Cycles, Jasmine Mans new poem is yet another sentimental masterpiece, bringing light to the existence of Black love within the Queer community.
As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, if there’s anything Jasmine Mans does with her gift, its always been the fact that she’s never been afraid to use her voice and words as a stepping stool to bring awareness and and visibility to the queer identity.
She continues to allow her work to be a representation of her lessons and experiences with her new project Cycles. A tale that depicts the loss of connection between her and her lover played by DJ Fannie Mae. They lose the spark that once lit their flame, due to not being able to find balance after experiencing misfire within their relationship.
Mans proves that she not only has a strong pen game, but alongside that, she has beautiful vocals to carry the weight of her words. A talent of Mans that she is just now introducing to the world, as you can hear on the beginning of the track accompanied with a piano melody.
The visual takes place in a Brooklyn Brownstone and brings you on a rollercoaster ride, depicting the high and low moments within Jasmine and her partner’s relationship. The film for Cycles takes its viewers on a stroll down memory lane as it’s filled with reminiscing scenes that celebrate love with dance and laughter.
Every aspect of this poem holds power, especially the tone and cadence in Jasmine’s voice. She channels her emotions so well, it evokes ease for her audience to imagine the agony that she was going through.
Mans decides to put a cease to the cycle that is causing her heart to ache, as you can see at the end of the visual where Jasmine is by herself and her lover is seen opening the door, welcoming in another woman into her home.
Jasmine Mans told Paper Magazine, “I wrote this poem one year ago, with a broken heart, a sleepless body, in an airbnb in Los Angeles, California. I’ve noticed that art reflects life, even when the heart doesn’t want to be seen. What you see here is a poem about a girl who showed up and showed you her broken parts.”
All in all, Cycles serves as a timeless example of a strong Black woman knowing when it’s time to let go. Knowing when certain situations no longer serve you. But most importantly, acknowledging that you are still in control, no matter how powerless you may feel.
Jasmine Mans, the poet and author of Black Girl Call Home, a recent poetry collection dedicated to the wandering Black daughters in a world that too are on the journey of healing and self discovery as they transition from childhood to adulthood in a world that continues to view them as less than. As a spoken word artist, Mans uses Black Girl Call Home as an outlet to tell warm unforgettable stories of radiate race, feminism and queer identity.
