The most important part of the word community is unity. How on earth are we able to commune if we aren’t unified? A community is made up of an eclectic array of people who come from different backgrounds, experiences, and ideas. Take the poetry community in Tampa for example. There are people from all walks of life, like college graduates, parents, single and married people, heterosexual and homosexual individuals, young, not so young, and older people. An eclectic bunch of folks.
Everyone’s agendas are different. Some people’s agendas may be similar, but in essence each person’s agenda has differences from the other. That’s fine. It’s perfectly okay from everyone to have different reasons as to why they are doing this. They had to go down different paths to get here, right? There are even individuals who don’t care for one another. That’s fine too. Such is life, such is poetry. I think the biggest issue that we face in this potentially powerful community is the overall mutual respect for one another.
With the word hater being spewed around so freely these days, people automatically assume that if someone doesn’t support them by going to a show or buy their CD that they are being hated on. First of all, sometimes, it’s not about them! It may be something that individual is going through. I can’t go to everything. At one point, I tried. It was draining me. What people don’t realize is that people have lives. Things happen. People may just not feel like going out. They may have had a rough day. They just might be a single parent, juggling a job, their passion, their aspiring dreams and goals. They may not have the money or means to get there. Stop taking things so personally! Granted some things are personal. There are a few people that don’t care for me. That’s fine. I’ll never bash them or talk against their shows. I may not personally take time to go out and support or spend my money with them. That’s the consumer in me. We have that right to choose where we spend our money and most importantly our time. But those people are very few. I support the movement. I support the art form. I support it because of what it means to me and what Poetry has done for me. So regardless of who is having a show, if it’s going on and I can go (physically, mentally, or spiritually) I usually go.
If we all respect each other and each journey and realize that someone else’s success or popularity doesn’t discount the next poets, we would be better off. Tampa is so big and there are too many people here who don’t even know that there is a poetry community out here. Why not work together to build something that can be just as beautiful to a bigger broader audience? We have too much at stake to get caught up in beef and hate. I know all too well how the hate, (and lack of support) from community can break you down. I nearly quit (I think I actually did once.)! Not everyone has the resolve to keep pushing and stay focused. I barely do some days and I sometimes I want to say, (excuse my French) “F the poetry community!” Lol! But, where oh where, would that get me? I’m still invested in it and I still believe that it can help people and ultimately change lives.
Think about it. It can build confidence. It can build friendships. It can bridge gaps. It can add definition to your life. That’s what poetry has done for me. Why would I not want to share that with someone who may be in my same position. Single mother that didn’t finish college, works hard to take care of her family and be a blessing to whomever she can, but has gotten lost in the day to day and being a “statistic”. There are too many people who want to see me suffer, fall, and fail. Poetry not only provides an outlet, but a redemption because I was gifted with it. That’s a gift I love to open and enjoy over and over again. It’s just a part of me. It’s that way for a lot of people. So as a community, we can continue to break down barriers and walls. We can build bridges to bridge gaps. We can change lives. We just have to respect each other and appreciate the love that each one of us has for poetry. We all love differently.
I had a Purple Kisss Ent shirt on that said “I Kiss Haters”. This older lady asked me what that meant. She was very concerned with what my answer would be. I simply said, I’m learning to greet my haters with love. So with the same love that we have for this art, let’s greet each other with love and make waves and moves to make a difference. I can see it and I’m excited about it. I’m invested in this movement because this is my passion and Tampa is my city. I’ll keep going until I can’t whether that be physically, mentally, or spiritually. But I don’t see that happening any time soon.
Everyone’s agendas are different. Some people’s agendas may be similar, but in essence each person’s agenda has differences from the other. That’s fine. It’s perfectly okay from everyone to have different reasons as to why they are doing this. They had to go down different paths to get here, right? There are even individuals who don’t care for one another. That’s fine too. Such is life, such is poetry. I think the biggest issue that we face in this potentially powerful community is the overall mutual respect for one another.
With the word hater being spewed around so freely these days, people automatically assume that if someone doesn’t support them by going to a show or buy their CD that they are being hated on. First of all, sometimes, it’s not about them! It may be something that individual is going through. I can’t go to everything. At one point, I tried. It was draining me. What people don’t realize is that people have lives. Things happen. People may just not feel like going out. They may have had a rough day. They just might be a single parent, juggling a job, their passion, their aspiring dreams and goals. They may not have the money or means to get there. Stop taking things so personally! Granted some things are personal. There are a few people that don’t care for me. That’s fine. I’ll never bash them or talk against their shows. I may not personally take time to go out and support or spend my money with them. That’s the consumer in me. We have that right to choose where we spend our money and most importantly our time. But those people are very few. I support the movement. I support the art form. I support it because of what it means to me and what Poetry has done for me. So regardless of who is having a show, if it’s going on and I can go (physically, mentally, or spiritually) I usually go.
If we all respect each other and each journey and realize that someone else’s success or popularity doesn’t discount the next poets, we would be better off. Tampa is so big and there are too many people here who don’t even know that there is a poetry community out here. Why not work together to build something that can be just as beautiful to a bigger broader audience? We have too much at stake to get caught up in beef and hate. I know all too well how the hate, (and lack of support) from community can break you down. I nearly quit (I think I actually did once.)! Not everyone has the resolve to keep pushing and stay focused. I barely do some days and I sometimes I want to say, (excuse my French) “F the poetry community!” Lol! But, where oh where, would that get me? I’m still invested in it and I still believe that it can help people and ultimately change lives.
Think about it. It can build confidence. It can build friendships. It can bridge gaps. It can add definition to your life. That’s what poetry has done for me. Why would I not want to share that with someone who may be in my same position. Single mother that didn’t finish college, works hard to take care of her family and be a blessing to whomever she can, but has gotten lost in the day to day and being a “statistic”. There are too many people who want to see me suffer, fall, and fail. Poetry not only provides an outlet, but a redemption because I was gifted with it. That’s a gift I love to open and enjoy over and over again. It’s just a part of me. It’s that way for a lot of people. So as a community, we can continue to break down barriers and walls. We can build bridges to bridge gaps. We can change lives. We just have to respect each other and appreciate the love that each one of us has for poetry. We all love differently.
I had a Purple Kisss Ent shirt on that said “I Kiss Haters”. This older lady asked me what that meant. She was very concerned with what my answer would be. I simply said, I’m learning to greet my haters with love. So with the same love that we have for this art, let’s greet each other with love and make waves and moves to make a difference. I can see it and I’m excited about it. I’m invested in this movement because this is my passion and Tampa is my city. I’ll keep going until I can’t whether that be physically, mentally, or spiritually. But I don’t see that happening any time soon.
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