I believe in winning

I believe in crafting words to spit fire,

breathe venom

I believe in the acceleration of heartbeats

the iambic pentameter of a

da DUM, da DUM, da DUM,

until you can hardly hear yourself speak.

 

I believe in wild gesticulations

and taking as many. dramatic pauses.

as the muse compels you to make

heck, I believe there is a muse!

(and sometimes, she’s kind of a jerk).

 

I believe in snaps on snaps on snaps

and ‘she did that’s’ and ‘ooh girls’

I believe in stories

in stabbing yourself in the heart with a pen,

or a letter opener,

whichever hurts prettier.

 

I believe that you’re either going into a storm

or coming out of one, so you might as well

dance in the rain

I believe that I can see you, man in the sixth row back texting your girlfriend,

put your phone down,

I am important;

I believe that my words are important.

 

I believe in radical mistakes

the kind of quiet that suffocates

in critics and crickets

in silence.

 

But I believe that art is love;

it can change our lives if we let it.

I believe in spotlights,

and in the right hands, a poet and a mic are as

good as a gun.

 

So I believe in Wednesday nights

where the lights twinkle, and the mic is on fire.

I believe that the world is better because we are in it.

 

And yeah, I believe in winning,

but, God, I believe in you.

 

I believe in you.