Blog by Dana Latisha Young
A.K.A Day Love
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What jobs have you had?
A babysitter for my nieces and nephews
An intern at the Student Success center at my high school under the PYN (Philadelphia Youth Network)
A Muralist at the Mural Arts Program
Smoothie King associate then a Supervisor then a Manager than a GM
Home Depot customer service associate, then Hardware Supervisor then Customer Service Supervisor
Throughout these differing jobs that I’ve had, I always was and always will be a writer.
Poem by Dana Young
I want to exhale the breath that
I’ve been holding onto
while in hell on earth.
Not able to inhale or break free.
Gasping for air that is tainted
And reeking of despair and
Hatred.
Submerged in an ocean
Of tears and blood
From years of inner and
Outer lacerations.
Crying, struggling to mend
once again.
I want to exhale the breath
I’ve been holding onto
While walking on eggshells
Tip toeing around verbal
landmines
Detonation waiting around
Hidden corners.
Traps set for me
That I can’t see until
I walk into them.
“Just breathe” repeated
In my mind.
Easier said then done.
I want to… No I need to
Exhale the breath that
I keep holding onto.
Written 03/21/25 @ 11:32 PM
You’re writing your autobiography. What’s your opening sentence?
“I once was a girl that was metaphorically lost, and this is my story on how I found myself as an adult.”
What is your middle name? Does it carry any special meaning/significance?
My middle name is Latisha. (Luh-Tee-Shuh). It doesn’t really hold any special meaning to my knowledge.
My mom wanted to name me but she let my father choose my first name. She said she always loved Latisha as a name.
I wanted to be called by my middle name for many, many years. Even before she told me that she wanted to name me that. As a young child, I often wrote Latisha Young on my school papers, which confused my teachers until they realized who I was and asked why I did it.
As a teen, I finally embraced my first name, and then my dad told me the significance to my first name, which helped me to appreciate it more as a young woman.
Now, I do different versions of my first name. (Day Love, Day Lite, Day Know, Day Lee, Day Zee) My first name is important, but my middle name, Latisha, will always be special to me.
I pray that everything is alright
That you’ll wake up after surgery
And go to sleep at night
But not now
I pray that everything is okay
That God will take charge
Of the operation today
Somehow
I pray that I get to see you smile
While discussing your latest K drama
Because I can’t imagine a world
That can spin without my mama.
I pray that you can speak
Even it’s to reprimand me
For something I did wrong
Because that is another day to teach
I pray that God can hear my prayers
Because I am trying to have faith
But as time ticks my fears
Build until there’s no escape
I pray that you remain alive
This is a plea from your daughter,
and your caregiver
who will never leave your side
What do you enjoy doing most in your leisure time?
In my leisure time I love to read more than anything. I have always had a love and obsession with reading since I was 4 years old. To me, there’s nothing better than getting comfortable and opening up a new book or picking up where I left off in a story.
It’s so calm and cozy and I feel like I’m transported into whatever book I am reading. To me, it feels like coming home to rest after a hard day’s work. It feels like sitting in front of a crackling fireplace, sipping hot chocolate with a blanket thrown over me, tucked away from a freezing storm outside. These scenarios describe how I feel when I read.
What’s your dream job?
My dream job is to be a writer of books, plays, poems, and articles. It’s always been my dream job and I am determined to make it happen.
I write poetry and I officially started a poetry blog. Now I need to take the next steps to accomplish my dream.
Poem by Dana L. Young
Today was hard
Listening to the doctor speak
But not fully grasping the words
My brain refused to hold onto.
Tired eyes and mind
Bright office, repetitive sounds,
Too formal
Two chairs facing a walnut
Rectangular paper coated desk
And another chair.
A computer partially turned towards
My mom and I.
An on demand reciprocal Q and A session
But I was not a verbal participant.
Mute because speech to me seemed
Foreign,
Unknown,
Unwanted,
Too hard,
An unsolvable problem,
Insurmountable,
Too huge to attempt.
And there was comfort in my silence.
A sigh of relief in my heart.
A vacation in my mind.
I could not return easily to
The visibility of this verbal experience.
Today was a hard day
Listening to my mom and the doctor speak
But unable to break my voice
Out of the shelter it took refuge in.
Tell us one thing you hope people say about you.
Generous
Poem by Dana Young
I Hope They Say that I was
Generous
With my time, freely being there when it’s needed.
Generous
With my space, freely sharing a part of my world.
Generous
With my money, giving to those who need it.
And most importantly,
Generous with my heart.
Loving freely despite feeling out of touch with most of my emotions.
I still will show love however I can.
I Hope They Say that I am
Generous
Poetic Blueprint 