In the wake of a very busy schedule and at the dawn of a new chapter in my life, I’ve somehow acquired the privilege of working with some of the most talented and generous individuals in West Michigan. Screenwriters, poets, professors, editors. There aren’t words accurate enough to epitomize my gratitude, nor my excitement, at having the opportunity to learn from these artists.

One such person, a fellow GVSU classmate just back from Brazil, finally convinced me to broadcast my work via WYCE Radio. Of course there was much convincing to be done, as it was my first time in a recording studio (not to mention it was my favorite radio station in Grand Rapids). Though I was nervous at sharing some of the work I had to whip up for the show, it was quite fun! And the learning experience I gained is one I will be forever grateful for.

So here are the two poems, both composites of earlier inspirations and stylistic experimentation, that I read between questions during my on-air interview. Though I wrote each piece with a very unique disposition in mind, it is their characters’ coping with a post-apocalyptic world (or utopia, depending on the stance from which you view it) that unifies them. Nevertheless, it is to my subconscious that I am indebted. For I discovered, upon their reexamination, that many deeply-rooted moments of my life resurfaced without my knowing. However my past need not worry the reader! Only the emotions elicited from the audience, always.

With that being said, I hope you enjoy! Though the poems were written hurriedly, and are not my favorite to date, I hope you can find in them some semblance to your own lives….a parallel to your own past, if you will. There is absolutely nothing that would bring me greater joy than that!