Spoken word poet tells Da Truth
“To get my book out there, I was told that I needed to perform my poetry. And I was like, ‘Um, no.’ I’ve been performing since I was 3, singing at church, in the school choir, and for different events through the years. I was comfortable with that. But I never wanted to physically give voice to my poetry.
“I’ve been through a lot in life. I thought that performing about it would make what happened even more real. But I’m in my 40s now. I’ve grown into myself. And I’ve learned that if you give it to the world, they can’t use it against you. I’m not ashamed of anything I’ve experienced.
“From that first moment I got on stage to perform my poetry, I just laid it all out there. The response after the shows was really positive. It led me to believe that it was greater than me being afraid to talk about what I’d been through.
“When I started, I was just Raquel Segura. In the poetry world, that’s too boring. So they call me Da Truth. I speak about real life stuff. God has blessed me to be able to write. I always thought my singing voice would be the way to share myself with the world. But I’d pick up a pen to write a song, and it would turn into poetry.
“I hosted at Houston Improv for two years as part of one of the first poetic groups to perform at that comedy club. I auditioned and was selected to do four shows for Super Bowl Live when the game was held in Houston. I also perform for a lot of private events, and I’ve done a few things at churches. Overall, I’d say that I’ve been pretty blessed to have such a big stage.”
— Raquel Segura
At Houston Methodist Baytown Hospital, where Raquel is a senior human resources representative, patients have requested her to sing at their bedsides. During the pandemic, her singing has helped to boost co-workers’ morale.
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