Life has a way of adorning us with titles. Some identify our roles, others our responsibilities. And then there are those we place upon ourselves. The kinds that require courage to embrace and announce to the world. For me, one such title has been poet.
For some time now, I’ve shied away from calling myself a poet. That’s because I believed the designation was only meant for those able to weave together words so enthralling that the pages themselves became mesmerized.
But time has revealed something beautiful about the title I admire and the craft enjoy. Being a poet is not about claiming a mantle of achievement or excellence. It’s a commitment to the beautiful form of expression that is poetry.
I believe most self-selected titles are similar in this way. They measure neither our worth nor our accomplishments – only our willingness to bravely affirm a part of ourselves fear would have us hide.
May fear never have its way and may we all find the courage to embrace those special parts of ourselves.
-Jamal
who can
describe me
but myself
I define
my fantasies
and live.
we make
we believe
we are.
Notes from others:
“…sure, I want to be loved and I want to love, but I am also terrified of being hurt. The fear of some inevitable heartbreak is what usually leads me to find ways to protect that love at all costs, and punish those who might take it.”
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“To recognize ourselves and each other as beloved creatures is perhaps the most profound revelation we can aspire to. If we can achieve this, then there will have been a point to it all.”
Silence can be passive, can happen to us, but to pause is an action. It’s something we do...It’s purposeful, a stepping away that we must choose, or it won’t happen.
Pause by
“…what inspires us often indicates the qualities we, too, possess that have not yet materialized.”
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Thank you for sharing this and this reminder. I’ve definitely had many titles in my life but writer would definitely be the one that i’ve been the most reluctant and scared to claim and maybe that fear is the feeling of finally finding what you’ve been all along.
I think titles are given and validated based solely on dedication and respect for what it represents. And looking through your content, it seems you meet the requirements. A poet indeed.