Nigel Birch – Every day for him is Valentine’s Day

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

I want our love

To forever be

A means

To new beginnings.

Where I take up

Humbleness as a hobby,

To never claim

To know you,

But consistently try

To get to know you,

Even though I know you

More than most do.

My ears are on a mission

To listen

& take notes

On your library of thoughts

You know…

What makes our Classic Man a master at his craft is his ability to use the sounds of the letters, the number of syllables in the words, which syllables to stress.

He methodically chooses the right words, like a painter chooses the right colours. He writes in a way that provides images to his readers about what’s happening rather than telling them.

He creates an experience and pulls his readers in so that they are open to engage with his writing on an emotional and intellectual level. He provides poetry for his readers that resonate on both levels; it makes them think and makes them feel. When you are reading one of his poems, you know that there is going to be an experience; it will be a personal one created out of your imagination, which makes it immersive and more enjoyable.

In the world of art and entertainment, everything is subjective. Poetry is an accessible form of self-expression and it’s highly therapeutic. His art breaks the rules of conventional wisdom, and it is why we are all drawn in by the words of Nigel D. Birch.

Nigel is true to his purpose of showing people that love is always available, present and exists in all of us. He writes from the standpoint of love and identity, and brings a new perspective to loving oneself, and loving others. Metaphors, similes, imagery, and passion are tools in his arsenal, with a vision to freely express, share, and spread love. To him, “Every Day is Valentine’s Day,” and he continues to use various artistic mediums such as: poetry, books, theatre, film and music to express, share, and empower others.

I met Nigel through a mutual friend, the creative genius Mark Stoddart. I first heard his words in a video produced for a project we are working on together called Beloved. You can’t help but be moved by his words; how they are framed, and how they make you feel when you are watching the video. I knew there was some depth there, so I wanted to know more. When I had the opportunity, I found out exactly how and why Nigel had become the man that he is.

“My tribe and family always come first,” Nigel begins. “My parents have had a huge impact on my life. They were married for thirteen years, and did end up getting divorced, but there was never any bad blood. They both spoke very highly of each other, and they showed love to each other in a beautiful way.”

I am the oldest of two (I have a brother), and for a while, I lived communally and around a lot of adults. This in itself is a different experience, and I learned how to communicate with adults at a different level. I have always felt very protected, and it has aided in my confidence.”

Nigel left Toronto when he was seventeen years old to live with his father in Atlanta.

“My mom allowed my brother and I to go to Atlanta to finish high school. Again, this is very unconventional. Usually moms hold on tightly to their children, but the arrangement ended up working well for both of them. My dad was re-married, and this gave my brother and I structure, plus my mom was working a lot, so I am sure she was relieved that we were being cared for.

 Living in Atlanta made me a King. It was while living there that I came into my own. I wasn’t dabbling in my purpose yet, but I had some great men around me who served as mentors. I would have to say that my dad served as the creative behind my genius. He had been a journalist and wrote poetry as well. I wasn’t really thinking about purpose at that age, and I was about twenty-four years old when I first displayed my poetry.”  Nigel chuckled. “I bombed the first time that I read my poetry on stage, so I began to doubt myself.”

Nigel decided to put poetry to rest for a bit, but there was something gnawing at his soul that was urging him to perform. He didn’t let go of that feeling, and when he came back to Canada, he wanted to bring all that he had learned from Atlanta. He began curating events; for some reason, he was being pushed in that direction.

Soon he was hosting events, and his love for the stage grew. When he was given the opportunity to do stage plays with Troy Crossfield, he wasn’t sure, but being the man that he was, he jumped in headfirst. With assistance from his acting coach Douglas Prout, Nigel made his debut in A Little White Lie, and this took Nigel to a whole new level of thinking. Now, he truly had the courage to perform in front of people.

His purpose resided in him; the love for poetry was never far away, so he decided to revisit that feeling. He had over ninety pieces that he had compiled, but when he asked one of his friends to review them, she informed him that many of them were out-dated. So, what did he do? He went back to writing.

“I truly began to understand the power of my purpose. I could listen to somebody, and change things according to how he or she feels, and how he or she visualizes it. My next move was to write a stage play, and this was the genesis of He said, She said, They said, We said. It was after this that my writing was recognized for what it is.”

Soon he was being approached about his writing for events, and celebrations. The one that stands out to him the most was his performance at the Black Diamond Ball in 2019.

“I performed a piece called “Black Woman” at Black Diamond Ball, and the reaction was incredible. Women were coming up to me after I finished to say ‘Thank you for having the courage to do that on stage.’ Some women were in tears and some were joyous. I realized my true purpose then. My purpose was to lift-up the most ill-treated people in the world.

The Black Woman video went viral. This is how people know who I am. I started to build a brand around that. I dropped it on International Women’s Day 2019.”

Since then, we have seen nothing but greatness from Nigel D. Birch. He most recently won the “Young, Gifted, and Black, Entrepreneurial Award 2021 for Artistic Excellence, Spoken Word, and Poetry.,” and whether it is his poem “Dear Momma,” or “Everyday is Valentine’s Day,” “Propose to her Melanin,” or his infamous 11:11 Mixed Tape Messages, Nigel continues to show black men how to hold themselves to a standard, and pour into women.

There is so much more that this man of words has to offer, and we can only sit back in awe and wonder, what is next?

Be the first man

To read your mind.

Love isn’t for the faint of heart

But don’t be afraid to fall

10 times over…

I want you

To get use to

The high intensity impact

Growth gives you.

Let’s push each other

To become

Our greatest self

As gravity pulls us closer.