I am this space my body believes in.
Interpretation
This quote reflects the connection between identity and physical existence, suggesting that our sense of self is deeply tied to our bodies and the spaces we inhabit.
Yusef Komunyakaa's quote 'I am this space my body believes in' encapsulates the idea that our physical presence and the environment around us shape our identity. It suggests that the body not only experiences space but also constructs a sense of self that is influenced by the spaces we occupy, both literally and metaphorically. This relationship emphasizes the profound impact of our surroundings on our personal and collective consciousness.
In practice
In a discussion about personal identity at a philosophy seminar.
Students often have such a lofty idea of what a poem is, and I want them to realize that their own lives are where the poetry comes from. The most important things are to respect the language; to know the classical rules, even if only to break them; and to be prepared to edit, to revise, to shape.
It wasn't a deliberate decision to become a poet. It was something I found myself doing - and loving. Language became an addiction.
We have to embrace the good over the bad. That has to be one's personal project.
I originally wanted to embrace the imagery and forthrightness of rap music. There are some interesting, dynamic voices in rap. But I find most of it irresponsible in its overt violence and commercialization of anger. As artists, we believe we can will action through language. If that's the case, we have to take responsibility for what we say.
I'm uncomfortable with the focus on the poet and not on the poem.
Poetry helps me understand who I am. It helps me understand the world around me. But above all, what poetry has taught me is the fact that I need to embrace mystery in order to be completely human.
The best interpreter of the law is custom.
We can't plead ignorance, only indifference. Those alive today are the generations that came to know better. We have the burden and the opportunity of living in the moment when the critique of factory farming broke into the popular consciousness. We are the ones of whom it will be fairly asked, What did you do when you learned the truth about eating animals?
To pray is to pay attention to something or someone other than oneself.
The justification of majority rule in politics is not to be found in its ethical superiority.
The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong. For the least sin, it wouldn't take us longTo get so we had no one left to live with.For to be social is to be forgiving.
Habitat has opened up unprecedented opportunities for me to cross the chasm that separates those of us who are free, safe, financially secure, well fed and housed, and influential enough to shape our own destiny from our neighbors who enjoy few, if any, of these advantages of life.
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