After a whirlwind of events, poet Jason B. Crawford sits down with Aaron Tyler Hand for episode 10 of The Personhood Project. They discuss Crawford's debut collection, Year of the Unicorn Kidz, and take a closer look at vulnerability that radiates through the pages of Crawford's book. Crawford shares insight into writing from memory even when those memories don't present the writer on their best moments. True to Crawford's style, though, much of the conversation is on joy, and the act of writing about and talking about joy that is often overlooked. Specifically, Black and Queer joy.
Jason B Crawford:
It's a step out of capitalism; I'm sharing this poem with you because I love you as a person, and vice versa.
Poems:
We Use To Play Before COVID I remember being so nervous
cause the band would show up
and I would be setting up
and I would be singing. Them wanting me to join in.
Different People
I never care to worry bout everyone judging me but being
around ones that don’t are people that love me,
they are funny cause they know I laugh at everything.
And that wouldn’t always be my family,
it would be women I met in prison
they were the strongest and happiest.
Girls in Blue
Sittin here with the girls
in blue
wondering all of
the tragic things they’ve
been through
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Anger raging bottled inside
shaken soda ready to explode
blooming inside trapped nowhere to
go
explosion
Pain, hurt, let go of the past
why
Sunflower, wild and free
growing and spreading with no where to
go
things that i bury inside
1. fear
2. who i really am
3. things that i really like
4. being afraid to be alone
5. how to open up
6. how to express myself
7. that i really need help
8. that it is okay for me to love myself
9. that i am beautiful
10. that i do not have to be afraid of myself
I give all of this to
you dear God our
lord and savior
in Jesus name
I pray, Amen.
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What to show, what to hide
can they see what's kept
buried inside!
Fits of anger, fits of sorrow
hurt and frustration Hell being
played like guitar or so!
How to hang on when feeling
broken just keeping faith and
keeping to oneself!
The lord up above is the light
that guides me and I bury
myself in my bible and
workbooks to keep from
losing true faith and true self!
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I bury fear and regret
and lots of other things
I think that it would bloom
into a very beautiful thing
one day.
Worry
I take a hot cup of coffee
—Blend in the Cap. Stirring
@ it like it does belong in
—the Clumps are all out.
I stir it & check it, taste it
—is it enough of either.
Did I do the right amount?
I’ll just leave it as is
& drink it even though
it may not be equally
right. When it’s gone
—I think about the next cup
if that one will be the one
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The fear of true happiness
maybe the reality of
a real smile, not
a fake, to please people
grin, knowing that your
inside is the complete
opposite… Wanting to come
barreling out with
the roar of a lion.
untitled
Emotions.
Good memories.
My own positive attributes
My fears
My true self
If I were to show these things
to others I could be seen as
different that what i want to
portray. Maybe, though what I
portray isn’t as good as what
I really am. If I could
be a plant, I’d be a dandelion
because they fly free with just
a hard enough gust of wind.
Writing Prompts:
The real power in Jason B. Crawford’s poem If I keep saying flowers in enough poems, I wonder if they’ll ever finally bloom is their use of imagery. This means that in each line of the poem, Jason chooses careful wording to evoke specific images in the reader's mind. Here, the repetition of flower types and what they are doing and where they are located spark such specific images for its readers. Think of a part of nature that you miss. Something that has such clear pictures in your mind. It could be a park you played at or a tree you climbed, anything you want! Describe this natural scene in a vivid way so the reader would feel like they can see the image just as clearly as you.
At the heart of In defense of being off key to a Mariah Song is a poem that celebrates the little moments in life that are often overlooked. Here, Jason is writing about the joys of singing their favorite songs with their favorite people. In those places with those friends, it doesn’t matter if you can hit every note or even if you’re a good singer. What matters is that you’re just living in the moment with people you care about. Write a poem about singing one of your favorite songs accompanied by the people you love the most. What song are you singing? Who’s singing with you? Who’s off key? Who’s messing up the words? Where is this joyous moment happening? Go into detail so the reader can feel like they are in the room with you, singing along.