We are solidly in the middle of Month 2 now. Please feel free to check out the previous 5 articles. This week, I want to celebrate two poets who are near and dear to me: Garrett Cathey, Amarillo native and 806 open mic host, and Tayllor L Johnson, founder of the Conscious Poets Society and the #ImNotYourEnemy movement.
As a native Texan, Slamarillo has a special place in my heart. As a Mount Holyoke student and now President of the Conscious Poets Society, Tayllor's work had a huge influence on my poetic journey. So, our interviews this week are a little less silly and a little more focused on influences, movements, growth, identity, and what's next for these two incredible poets.
Q: What is the most important poem you’ve ever written?
Garrett Cathey: When I was in high school, I wrote a piece that has since been collectively referred to as "The Fat Guy Poem." It was mostly about learning how to be comfortable in my own skin. Though I wrote it as a performance piece, I didn't really consider how it would affect people in the audience. Within a few weeks of performing it, I got a few messages from people thanking me for writing it. I guess it's so important (to me, anyway) because it taught me just how powerful my words could be.
Tayllor L Johnson: The most important poem I have ever written was Tree. I wrote it right after pressing the submit button for my college applications. It was a personification of a turning point for me in so many ways, out of high school, out of the house, and into who Tayllor was to become. That poem is in my blood and goes with me everywhere I go.
Q: How have you and your poetry grown over the last 5 years?
Garrett Cathey: Oh goodness. What a question. 5 years ago, I was in the latter half of my college career. It was a point in my life when I really started to question my position in the world and the ways in which I could make the world a better place. I can't say I've made a ton of headway on that front, but I've done alright. I was also diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder in that time period, so a lot of my writing has involved coming to terms with the way my brain kicks sometimes. I'd like to say I've made some progress, but, as any person with mental health issues will tell you, every week is a new kind of fight.
Tayllor L Johnson: As my mentors have said to me many years ago, I feel that I have finally gone deeper in my writing, and therefore I’ve dug deeper in my own being. The common phrase, “Don’t say it. Show it!” is finally making sense to me, and the exploration and possibilities that come with that have been very fun.
Q: Who is your favorite celebrity?
Garrett Cathey: Easy. Neil Gaiman. Unlike most writers, he's still in love with stories.
Tayllor L Johnson: Kevin Hart. He is so innovative, positive, and open about his experience as a comedian and businessman. I am determined to have brunch with him one day.
Q: Who or what are your biggest influences?
Garrett Cathey: I could name off a list of poets and writers, but that wouldn't really do anybody any good. When it comes down to it, my AP English IV teacher brutalized my writing with red ink week after week until I learned how to brutalize it myself. This has been the single greatest skill that I've ever been taught as a writer. In the immortal words of Wil Gibson: "Edit. Edit. Edit."
Tayllor L Johnson: Nature is my biggest influence. She has been a constant rejuvenating source for me from the beginning, especially when processing other topics like Justice, Love, Trauma, Being a Black Woman, etc.
Q: Write a haiku about your favorite season?
Garrett Cathey: Autumn leaves rustle. / or, they would if they were there. / There are no trees here.
Tayllor L Johnson: May 18th
Spring is the buffer between two
states of being, fear of change
and freedom to change
Q: Is there a specific topic or idea that you keep writing about?
Garrett Cathey: Right now, I'm mostly concerned with mental health and body positivity. Really though, I just want people to feel better about themselves and help others to do the same.
Tayllor L Johnson: Nature is something I always come back to. Most recently, rivers have been a source of inspiration for me in their natural order of how them move, which is really no order at all.
Q: What makes you and your poetry unique? What makes you stand out?
Garrett Cathey: Of all the tens of thousands of poets on Earth, I can't say that I'm particularly special. I don't feel like I am, anyway. The aspect of my poetry that I'm most proud of, though, is the fact that I flat-out can't write a poem unless I believe it in my bones. I have to feel it. Deeply.
Tayllor L Johnson: I think everyone’s truth is unique to them and if you keep to that truth and that poetic journey, you are bound to stand out. Poetry and I have an interesting relationship in that She found me. I was not looking for Poetry but once we found each other, I knew this was something I would do until the day I died. It is a lifestyle. There is nothing that Poetry can give me where I will be like, “Okay, that was nice. I’m cool off this poetry thing.” Poetry and I are in this for the long haul. She is a liberation tool and I plan to share her with all those in need of it.
Q: What’s next for you and your poetry?
Garrett Cathey: I don't have any special plans. I'll stay in Amarillo and help to make what small changes I can in the world around me with poetry or otherwise. Also, I'll sell flowers with my family. That's what we do, and I'm proud of that.
Tayllor L Johnson: I am moving towards publishing my work now, which is really exciting. I am currently working on a socio-emotional poetry curriculum that can be used in schools and I hope to get that off the ground within the next year so that Poetry can do Her good work for more than just a privileged few. Also, I am in the middle of launching a movement for women of color using poetry, the #ImNotYourEnemy Movement. I am looking forward to the conversations that are about to happen nationwide.
Q: Give us a poem or links?
Garrett Cathey:
Little Paper Heart (or The Cute Poem)
So, I noticed you from across the room,
And I was wondering if you knew
That you're beautiful.
Maybe not in that Diamond-tipped
And Mechanically encapsulating way
that they portray on silver screens
or in moments of stardom.
Wolves might not whistle as you enter the room.
Hearts might not leap out of chests.
The world probably won't even stand still
for your perfectly-measured moments
of self-doubt.
But I swear that time stopped
just so I could memorize
the depth of your smile
and the way it made your eyes dance.
My heart still sits in my chest,
But I promise that there are fists
trying to beat down a door
they told me was only
For Jesus.
Maybe it's my fault for putting
a keyhole there and dropping freedom
with the casual fumbling
of clumsy fingers.
But hands aren't meant for heart's work
save that palm and palm is
holy Palmer's kiss,
but I'm scared like Romeo wondering if
he's just gonna poison himself again,
or find myself regressed in depressed melancholy
over the course of maybe a week
knee by any name may tremble more discreet,
but some days leaving can be such bitter happiness.
But I'm sorry.
I digress.
Like I said: keyhole's there for a reason,
but that lock has got to break at some point,
and for a few of us, being open
always feel like the first time,
with all the joyful anticipation
and quiet terror that this implies.
So, please, be patient.
Now, I'm no good at origami, and
hands may not be meant for this
kind of expression, but I've been
folding fingers and pressing palms,
and I made this little paper heart.
It's a shoddy stand-in for
the real thing,
but it burns just as easily,
and I want you to have it.
Not because you're beautiful.
I just feel like I can trust you with it.
Tayllor L Johnson: Below are links to the #ImNotYourEnemy Movement. I encourage all women (self-identified) to join in the conversation, buy a shirt, and watch the magic happen. And here are my handles for social media!
Instagram/Twitter: @Tayllorjpoetry
Facebook: Tayllor Johnson
Website: tayllorjohnson.com
