On Jan. 29 at 9 p.m. Monic "Mona" Daye brought her anger, pain and love to the Montas Lounge on Highway 54.

Daye is a poet with passion that flows from the bottom of her heart into her listener's ears.

The audience felt her every step of the way as she recited poems from her first book, "And You Thought You Had Problems."

As the night progressed, we learned more and more about Daye's experiences.

Her voice and emotions were heard that night on a whole other level.

Her powerful voice filled the room, raising the spiritual and mental power of women.

At 22, Daye, who was born in Durham and attended Hillside High School, has written over 500 poems.

At 14, she was sentenced to two years in a juvenile detention facility in Swannanoa, N.C.

At 11 she wrote her first poem, "Alberta", after her beloved grandmother Hallie died.

And You Thought You Had Problems tells this message:"That the problems you are facing/Not to worry/And not to fear/Because you are not alone/In this battle of aids, drugs, sex, death and abuse"

How anyone kept his woman quiet for so many years is amazing.

Thank you Ms. Daye