People, Places, & Poetry

"The World is Full of Poets, but She Herself is Poetry."

The people who know me best know that I understand the world best through poetry. It is as though centuries of artists seem to be much better at articulating my feelings than I am. Songs, stories, and poems I have collected over the years speak to the intimate inner workings of my soul. I have been both blessed and cursed to feel everything so deeply, and it comforts me to know that there are complete strangers out there who know exactly how I'm feeling so I don't have to feel so alone. For every phase of my life, there is a talented poet who somehow knows exactly when I say right at the moment I need to hear it. I'm such a believer that these things have a way of finding us right when I need them most. Whether it be a song on the radio, a sign on the wall, a book passage you come across late at night, or that perfect Pinterest quote, poetry is all around us.

I am a firm believer that home is not a place, home is people. The people who know us, the people who love us, the people who believe in us when we do not believe in ourselves. This past weekend, I was fortunate to have a spontaneous visit with two of my best friends from home. I was reminded that there is comfort in sharing silly stories. It's so good to feel seen and supported, to look back on where we've been makes me that much prouder of where we are now. I was able to share some of my favorite poems and stories this weekend, and it was such a joy to be able to express some of the most vulnerable parts of myself. We spent our time in search of the little adventures: flowers, ocean, and good food! After all this time, these are still the wonderful women who know my soul so deeply. Together we were able to laugh and cry and embrace our memories with open arms. These women are my angels on Earth, and I can say without a doubt that their poems of life are nothing short of wondrous!

My journey with poetry began in eighth grade. We were asked to give speeches, and one girl in my class recited a speech from spoken word poet Sarah Kay entitled If I Should Have a Daughter. Ever since then, I recite that poem to myself in times of trouble, worry, or sadness. I've attached a link to this poem here, and if you have a spare moment this week, I would love it if you would give it a listen! Her sweet message always reminds me that this world is not as cruel as it seems, even on our worst days. Her poem inspired my public speaking final last semester when I wrote a poem of my own entitled Life Lessons for My Daughter from My Freshman Year. As someone who struggles with big changes, the process of writing this poem was incredibly healing for me. I think so many people limit themselves with creative projects like this one because they believe they will not be good at them. I wish people would just go ahead and try anyways! Sing poorly, write badly, paint uniquely, create, create, create!

I then went through a very deep dive into Erin Hanson's poetry during quarantine. Many nights were spent up late reading poem after poem and attempting to write some poems of my own. I found inspiration in the most mundane things and wrote until my eyes were blurry from staring at a screen for so long. I think Robin Williams says it best in Dead Poets Society, "We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for." When we embrace these passions, we get to know our own souls more intimately. Poetry gets to the very cores of our hearts, and that's where we find the good stuff.

Last semester, I was fortunate to stumble upon my current favorite poem from Zach Bryan called Fear and Fridays (also referenced in one of my past blog posts found here). I used to listen to this poem every morning when I woke up at the crack of dawn to row. He reminded me of the importance of living a life of love and being present in the moment. In times of stress, I call upon this poem to remind me of the things in life that truly matter. Our days may be confusing, frustrating, disappointing, or angering, but this is all a part of the dance of life. When our worlds seem to be falling apart at the seams, life goes on. The powerful play of life continues on and on and on, and we get to contribute a verse. What will your verse be?

More than anything, I want to say that you don't have to be a poet to live a life of poetry. We eat, sleep, and breathe the artwork which is intricately woven into our souls in every waking moment, and yet we are blissfully unaware of it. Our very existence is our poetry. We are constantly contributing these verses of poetry to the poem of life. Our love and anger and heartbreak and sorrow simply make our verses more vibrant and interesting. This is what makes reunions so beautiful, we are simply revisiting our favorite parts of the poem of life. We find home in the people whose poetry we find most beautiful. I am so lucky to have people in my life who want to know the most intricate parts of my soul and still find it beautiful. After a long day of seeking and working and feeling, it is so good to be able to come home to my people, my poetry.

Thank you for coming on this journey with me, I hope you've enjoyed your glimpse of Gracie! ;)