Living Through Poetry | Amari Walker | TEDxYouth@Davenport
I [Music] want to be a good father but look what I've gotten so far I wish I could flash back memories of us remember I sing the alphabet but a boy could doubt every feeling father figures gently gesture gone goings going to the block is hot in my block Wow like this pack I got so your metal gear better be solid if you snake me Ge Ge always ended up getting stuck on gee I hate you do poetry and how you speak on a stage and make your breaths steps into living a life without having to gasp after every breath I wonder if you've written about me and how you've probably sat at home sometimes just wanting to be left alone because deep down you really know that I'm not at home I love you tell your mother I love her because of that I wish I can change the rules of mathematics and make us three into one your mom thinks I'm a zero and your brother does too but that doesn't add up my actions were subtraction leaving me to be the negative one so what this is equal they say like father like son so if this is true then joining your father only makes you negative - I don't know what I would say if I'd seen you I'm sorry I'm glad to finally meet you I can teach you I know my life's only been about that money man so let me at least give you these two cents don't be like me now I finally realized why you love video game so much I was the first RPG you ever seen because the role I played was G being the first person she would always turn heads in the split-screen no multiplayer no you and your brother have different mothers don't be a multiplayer my son my son we could have been a happy family I jumped off your mother on one side now she grew older I was absent when you needed another I was upset with your mother I thought when it came to us she showed neglect she just didn't want me to bond with you between glass after see her ex in a box were the only thing I can do is wave to connect with you in your life level up your character upgrade your perks given by the true creator do not forget that's your primary weapon is your presence and anything you do in the hope one day to see you grow up into more of a man that I have always never been loved dad three years ago as a newly graduated senior tried to reach out to my father only to be told that he was back in jail just like the majority of my life has been to cope with that I wrote this piece to literally become my father and give myself advice that I've never gotten it's because of pieces like this that gets you to understand three things about poetry how it combats trauma articulates emotion and how you can actually live through poetry you know I wasn't always a poet I started out as a dancer and it was it was tough growing up in a single-parent household and the long with the help of family and mentors even the way I came into this world was traumatic I was one pound 14 ounces one doctor one premature child one breath fighting to without help one prayer linked arms with fear and so unfolded fists were forced free to let go of doubts one mother's mind was made up whatever happens to my son we don't work it out and that's why it works that's why combating trauma with poetry works because you're taking those emotions morphing them into a creative in written fashion and then the expression of that helps to to further combat that trauma and maybe give hope to someone else by now you probably understand that this art form has a lot to do with emotion this is because performance poetry also known as spoken word poetry is meant to be experienced rather than read because the acting that all of the emotions and etc articulating emotion became evident in my life between fifth through eighth grade when asked tweet aloud my mouth enveloped itself shut only to be ripped open by blade fingernails stutter and stumble into a chapter of my life that I've read in my head thousands of times before are you serious stop playing and read write she tells me how how am I supposed to trace the words right if my brain is using its left it was a real challenge for me and I still do it sometimes today when I'm nervous sir or flustered but the one thing that helped me beyond anything more than the therapy or anything else was performance poetry it was it was that the the rhythmatic cadence of my own thoughts helped me to overcome a speech impediment that's amazing and for the last school year I've been able to teach poetry and creative writing in my community and one thing that I've learned is that you can teach students how to live through poetry how is that possible let me explain live is an acronym for listen instruct value and express all of these are for everyone not just poets listen not only not only to yourself but listen to others it'll give you a better understanding of how you operate instruct whether that be being being instructed through trauma or the other way around no one can get through trauma efficiently by yourself value understanding the worth that you have because everyone has worth Express sharing with people that you trust about the discoveries that you've made for yourself and hopefully to give hope to them so now as you understand that poetry can combat trauma articulate emotion and understand the process of listening instructing valuing and expressing yourself just like me you too can live through poetry thank you so much