Garren Small

Being transported between worlds that ranged from the quiet beauty of the mid-west to the boisterous passion of the New York subway system was definitely the highlight of my Tuesday. As Garren Small presented his life of simple words with complex emotions I was drawn into and mesmerized by his honesty and reflection. His poems are almost psychiatrists telling the world that to be cohesive we need to have conversations. It is extremely difficult to gain happiness in this world. We live lives that are constantly trying to stomp us down, where comfort isn’t even an option. If we could just have conversations we could at least work together to be there for each other. If we just tried to communicate and were able to open ourselves up a little more we could try to find the hidden happiness that seems to be so elusive. This inability to express ourselves leads to lost opportunities for love and relationships. The poem that Small read about two people having a failing conversation affected me the most because I saw myself so clearly in the situation. How many times have a opened my mouth to say what I really felt only to watch the words I thought someone else wanted to hear tumble out? My inability to stay true to myself at all times has kept me from showing someone who I really am and has created a fake reality that has fragmented me. In one situation I am one person but in another I have to change my façade.  Sometimes I think that talking is a burden, an ability that I have yet to hone into something worthwhile. Garren Small helped me to realize that maybe if I reflect on my words and finally exposed myself to someone I could be a happier person.