Proclaimer

Yesterday I spent the better part of my day watching def Poetry Jam season 2. A great deal of good poetry but what struck me most Mos Def’s introduction to the show. He talked of a song called ugly beauty. Then went on to say “Not every thing you hear today will be pretty but it will definitely be beautiful.” What the song, and his statement explained, is that ugly beauty is the truth even when you don’t want to hear it.

Many times we hide our truths behind lies just because we are scared what effect it will have on those who are affected by it. We mask our opinions and finish our statements with “you know?” and this interrogative tone to our statements making questions of statements that never really aren’t (Taylor Mali puts that best).We seem to be ashamed of our truth and even more of our opinions. No more do we have people who say “That’s what I think and the rest of you can stick up where the sun doesn’t shine.”

I encountered a similar crisis recently over a book I am to review for an online literature magazine (blog, thingy I don’t know what to call the site). I almost went to the level of writing a lie until a friend told me that in the end it is my opinion that the people who read the book reviews want. Needless to say I wrote my opinion and can only hold my breath and wait for the fireworks once the review is published. Then again though what is a review but an opinion? And what is an opinion but your very being? If we can’t stand by our thoughts with an undying passion what will we stand by?

So this post is more of a disclaimer than anything else, in fact this is not a disclaimer, it is a proclaimer. I write what I think, it is my opinion. If you have any sort of problem with it that is really your problem. I write the truth as I know it, in both my poetry and my prose. The truth may not always be pretty, the words here may not always be “right” or a conformation to society’s principles. The only thing I can promise you is my words, will always be beautiful.

Post navigation

  3 comments for “Proclaimer

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.