 Bobby LeFebre is Colorado's Poet Laureate and one badass dude. If you are not following him and his message, then you are surely missing out. He is a preserver of culture and a messenger for our times. This poem struck me as I scrolled through the monotony of Instagram. It made me laugh, it made me smile, and it made me feel seen.
Bobby is a Latino. He is the first person of color to be named Colorado's Poet Laureate. I am sure, with that title, that he is invited into spaces that are saturated in "whiteness". I love to imagine him there. Taking it all in while he wears his cool ass hats. Observing and taking subconscious notes that will fall out when he sits with his pen and paper. I've been in Bobby's shoes, on a smaller scale, whether it being in the predominately white world of education or during my engulfment in the predominately white world of Catholicism. When you are the only person of color in the room you naturally take on the role of observer as well as outcast. I, myself, feel the duty to be present in these predominantly white spaces to share my own experience and opinion, but to also try to understand the blindness and tone-deafness that is present concerning other populations that are not their own. I love how Bobby writes about the monontanity of small talk when he cites, "talk about golf and last quarter's returns”. He hints at man's desire for depth when he says, "they twirl and clink wine glasses as the cheese sits next to the olives on plates too small to fit anything but image -- everyone is secretly starving". He captures the idea that in these spaces, we skirt the truth and instead we regurgitate the latest news we have memorized from last night's studying. And Bobby, our Poet Laureate, finds himself in that liminal space where he must mingle and small talk, but when called upon he speaks the truth....as he should, he is a poet. It is the duty of the poet to force us past the common ways of looking at things and to break us out of the common script that we have a role in playing. I am a poet. You are a poet. Life is much too beautiful to speak of only what is common. Life is much too short to do what is only common. And life is much too short to not bathe daily and deeply in all that is beautiful. Check out Bobby's website. He is awesome.
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AuthorBrianna is a proud native of West Denver and she is an avid admirer of the arts. Her admiration of the arts is centered around her draw toward the beautiful and good of everyday life. Brianna finds beauty in a well-worn book, in the eclectic colors and textures of a thrift store find, and in the sound of a killer guitar solo whether it be live or through a well thought out Spotify playlist. Her passions are varied and many, but they all center on appreciating the fullness of life. Archives
September 2024
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