East Dockery

Personal verses tell her story

By Layna Hong

“We were separated by blood but connected by spirit,” reads one line of a poem written by Ragsdale High School senior East Dockery after her grandmother passed away.

“I needed an outlet,” Dockery said. “I didn’t really have anybody to talk to, and I always thought the idea of having a diary was lame.”

More than an outlet for her personal problems, Dockery also writes and performs poems for her church. For example, she wrote one for Black History Month.

“Sharecropping would not crop us out of the picture,” the poem reads, “because one thing that can’t be excluded from this American bible is our black scripture.”

Dockery’s own experiences are shown through her poetry, and she hopes to continue to bring her voice to the table with hopes of becoming a sports anchor.

“I always listen to other people’s conversations about sports, and it’s interesting to hear their opinions on the players,” she said.

She had grown up around sports, having many cousins who played basketball and a mother who taped shows such as First Take and Undisputed to watch together as family bonding time.

“My mom told me that sports are just opinions,” Dockery said, “so if you have an opinion, then it’s worth telling.”

In addition to this dream, she also hopes to publish her poems one day, taking inspiration from Maya Angelou, an American poet and Dockery’s role model.

“I’ve been reading her book, The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou,” she said. “It really opened my eyes to what I could write.”

Whether it’s becoming a sports anchor or a famous poet, the Jamestown, North Carolina, native wants to share the truth and her experiences.

“Each person has a different perspective on things,” Dockery said, “so me having a different perspective on things and the stuff I go through is what makes my poems special.”