LIFE SPAN

When I was 12, I found I had a knack for writing. After one school assignment for a haiku poem had me feeling good because of the teacher's smile. Later that week, I watched Romeo and Juliet. I was inspired, so i raced to gather myself a pen and paper. 15 minutes later, a full page was created full of things i comprehended from that tragic love story. I was teased for what I felt for that poem, so I kept my talent a secret from then on, writing poems about how I hated my social studies class but loved it at the same time, because of one beautiful dark skinned black girl with long braids and black framed glasses that sat one seat up and two seats over to the left across the aisle. I watched poetry slam videos for the first time and fell in love. As I got older though, I found out how heavy of a story cleverly put together words could tell. I started hearing the realness. I never knew how much words could shoot through skulls like bullets and blow your mind but also give you something to think about. My first experience performing poetry on stage when I was 20 was more surreal than I thought it would be. I thought it was going to be calm and easy like watching def poetry jam or that movie love Jones, about how the poet sweets talk one listener through a poem the very first time they met, but no it was nothing like that. Although I saw plenty of beautiful girls, particularly this one wild dreaded black girl with a long dress and boots on. I knew she had something real to say, and I listened as her words split my brain in two, as i heard her tell a story of her cancer riddled friend and how she loved sunflowers. See it was nothing like how I imagined. I was last to go up for the night and when i got up my insides dropped and melted into a pool of nothingness. I grabbed the mic and introduced myself and I realized I owned that stage and the audience for those 12 minutes. When it was over, I walked off hearing cheers and clapping not thinking anything of it because they had clapped for everyone. I walked out feeling accomplished as some guy shook my hand and thanked me for sharing. I walked out that night with new found knowledge that not everyone can sound the same when telling you about life.