Letter To The Leaves: Ima Show You How Great I am

My Fellow Contributors,

This is suppose to be the week where I continue my series and speak about Framing. But this morning something happened that has sent me in a tail spin of inspiration and sharing it with you is the only way to right my flight.

I was posting a clip from Youtube today for Shakespeare's birthday (it was an audio recording of Act III of Titus Andronicus) before class when I came across this video. It was the advertisement but instead of automatically clicking 'skip' I decided to continue watching the video as I heard Ali's voice in the background.

As I starting watching more and more, it was the commentary going on in the background that made me realize that Ali was a poet. A smile stretched across my face as I began to appreciate the poetry coming from Ali's mouth.

Here's a few of the lines he said in the video

"Ima show you, how great I am.

Last night I cut the light off in my bedroom, hit the switch, and was in the bed before the room was dark.

Ima show you, how great I am.

Only last week, I murdered a rock, injured a stone, hospitalized a brick, Im so mean I make medicine sick.

Ima show you, how great I am."

I was taken aback by the images he created, but more show by his delivery of his lines. It was the force and bravado that he carried in his voice that gave me goosebumps. 

I think sometimes we get caught up in what kinds of narratives we are going to tell with words or what poetry can tell us about the human condition and we forget the power and inspiration and motivation words can give us. 

Language is unique from others in that it unites us all in a blanket of expression. We can share ideas, fears, loves, pain and strength. We can come together as one and also be torn apart.

Here are some of the lines that Sylvester Stallone said in the video:

"Let me tell you something you already know, the world ain't all sunshine and rainbows, its a very mean and nasty place and I don't care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it.
You, me, or nobody, is gonna hit as hard as life; but it ain't about how hard you hit, its about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward, how much you can take and keep moving forward.
That's how winning is done."

Nobody has the right to tell you who or what you can be. Follow your heart and get what you deserve. We all have greatness inside of us, waiting for the opportunity to find a way to make an indelible difference on this Earth and the people who inhabit it. Whether with word, deed or song, we are all bards of humanity, all musicians of bliss, and all doers of good.

I want to end this by sharing a few lines from the video that really spoke to me and I hope do the same to you.

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.

Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.

We are all meant to shine, as children do.

It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure."

As Always

Undoubtedly Yours,
Bermuda