Ink Blots: ‘Today Means Amen’ by Sierra DeMulder

by Kariza Montealegre

Previously, I shared with you Buddy Wakefield’s “apology letter” (“This is an apology letter to the both of us for how long it took me to let things go”), and today, I have another letter! But this time, it’s for you.

We all have our struggles, but there are some who get trapped and sucked in by the monster that is depression. If you are in this dark alley of life (I hope you’re not), today’s poem is a light for you. Published in the newly released book We Slept Here, the piece “Today Means Amen“ by Sierra DeMulder is a beautiful promise of today and what it’s like to love yourself.

In 2007, the two-time National Poetry Slam champion wrote “Werewolf,” which talks about her battle against depression and self-harm. (Watch her performance here.) While the poem is very personal to Sierra, the released video allowed her to reach a global audience and she started receiving messages from people all over the world saying how her work made them realize they are not alone in their struggle. As a response to those messages, she wrote “Today Means Amen.”

“With the letters from strangers still rolling in, I realized that I had a very specific platform to speak from, and most importantly, something genuine to say. To everyone who has ever found solace in my poem, to anyone who has ever felt numb or like they were drowning, to anyone who has ever questioned their worth, who has felt the need to punish themselves for existing, for those who have seen the dark nights and broken mornings—all of you, I wrote this poem for you. You are exactly where you are supposed to be. We made it, to this very moment. Here. Today. Amen.”
—via

Watch the video of the poem by clicking the image below, which features “I made it” photos submitted by people across the globe: