Bars &
Music Notes
Bars &
Music Notes
Bars &
Music Notes
Words Have Power
Poetry is The best form of expression
Jeremiah Lawrence is 22 year old from Brooklyn, New York. he moved back and forth from Pennsylvania to Brooklyn for most of his life. Before becoming a poet Jeremiah loved to play basketball, basketball is his true passion and want to make a career out of it. Poetry is his outlet and with the loss of a loved one, his life was on stand by. Using poetry as his outlet Jeremiah was able to express that pain on levels unimaginable. Poetry is the best form of expression on an emotional and mental level. This is his story.
Poetry Corner
Why is poetry important
Poetry is important to me because it gives me a way to express myself without any boundaries. I can say, however, I feel and I could put everything onto a piece of paper and paint an image for everybody else to see and for other people to see what I am going through they could be going through it at the same time. In a sense, so they don’t feel like their going through it alone.
how does a poem begin for you?
It typically begins with something that happens, like a moment in time. I try my best to explain that moment in time. It’ll come from a bee flying past me just buzzing with the sun reflecting off of it because the bee is yellow and black. Or the site of somebody I hold dear, like “WOW” you look absolutely amazing today. I want to tell you that, but I cant so u just write it as a poem.
How was your first performance and what poem did you perform?
My first real performance was soul sessions in Allentown and when I performed “Real Niggas Don't Die.” I got halfway through the poem and was like “they weren't even ready for this” so I gave them a little taste of it. The second poem I performed was called “Dear Bre” and I was absolutely nervous. Walking up on stage I actually drank three long island ice teas (laughing) I felt great. I took my glasses off, and everything looked really blurry and at that moment I felt like I was up here by myself. When I write my poems that’s how I envision it. Everybody was quiet, and I opened up with “Real Niggas Don’t Die” and everyone was feeling it. Then I started with the next poem and everyone got real quiet. As I was reading the poem, everything started to go away and I stopped thinking about the people in the crowd and began to tear up. As I'm finishing the poem, it was silent the entire time. The host Wink and Gerdi came on stage and congratulated me and asked me if I was ok. Me thinking that no one like the poem it was the exact opposite.
How do you wish to inspire young people through poetry?
One, I want to show that anything is possible, you don't have to necessarily do the same things everyone else. Just because you can rhyme, doesn't mean you have to be a rapper you don’t have to be yourself just because people think this is what you should do. I play basketball, but nobody thought I could do poetry or write like that, I feel like if you have a hidden talent you should share it. Secondly, I want my words to be felt and not just heard so you can get a better understanding of where I’m going. The things that people didn’t tell me when I was younger I would like to put that on show. This is what we're doing in the community and this is how it's messing us up. If I could at least get to the young people and the new generation, then maybe in a year the world would be in a better place.
Who’s one of your favorite poets that have inspired you?
Maya Angelou definitely inspires me, mainly her story, her story itself. I Know Why A Bird Sings”, I saw the movie when I was younger, and it hurt. You see all the stuff that she went through and for a while didn’t talk, she would always be in her books and write but she would never say anything. She became a person that I admired her poems were deep. Wale also inspires me as well; he speaks on everything. He is underrated and hated on because he speaks the truth.
How does poetry make you feel?
It depends on what the poem is about whether about something sad or something happy. It could be about love or; it really depends on the moment. But overall poetry makes me feel better. It is easier to understand than actually talking to people.
what was your first poem about?
My first poem was about this girl, my first love I wanted to tell her how beautiful she was. Lord knows, I was so corny and so cheesy, but she loved it. Here’s a line from it,
“If I had to choose between loving you and breathing
I would choose my last breath to tell you I love you
While that’s sweet I thought it to be inconsiderate but consider this
A moment of fear because a future with you is not clear
Maybe I can’t see you that’s the reason for these tears
Blinding the sight of you hurt because I’m not there
I choose to breathe so I can find an exceptional way to say I love you every day”
why was this poem so personal to you?
The poem was actually about a friend of mine that passed away at the beginning of this year, she was mine. She and I were really close and a lot of the things I wanted to do in life included her. We shared everything even down to my Netflix password you know. She supported everything I did, and I supported some of the things she did, 5th just getting off of work a friend of hers called me and said she was gone. I couldn’t believe it and was shocked and asked where did she go. I was told she got into a car accident and died. I began to call her on the phone, Facebook, and Instagram. And she did not answer the phone, but when I went on it showed that she called me a couple of hours before it happened. For a second I was cool and told my brother what happened but then I broke down, for three days I could not stop crying. I needed to get this emotion out. It’s a different feeling when you love someone that’s your significant other. So I began writing and that’s how this poem came about.
Where do you see yourself as a poet ten year from now?
Two poem books and a poem storybook, something like Shakespeare where everything rhymes. I want to do a lot of school performances and events dealing with motivational poems. I want to be an influencer and motivational speaker in ten years.
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