Why You Absolutely Need To Have A Favorite Poem

Favorite things change, but always having one is key

I had the opportunity to get in a good hang with my 8YO niece the other day. Usually, there’s a lot of distractions around (read: other things she’d rather be doing than listening to my awesomely bad dad jokes), but I was driving her home from a school book fair and it was just the two of us.

I can neither confirm nor deny that we were loudly singing songs from the musical Annie. But I will say that — ok fine, we were totally singing songs from Annie. Her falsetto was on point.

In between takes of our killer harmonies, she asked me approximately 346 questions. So yeah, she was pretty quiet compared to normally. I proudly had answers to 345 of them.

What’s your favorite color?
Are those new pants?
How old are you?
Why is your car so dirty?
What is that weird smell?

These are my kind of questions. I know these answers.

Then, she stumped me.

Her: What is your favorite poem?
Me: Ummm…well…I don’t know. What’s yours?

I did the old buy-yourself-some-time-to-think-about-it trick by throwing her question back at her so I could try to think of one. I admit that I was kind of pissed that I didn’t have an answer for that question. Here I am, someone who has written many songs, and I don’t have a favorite poem.

Lame.

Giving me no time to think about it, she immediately answered the question I threw back at her. I can’t remember what she said, but I will tell you this: she told me the name of the poem, the name of the poet, and then immediately started reciting it from memory.

She’s 8 years old. She has a favorite poem. And she was reciting it.

My second grade self just kicked me in the shins and I deserved it.

3 reasons why having a favorite poem can help you in everything:

1. Poems can easily say things that are typically difficult to say. They have a way of blending complex things like emotion, thought, intelligence, and character into something that can be read/recited either quietly to yourself or out loud. Being able to communicate is crazy important, so learning how to use all the tools that help you do so is clutch.
2. Poems open up a path to think about things in different ways and on different levels. Is it in the first person? Does it pose a question? Being able to think in alternate ways and through alternate lenses is critical to all decision-making.
3. Your favorite poem is a good indicator to where you are in the overall process. Favorite poems say a lot about you at any given time. Telling someone what your favorite poem is offers a vulnerable transparency that demands respect. Know where you are, know where you’re going, and trust that you’ll get there.
4. BONUS #4: It’s awesome that there is never, ever, a wrong answer when someone asks you what your favorite poem is. It’s easy to be wrong a lot — especially when starting a business — so take advantage of the times when being wrong is an impossibility.

Where you were/are/are headed.

Favorite things change periodically. But you’re not only allowed to change your mind, but encouraged to do so. Again, it’s indicative of where you are in whatever process you’re in. 

A favorite anything — when you’re being honest with yourself — can also surprise you, but trust it. You can’t force yourself to have a favorite anything, and there’s something humbling and awesome about that. In business, it’s called many things: trusting your gut, or having good instincts, but really…it’s just knowing where you are and what is important at that time.

So, what’s your favorite poem? Let me know.
Bonus points if you can recite it from memory.

If you don’t have one, join me in getting one. 

Preferably before your inner child kicks you in the shins.

#bewhatyoumake