Hey everybody! Too Tall here for your Monday blogspot. I hope everybody had a great weekend. With that being said, if you haven't seen this movie, then you should! It was awesome!
People always ask a poet, why do you write? I have two rules to follow when I think of this question. The first being what William Wordsworth wrote, "poetry is a spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings." The second is rooted Oscar Wilde's Our Town.
People always ask a poet, why do you write? I have two rules to follow when I think of this question. The first being what William Wordsworth wrote, "poetry is a spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings." The second is rooted Oscar Wilde's Our Town.
Emily: Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it--every,every minute?
Stage Manager: No. The saints and poets, maybe they do some.
I feel that as poets we record every day instances around us which shape our voices as writers. Anything from a birthday poem to a social injustice piece are all rooted in moments that shine a light on what it means to live the human existence as well as give a voice to that which cannot speak for itself.
Over the last month or so I read an article about this man, Jean Charles de Menezes. He was killed in a case of mistaken identity. I could not get the story out of my head and I knew I had to write something about it. Sometimes poems come out of nowhere and blindside a poet. After researching his story I knew the world had to know more about what happened. Here is an excerpt of a poem I wrote about his story.
Does mistaken identity sound like bad intelligence?
Jean Charles de Menezes looked nothing like Osman Hussain
His palm read a lifeline cut short by crossed wires
The hot morning described by police was a brisk 60 degrees
the coat detailed by police to be large with wires
Was nothing more than a light denim jacket
In the thirty minutes it took Jean to get to Stockwell station
Was his bright Brazilian smile too dark on that cold morning?
As he was tailed by two armed guards within 15 feet
since he left his home.
What did your death sound like, Jean?
When you answered your work phone that morning
Was Death the one who told you
A fire alarm needed to be fixed with your blood?
I feel that as poets it is our duty to not only capture the moments in our own lives, but also capture the moments that need unresolved justice. I like to think of poets as the voice of the people; a sort of soap box preacher everyone has inside. Voices need to be heard, and it is our duty to speak for them.
Jean Charles de Menezes January 7, 1978-July 22, 2005
So, I saw 'this movie' was a link...not sure if everyone would get that...Nice work though ;)
ReplyDelete