The new Write Out Loud Poem of the Week is ‘(Mg,Fe)2SiO4’ by Rafael. He has described the poem, which includes a reference to a gemstone called peridot, derived from the mineral olivine, as “basically just a love letter” to a girl with “gorgeous red hair, tiny freckles and she's beautiful … I myself have light brown skin with jet-black hair, so I decided to write this poem based off the fact that we both have a deep contrast between each other's appearance.” He told Write Out Loud more about himself in his responses to our Q&A:

 

Is poetry an important part of your life and can you remember when and why it became so?

Poetry means the world to me and it’s been that way since I was young. The first time I came in contact with poetry was in elementary school around third or fourth grade. I'm forever grateful to my elementary school because they encouraged each student to read at least two books a month, and every Friday we were asked if we wanted to head up to the school's library to pick and choose a new book to take home.

One day I walked into our school library for a new book and found Shel Silverstein's Where the Sidewalk Ends. It first caught my eye because of the neat drawing it had on the cover and it looked really old. When I opened the book and started reading all of his funny, tongue-twister poems and laughing at his doodles on the pages, I was instantly hooked. I just remember saying “I want to do that too.”

 

If you could only have one poet’s work to read (like a desert island book) which one would you choose and why?

It would definitely come down to either Allen Ginsberg's Howl or Shel Silverstein's Falling Up. I'm honestly torn between those two pieces of work for choosing a desert island book.

Allen Ginsberg's Howl because his poems are long, story-like and heavily infused with descriptive literature. He really knew how to paint a picture with words and he was never in a hurry to explain what he saw or what he had to say. I’ve learned a lot from reading his poems and he’s helped me break out of my comfort zone when it came to writing.

Shel Silverstein's Falling Up is just a genuine work of art! From his drawings to his poems, it’s just flawless. He had this dark, humorous way of disguising serious issues such as loneliness, confusion or selfishness, all the way down to matters like social behaviour, greed and control. He could take his own problems or his perspective on his community and then cleverly present his opinion with a humorous doodle and a tongue-twisting rhyme for all ages to enjoy. I think Shel Silverstein was a genius …

 

How do you think your poetry style has changed since you started writing?

I definitely feel like I’m no longer bound to one format of writing or presenting my poetry. When I first started writing poems, I would always write them in these four, short and A,B,A,B structures. Almost like an Edgar Allan Poe poem stuck on repeat. Nothing against Edgar Allan Poe, I absolutely love his work! I'm just saying that I feel free to experiment with new styles and formats in poetry. No rules anymore.

 

Do you perform your work and if so, what advice would you give to other young poets like yourself just starting out?

Yes, I've performed my poetry before and all I can say is that it was very frightening the first couple of times … Like one big shot of adrenaline when you walk up to the microphone at first.

My advice to poets just starting out would be to find a comfortable environment where you know your work will be granted attention from the audience, like an open-mic coffee house or a poetry club nearby, and when you find one, just do it. Nothing more.

Saying "what if" or "if only I had done that ..." is never a good motto to live by. When I finally said “screw it” and performed my poetry, I spent a few minutes that night talking to myself in bed asking "why didn't I do that sooner?" It really is a lot of fun!

 

What inspires you most when gathering material for new poetry?

Before, it was reading other pieces of poetry because I never knew what to write about. But now, it can really be anything at all. Sometimes I like to sit in public places and eavesdrop on a conversation between strangers. Other times, I like to place myself in awkward or difficult situations.

Last week, I walked up to a woman in a bar who I knew was out of my league. I approached her kind of knowing that she wouldn't be interested in me. But truthfully speaking, I wasn’t interested in her either. She was really gorgeous, but all I wanted was to take the writers block off my back. I went home that night and wrote ‘Red Woman’ , which was my entry poem for this website.

 

 

(Mg,Fe)2SiO4

by Rafael

 

A belated phrase swims to me.

Whenever we talk

Your peridot aura reaches first

 

 

There's constant contrast between you and I

It grows far greater when we shorten the distance

I love it when people can't help but stare.

 

 

                   All they see is us,

                   All I see is you.

 

 

We're two fennel sprouts

Basking in a public garden; ripe

Exposed. Ready to be plucked

 

 

                   ...Yet, surely, no one around is hungry

                   Me and you; we're still grounded center.

 

 

Plus,

My stalks

My leaves and my bulb,

They all rest against you 

 

 

And you stay.