When I was talking to the great poet Jericho Brown, a mentor told him he would be a poet.
Just like that.
And he thought, and I’m paraphrasing. It’s that simple. I’m a poet because I declare that I am a poet.
Nobody will make that choice for you. Nobody will anoint you. You anoint you.
You are a writer when you decide to write.
You are a painter when you decide to paint.
But you must do the thing. The only person who needs to give you permission is yourself.
