What are you? / 15th September 2024

A discussion on being who we are

I have a strange relationship with titles, but I'm finally at a place of comfort with my being and my ability to call myself a poet because I am a poet. I stretch beyond poetry but everything I write is poetry extended. Whether it's these essays or stories, at their core, they're poetry. Even in my photography and design, I am a poet. There is often protest regarding the term poetry and what classifies as a poem but we don't have many active discussions on what constitutes a poet. Do you believe poetry is anything a poet creates or the simple act of poem creation? Considering where the line between poetic and non-poetic is drawn is intriguing. To imagine there is some invisible threshold, I step over, and my title changes. I am a poet through and through and not much else.

One of the many beauties of this world lies in its constant evolution. Poetry, for instance, has grown branches and now has subcategories. Traditional, slam, and micro have their own unique characteristics. Spoken word, while often associated with a slam, is distinct; slam poetry refers more to poetry performed in a contest setting, but over the years, it has evolved into a style people can recognise. I then want to extend the question of what a poet is. To me, being a poet goes beyond writing poetry. It involves a particular way of thinking—a mindset that aligns with the essence of poetry itself. Curiosity is a hallmark of this mindset. Many poets I have met share a deep fascination with the world around them. They dare to see things differently and allow themselves to submit to their vision. I don't think engaging in an activity necessarily makes someone embody the essence of that activity. For example, dancing in dinosaur pyjamas doesn't make someone a dancer, and cooking doesn't automatically make someone a chef. This idea extends to the realm of creativity as well. Although I draw frequently, I wouldn't call myself an artist. To be recognized with a title, there's a level of mastery and commitment required. Labeling myself something without achieving a certain level would be an act of disrespect to those who have devoted themselves to their craft. If I learned a few facts about physics and labeled myself a scientist then it wouldn't sit right with me. Just because I understand Kepler's law doesn't mean I am a physicist by any stretch of the imagination. Poetry is a field of study, and to be a poet, I believe you must be interested in running into that field and screaming the name of all the things you consider holy.

Passion is also a major factor in your titles. Who you are is majorly affected by what you are passionate about. Your construction is more than the structure of bones; you are comprised of more than flesh and organs. I'm not saying our biology is boring, but we are all shaped by what lingers beyond the physical. Our dreams and inspirations give us meaning and purpose. Our desires drag us from our beds, and we are all driven by metaphorical vehicles toward our aspirations. It is the very thing that calls to us through our darkest depths that we should consider a homeland. I am a firm believer that everybody has a calling, but even more so, not everybody follows the echo. There is something that reverberates in the tunnels of you with more answers than questions and it is your choosing if you listen. I have been summoned to unfamiliar places, and a stranger in a strange land is no place to be, but we, as humans, are guilty of forcing belonging until it turns nuclear.

Simply put, I urge you to be mindful of timeless wisdom and follow your heart. Whatever you aspire to be, strive to become it. Trust your natural instincts. Once betrayal occurs, it's only a matter of time before retaliation follows, and all canons face inward.

Poetry is the voice and the echo within me, and poet, to me, is staring at a starless sky and seeing nothing but stars. To become anything requires dedication, and I feel devoted to poetry. I feel some inescapable connection to it, and everything I put forward into the world feels laced with it. I didn't have to force my way in or go through some vicious transformation; falling in love with poetry came naturally, and who you are supposed to be is exactly like that. Defining you doesn't require a fight because you were born defining each other. I see it in my friends, too—some are born salespeople, my dad is a natural problem-solver, my mom shines in roles revolving around people, and they all have jobs to reflect their skills. I would crumble under the weight of their callings, even in whisper form. If you don't feel a profound love for what you do, then perhaps it's time to seek out something that punches your heart in the face.

You can be whatever you want, but it will require work and more than the act of doing whatever you want to do. Take classes, read books, but most importantly, believe in yourself. If it is passion, then it will guide you, and it will be easy to follow. That isn't to say you won't face obstacles; every road worth taking is littered with them, but it is to say that passion makes the journey worth it, allowing you to drive further and take detours with confidence. You can’t force passion. It’s stubborn and doesn’t alter; it goes only to the parties it wants and lives by its own rules. Passion sometimes shifts, too, and that’s okay. It can be hard to admit that you don’t love something you used to, but passion grows with us, and sometimes it outgrows its entire wardrobe. Sometimes, it's shy and hides, but with patience, it can be coaxed out. You must find the bravery to try new things and explore those foreign lands of yourself. You will spend your life attempting to understand yourself, as will we all. There isn't enough time to resist yourself, so I ask,

I am a poet, what are you?

I enjoyed writing this essay very much. Please sound off in the comments and discuss it with me. What did you think? I would love to hear. Okay, here is a song to ride us out of here too.