Herbs nestled in ball.

            Scent of healing roots,

            winds of fragrant leaves

            steep in boiling sea.

            Flavors bask in heat.

            Sips that hush my thoughts

            like verdant summer.

            Floral medicine

            cruising in my veins.

            Doshas balancing.

            Tenderly inhale

            past life therapy.

            All cells harmonized.

            Orchestra of light,

            brews of sanctity.

Kiarra Lynn Smith is a visual and literary artist. A native of Saint Louis, Missouri, she began drawing and writing as a small child. Her artwork has been exhibited in multiple venues and her poems have been published in various magazines for creative writing. In 2004, Smith was commissioned to create a mural for First Student Bus Company, a year which marked her beginning of independently illustrating books. She was a featured artist at the 20th "Meet the Artists" exhibition in Indianapolis and began studying at the Cleveland Institute of Art in 2008. She graduated from Culver-Stockton College with a degree in English and Art in 2013.
 
Smith's passion is preserving Afrikan heritage creatively while simultaneously building her community. She has conducted writing workshops with children and has used her art and poetry to enlighten others about Black history. Her motivation stems from childhood experiences in which she was given limited views of her heritage. The late illustrator and writer, Fred Crump Jr. and his fairy tales featuring characters of Afrikan descent influenced Smith's work and subject matter. In 2012, she published her first book, Collective Face: a Series of Quatrains on Community Building. She also illustrated Looking for an Angel: the Story of Christian Taylor Ferguson to emulate the path of Crump. In 2015, Smith created her second book Let's Speak! Kiswahili to encourage youth to learn an Afrikan language. In 2016, she published The Book Cart Dance-Off: a Library Tale and Vibration: a Collection of Poetry, Essays and Art.
 
Smith plans to continue to use her talents to inspire people of all ages.