The Poet Who Changed Live's
When I was in college in I saw Andrea Gibson perform live poetry.
Andrea was the first spoken word poet I’d ever seen perform in Boulder, CO.
I didn’t know anything about spoken word poetry or slam poetry competitions.
All I knew was their performance transported me to another world.
I bought their CD, because this was in 2003.
I listened to their poems on repeat and memorized almost all of them.
Andrea Gibson’s poetry encompasses ALL of the human experience and it is a gift.
Here is a poem of Andrea’s.
There is a movie streaming now on AppleTV about Andrea and her loving partner Meg, it’s called Come See Me In the Good Light.
It is touching, heartbreaking, heart opening, and the reminder we all need to cherish each and every second we are given in these bodies.
Below are a couple of clips from the movie.
I am thankful for Andrea’ Gibson’s presence in my life.
They brought me to poetry.
They planted a seed of hope, bravery, and truth telling in my heart that grew even when they weren’t around.
A decade later I found myself lonely, depressed, and in rooms full of poets.
I forced myself onto stages to performer my poems.
I even wrote a book of poetry Sunshine by Design.
Poetry and the poets telling their truths for everyone to hear, it all saved me too.
If you’re feeling lonely, isolated, and depressed, find yourself a live poetry slam or watch a bunch of videos on Button Poetry or Andrea Gibson’s pages.
You will feel less alone.
You will feel seen.
You will feel it’s okay to feel everything you feel.
In honor of Andrea’s life I’m sharing one of my poems, What Happens When You Die?
It’s a question I used to ask a lot.
Love Always,
Danielle Mallett
