Poem from the Heart:
What Am I?
What Am I? Who Am
I?
I am a man who stands
on his own two feet, who
stands for the right to
learn,
to teach. The
feeling is
oh so sweet. I am
an
artist, who is proud,
young
and strong. I am
an artist,
who reaches and teaches
poetry to our students.
You ask me, ÒWhat are
you?
and who are you?Ó I am
a man who is strong in
mind, heart, and soul.
I do
my best to stay focused
and powerful with my
poetry,
not my fists. You
ask me,
ÒAre you really a
teaching artist?
Can you really teach the
young generation
poetry?Ó
I say, ÒYouÕre damn
right I can.
Why? ÔCause I am a
teaching artist.
I am a strong man with
a lot on my mind. I
teach the younger
generation
poetry and writing
and love every minute
of it.Ó You turn
around
and disrespect me, say
that I cannot do it.
I cannot teach poetry.
Am I not real? You
donÕt
know me to judge what am
I,
who I am. You say I
am no poet. Try teaching
my kids, work in my
classroom,
and attend the summer
seminars.
I look at you and say,
ÒExcuse me?Ó You put me
and my peers down and I
say, ÒWhat? What? What?
You can
never fill the shoes of
all the teaching artists
who bust their aÑÑ doing
what is right. You
could never
be like us when it comes
to the arts. Who
the hell
are you to judge me.
Who
the hell are you to
judge
my peers?Ó What am
I? I
am a man who tells it
like it is. I am a
teaching artist. I am
a poet. I am a
man who loves the job
that
I do. I am a proud
member of Summer
Seminar,
that takes place year
after year.
In 2006
IÕll still be what I say
I am Ñ an artist,
a proud artist, A
Teaching Artist.
My poetry, my studentsÕ
poetry,
my peersÕ work that they
are
proud of says it all.
I am what I am.
DonÕt forget that. My
time
is the present. Our
students
are the future. Hate is
in the past. Now you
know
who I am. Now what are
you? Who are you?
Peace Love and God Bless
Our Students And Their Future
THOMAS PERRY
