big feelings.
“When I was in the second grade, I had a teacher I felt was the first person in my life who understood me. I want to be what she was to me for another person…a mentor, a listening ear and a pathway to lifetime success.
“I will teach every student that failure is never an option, but a place for redemption,” said the Western Governors University student who was awarded a 2024 Collington Summer Scholarship Award. “I want that one young person going through trials and tribulations to know they aren’t struggling alone, and they aren’t invisible.”
No Turning Back
The title of her book, All Lanes Thru, is both a literal and metaphorical nod to redemption.
“Every day on my way to work, I see a road sign that says, ‘All Lanes Thru,’ and one morning I noticed how all the lanes were moving forward, no room to turn back. This project was a way to put the past behind and move forward.”
With refreshing candor, Jamisha shares that the inspiration behind her book was the daily chaos in her life, one event after another (including the death of a good friend and the end of a romantic relationship), that took its toll on her over three years.
“Writing is my go-to form of expression where I basically talk to myself, ask for advice and tell my truths in a safe space,” said Jamisha, for whom writing poetry to get her feelings out is something she’s done since she learned to write in the second grade.
A Little Help from a Friend
Even so, her decision to write and publish her first book was “completely accidental, a spur of the moment decision.”
“Once it was made, everything went full force,” Jamisha said of the process that took six months from idea to final draft. However, it was not a seamless effort.
“After making the decision to write the book, I was writing pieces I really didn’t like and eventually got writer’s block,” explained Jamisha. But one day, she left her journal out and a very special friend and mentor wrote a few encouraging lines in it.
“From those lines I wrote ‘Piece of Your Rib’ (her favorite poem, shown below), and from that moment my blockage was cleared, and I wrote 30+ poems to finish the book.” To thank her friend, she included his note in her journal on the final page of her book.
Poetry Across the Ages
While children are Jamisha’s primary focus for the future, she has been enjoying intergenerational interactions with older adults at Collington every day since her start in 2019. Two years later, she was promoted to culinary team leader.
When her book was released, Jamisha was invited to join the resident-led poetry group, convened by Marilyn Austin, a lifelong poetry enthusiast.
“Having the common interest of this art style, it’s easy to forget [residents] are not my peers,” Jamisha said of an impromptu poetry reading that included herself, resident poets and a pianist to accompany the readings. “They are not there to judge; they just listen, tweak and support.
“The best feedback I have been given is to speak slower. Not rushing through my words gives the audience time to grasp not only my words, but the emotions behind them.”
Readers of her book (available on Amazon) will surely appreciate both.
Piece of Your Rib
By Jamisha P. Norman
Almost as if I was made from your being
Like a part of you created me
A perfect description of me rests in you
The best parts and the flaws included
A connection that lasts past mortality, timeless
My heart is wherever you are
Two beating as one
Place your hand over to the left to feel the sync
You are me and I am you
More of myself than I could ever be
The puzzle piece my life desperately longed for
The completion of all I was missing in life
If there is a person for everyone, I think I found mine
As if I am looking in a mirror staring at my own reflection
We are one of one
Whatever souls are made of, ours are the same