• FREE THE POEM •
a short manifesto

I believe in freeing the poem. I believe in bringing poetry into everyone's life, everyday.

I believe that The Poetry belongs to The Every Day Person - not only to "The Poet" and the archaic structures which create, consider, and control them.

Through various methods - public art works, interactive performance, advising, intuited personal poems, illustrations, and more - I work every day to create a reality around me that stands true to this belief. I have accepted that my work in this body and mind is to help others welcome poetry into their lives, and to discover (even if only in private) the poet within them so that they, too, may heal and grow and wonder with the power of the word freed.

It is clinically proven and anciently known that poetry heals emotional trauma, enhances creative and critical thinking, and helps instill empathy and compassion in those who read and write it. And yet, for so many reasons, so many people grow up to hate it. To fear it. To suspect it. I spend a lot of time thinking about this inherent national hatred/aversion to/suspicion of poetry, and I have come to understand that it is mainly rooted in institutional learning, classism, and intellectual colonialism.

And so, in the spirit of working to decolonize everything that we know in hopes of creating a nation and a world that actually loves instead of fears and hates - I ask you now - how do you feel about poetry? Is it close to you or very far away? Does it make you smile or make your sweat? Can you recite verse and if so, is it out of joy or out of wringing? When was the last time you wrote something you considered a poem? Did you know that your grocery list might count?

If you feel, like so many, that poetry isn't for you, or that it's boring, or pretentious, or that you like it but you find it so fucking inaccessible - I am here for you. Let's talk. Let's work together to find ways to FREE THE POET that lives within you who is really, truly, wishing to be seen. Let's break through the bullshit and barriers and find the space where you can reclaim your right to the most powerful tool for awareness, processing, healing, and expansion that the human brain (and body) has access to.

By challenging our perspectives, our ways of thinking, and our ability to draw remote conclusions, poetry allows us to open our worlds and our hearts. By simply reading or writing some words on a page and taking the time to think about them after we do we can change our whole lives. We can develop empathy and a life changing perspective. We can gain a sense of connection and let go of our feelings of anger. We can find a break from our anxiety and stress, help ourselves to create a space where we can breathe, and be, and find the love again.

poetry is, as Suzanne Cesairé once said, a permanent ready for the ​MARVELOUS.
are you ready to accept your invitation? the marvelous is waiting for you...

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