the other day i realized how much power we have as 'poets' - that is if you choose classify yourself as such...

this came to mind as i was thinking about the impact of dante's inferno. for those of you who don't know, that is an epic poem, a book actually, written in the early 1300's. in that poem, dante describes his visit to each of the 9 circles of hell and his meeting with lucifer. but did you know - our present day concept of hell is derived from that poem and that poet...

before christ was born, plato wrote the republic. many modern day leaders used that book as a model for what a just and ideal society should be...

there is the bible, the koran, the torah...all poetic...all profound...all inspiring. millions believe in the power of those words, written by men & messengers, and have led wars in their names.

if you travel through time, you'll find that it was a poet who first questioned, who first challenged. it was the poet who gave birth to revolutionary ideas. the greatest thinkers, politicians, philosophers, and leaders - were also poets. their words inspired. whether written or spoken, their words quietly created a deafening noise that thundered into the souls of millions - and they affected change.

poets create perception. what is perceived to be, becomes real. reality, becomes life. as poets, we need to hold ourselves accountable for our words. our words will transcend time. they will impact our great-grandchildren's children. they will survive our demise.

malcolm x and martin luther king were poets. sun tzu was a poet. mandela is a poet.

please, be careful how you use your gift...

...amen

Words are powerful things. Writers of all kinds have helped shape history. When you speak, you can affect the people who are able hear you, but when you write, you can potentially "speak" to generations.