I hate to compare things

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.