I want [my daughter] to look at the world through the underside of a glass-bottom boat, to look through a microscope at the galaxies that exist on the pinpoint of a human mind.
Interpretation
This quote encourages a perspective that appreciates both the minute details and the vast possibilities of life.
Sarah Kay's quote emphasizes the importance of having a unique perspective on the world. It suggests that one should be curious and observant, exploring the intricacies of life as well as the grand tapestry of existence. The imagery of looking through the underside of a glass-bottom boat evokes a sense of wonder, inviting us to observe life from different angles, while looking through a microscope draws attention to the vast potential thoughts and ideas can hold within a single mind. This dual focus on the micro and the macro reflects a holistic view of life that encourages exploration and understanding.
In practice
During a graduation speech to inspire students to explore their potential.
When I hear other people's stories, I like to believe that they contribute to my 'Encyclopedia of Human Experience.' The stories I hear help me expand my definition of what love is, what pain feels like, what sacrifice means, what laughter can do.
Spoken word poetry is the art of performance poetry. I tell people it involves creating poetry that doesn't just want to sit on paper, that something about it demands it be heard out loud or witnessed in person.
Life will hit you hard in the face, wait for you to get back up just so it can kick you in the stomach. But getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.
But in Hiroshima, some people were wiped clean away, leaving only a wristwatch or a diary page. So no matter that I have inhibitions to fill all my pockets, I keep trying, hoping that one day I'll write a poem I can be proud to let sit in a museum exhibit as the only proof I existed.
If I should have a daughter, instead of "Mom," she's going to call me "Point B," because that way she knows that no matter what happens, at least she can always find her way to me.
Not all poetry wants to be storytelling. And not all storytelling wants to be poetry. But great storytellers and great poets share something in common: They had something to say, and did.
To be idle requires a strong sense of personal identity.
Never work just for money or for power. They won't save your soul or help you sleep at night.
What we are tempted to call a disaster is sometimes the first, painful stage of a blessing.
When you sing that this country was founded on freedom, don't forget the duet of shackles dragging against the ground my entire life.
Dripping water hollows out stone, not through force but through persistence.
He who hopes in God trusts God, Whom he never sees, to bring him to the possession of things that are beyond imagination.
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