But We Are All Poets At Heart

We all have good and bad days. Many of us vent to our friends about the lousy things that happened to us during the week, and we reminisce about the few good instances. But poets are special. Not all of us have the impressive vocabulary and the way with words that these amazing people do. Average people don’t end up writing any of their thoughts down on paper in artistic ways. We have bottled up all of these emotions, and we’re trapped in our own minds, simply because we don’t know how to express ourselves. We yearn to be free and to have people finally know what we’re going through. To let others know that our lives are not perfect. Poetry is not always considered, though, when one is going through tough times. It is much easier to turn to drugs or something reckless like that to relieve stress.

Poets have it easy. They write a few stanzas about how the world sucks and how it needs to change and they do it in a creative way, then they get praised for their work. They’re the lucky ones. They have found a healthy way to vent. People often comment on how “deep” certain poets are because of how much meaning is behind one sentence. They are often known as the intellectuals of society. So who is to say that they shouldn’t be praised? I think they should get the most recognition out of all artists for the simple fact that they can say what most people want to say, but just can’t get out.

                Poets incorporate similes and metaphors into their pieces and make you think about what they’re saying, instead of just hearing it. They think this way and they’re able to get their thoughts down on paper in time to be able to share them with the world. Us average people often think some deep thoughts too. The thoughts we think are just not as artistically thought--if that makes any sense. Average people don’t think about fancy ways to phrase sentences; instead, the quickest and easiest ways to get their points across. That’s normal, right? Yes, but it is also rather boring.

The Lauren Hills and Shakespeares of our generations make the way we see the world more interesting and way more raw. These types of people are sort of like scientists. They discover new ways to speak their mind and actually work to find cures for common ignorance. These professionals take their talents seriously and actually perform in front of crowds! They pour out their hearts to their fans, hoping that the last metaphor of their piece is comprehended, while average people like you and me babble on aimlessly to our friends and diaries.

Poem by Taylor Mali- "Totally like whatever, you know?"

More often than not, we as a people speak with no confidence in what we are trying to get other people to listen to. Now, if we ourselves don't believe in what we're saying, how do we expect anyone else to? If we are not steadfast in our statements who will take us seriously? Taylor Mali’s poem, “Totally like whatever, you know?” puts a comedic spin on the issue. He makes his lines sound like he’s asking the audience questions and he points out that people often “attach invisible question marks” and “parenthetical ya knows” to the end of their sentences because of uncertainty in what they are talking about. Being that there are so many correct answers and credible sources out there, one might wonder why people seek out affirmation of their own explanations and findings through the tone in which they speak. It's because we are just not as confident as we think. Mali’s rhetorical skills exceed that of any other comedian I’ve ever heard of, and this type of speaking holds your attention longer. His motions and change of pitch have you smiling and laughing the entire time. It’s exciting when you’re listening to him speak and you can say to yourself “hey, I do that sometimes”. My favorite line of that poem is “-because contrary to the wisdom of the bumper sticker, it is not enough these days to simply “question authority”, you gotta speak with it to.”