because I tend to see one as better and the other as worse. I catch myself comparing myself to others all of the time. Am I better or worse in a certain area? It is a horrible hobby because it breeds jealousy, irritation, and it sucks love from relationships. But, I think I will be fine in comparing two works of art:
View Guardians in the South-Western Hemisphere in a larger map
The above assignment was for the course History of Art I took in Spring of 2010. It utilizes the everyday, functional user-interface of google maps to identify locations for what could be an abstract comparison of two pieces of art as well as two cultures.
Mississippi
Sometimes my grandparents
say things simply to say things:
“Whale, I due deeclaire.”
My Lee Lee says sideways
from her mouth.
“Down yunder – I reckon.”
My Paw Paw mumbles,
his chew bulging
beneath his bottom lip –
fumbling words into my ears.
5 A.M.
It’s me and Paw Paw:
2 eggs over easy, bacon, grits, toast
and chocolate milk.
Gospel songs walking deep and slow
along crunchy gravel roads.
Cows bug-eyed and staring,
swatting their tails in harmony.
I swear I smell Indians.
My Paw Paw guffaws as he handles
the arrowhead I splashed barefooted upon
in the creek.
We squat criss-cross applesauce
in a fallow field
and he spills over with stories that still resonate
deep within me.
Mississippi, the poem, shares a part of me and my grandparents that is very true to who we are. I find myself cherishing the small things about people, like the way they say certain words, their habits of getting the same meal every morning, how they laugh. Like in my poem, in my filmmaking, I strive to and delight when I am able to capture someone's genuine personality.