I’ve Been Looking for Meaning in the Most Ordinary Things 

I’ve been a poet performing
Poems for relevance
I’ve been looking for meaning
in things perceived as meaningless
I’ve been considered a failure, yet I have nen’t failed
I’ve been called a tiger, a lemur, a capybara
All animals found in the rainforest in South America
I’ve studied poetry, music, and philosophy
I’ve lingered in the feeling that I am not good enough
at anything I do
I’ve likened myself
to a boxer who refuses to go down in the ring
I’ve been an asshole, grateful & poetry in motion
I’ve been listening to music for inspiration
I’ve been a shooting star and a comet
I’ve been sipping on IPAs and persistence
I’ve been resilient
I am in the opening song in the movie of life,
and there is much more movie left

Walker Valdez

From the I, Too, Am America Project, selected for publication in the Amplify US Literary Journal