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.
Interpretation
The quote reflects the desire for meaningful expression and remembrance in the face of loss.
In this poignant quote, Sarah Kay expresses the profound impact of witnessing destruction on human lives, symbolized by remnants like a wristwatch or diary page. It conveys a struggle between personal insecurities and the aspiration to create something lasting and significant, with the hope that one's artistic expression can serve as a testament to existence, akin to an exhibited poem that captures the essence of one’s life amid the transient nature of life and memory.
In practice
This quote can be used in a poetry reading to inspire others about the significance of creative expression.
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.
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 me, having the courage to tell your own story goes hand in hand with having the curiosity and humility to listen to others' stories.
Major writing is to say what has been seen, so that it need never be said again.
It was not in me It came and went I wanted to hold it It was held by wine (I no longer know what it was)
I always tell aspiring documentary filmmakers, 'You have to go into it because you love it; if you go into it for the money, you're an idiot.' The number one prerequisite is you have to be intensely curious. If you love learning and trying to make people figure out what makes people tick, it's the best job in the world.
We sit down before the picture in order to have something done to us, not that we may do things with it. The first demand any work of art makes upon us is surrender. Look. Listen. Receive. Get yourself out of the way (there is no good asking first whether the work before you deserves such a surrender, for until you have surrendered you cannot possibly find out.
The painter must give a completely free rein to any feeling or sensations he may have and reject nothing to which he is naturally drawn.
When you have a large space to conquer, the curve is the natural solution.
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