To create this poem, my sister and I analyzed Ephesians 6:10-20. We brainstormed ideas of what the poem means to us, and then we wrote our own sides of the poem. Then, we memorized and performed the video, and my sister was wonderful to film and edit the clips you’ll see throughout the video. As a performing artist and as a lover of spoken-word poetry, this poem means a lot to me. I love sharing my own experiences with my audience, but more than that, I love being able to write about my faith. My sister and I both being Christians, we saw this project as a challenge for us as we wanted to do our Lord justice.

Throughout the video, my sister and I reference the Spiritual Battle. We talk about how as a human race, we are prisoners, and how we are indebted to the grace that the Lord has given us. As spoken about in the Ephesians 6:10-20, we talk about how the human race is stuck between good and evil, in a constant battle with themselves and with others. This battle causes us, as humanity, to be on the “edges of Heaven’s fearless defenses.” Going off of this, we took to World War I and explained how humans exist in “no-man’s land,” a place in between both sides.

When my sister and I talk about the playground that Lord has given us, we speak about the Earth. We use this sense of irony to depict that we should be innocent, but instead we are sinful, taking the metal the Lord has given us to “build our own armories,” again bringing us back to the battle analogy.

However, mid-way through the poem, we take a turn for the positive. We explain that despite the constant battle surging inside of us, God “makes us strong.” We talk about all of the little things that we forget to count as blessings - dreams, trees, stars, the sun, music, the gift of prayer. We talk about how the Lord guides us to the right path and makes our inner battle less intense. That is why we thank Him - for everything he has given us.

The clips throughout the film are symbolic of things like the tree in the Garden of Eden and the playground being the Earth. Not only that, but we took video of small things in life, like a dandelion, that the Lord has blessed us with, as a form of gratitude.

Co-Writer, Co-Performer, Entrant: Quinn Lozar
Co-Performer, Cinematographer, Editor, Co-Writer: Aiko Lozar

“Thank You”: A Duo Poem
NOTE: Any discrepancy between this transcript and the performed version is due to error in memorization

AIKO:
we are prisoners,
we are prisoners to our own chains.
we were born of the dust and Adam and Eve and the Grace
You gave.
we were born powerless,
anchored in the dirt,
with the perfume of the earth
the only thing that we could give You in return.

QUINN:
we are the crossroads,
we are the trenches.
we are the edges
of Heaven’s
fearless
defenses.
we were born senseless,
we were born as Man.
we live in the mighty no-man’s land -
where Good and Evil refuse to tread,
and where the living pray and sin before they are

BOTH:
dead.

AIKO:
we play in the playground that You have given us
and we tinker with weaponry.
we use the metal You gave us, Lord, to build our own armories.

BOTH:
we are so sorry.

AIKO:
and in this world of the material, of murder and burglaries,
well, in summary,
we are all simply children playing on the playground that You have given us.

QUINN:
we are in constant search between Good and Evil.
we are in constant battle between what is Right and Wrong.
You, Lord, You make us strong.
You give us the feeling
of belong-
ing.
and You gave us the blessing
of singing.
so, here is our song,
praising You for guiding us along.

AIKO:
forgive us for our sins, Lord, as we have made plenty.
let Your Word
guide us to Eternity.
let us be kind to our neighbors, and give like You do.
let us keep our pride far and few.
let us learn the nuts and the bolts, and the teeming screws

BOTH:
of the playground that You have given us.

AIKO:
and let us learn, Lord, how to make the world
more
like
You.

QUINN:
thank You for giving us Angels.
thank You for Your Son.
thank You for the gift of prayer, and the stars, and the sun.
thank You for our loved ones.
thank You for our

BOTH:
Daily Bread.

AIKO:
thank You for the ability to choose Christ
in the place where Good and Evil refuse to tread.
out of my red
heart
bleeds
gratitude for the ability
to see
the uncut trees.
thank You for the ability to live,
and to breathe,
and to dream
i know we’re all afraid in the midst of COVID-19
and i’m only 16 …
but as You said Yourself,

BOTH:
“Put on the full armor of God,
so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.”