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Quote by Yusef Komunyakaa

“I define poetry as celebration and confrontation. When we witness something, are we responsible for what we witness? That's an on-going existential question. Perhaps we are and perhaps there's a kind of daring, a kind of necessary energetic questioning. Because often I say it's not what we know, it's what we can risk discovering.”

Quote by Yusef Komunyakaa

Author

Yusef Komunyakaa

Yusef Komunyakaa is an American poet born on April 29, 1947. His work delves into themes of race, war, and identity, earning him acclaim from readers and critics alike. more

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“I excavate history. I look at lives buried under too much silence. Periods of time, like slavery, have to be revisited, reimagined, so we can move through them.”

Looks Moving Silence Too Much Periods Slavery Buried

Author:Yusef Komunyakaa

“I like connecting the abstract to the concrete. There's a tension in that. I believe the reader or listener should be able to enter the poem as a participant. So I try to get past resolving poems.”

Should Trying Believe Able Past I Believe Reader Abstract Tension Concrete Listeners Connecting Participants

Author:Yusef Komunyakaa

“I like what Oliver Lakes does on the saxophone. The saxophone comes pretty close to the sound of the human voice and when Oliver plays with other sax players, it's like a dialogue.”

Humans Doe Play Sound Voice Player Dialogue Lakes Saxophone Human Voice

Author:Yusef Komunyakaa

“I originally wanted to embrace the imagery and forthrightness of rap music. There are some interesting, dynamic voices in rap. But I find most of it irresponsible in its overt violence and commercialization of anger. As artists, we believe we can will action through language. If that's the case, we have to take responsibility for what we say.”

“I see many black males grasping for some thread of hope. There are so many destructive practices, glimpses into a psychic abyss. That must be very frightening.”

Black Practice Males Destructive Frightening Thread Psychics Glimpse Abyss Grasping Black Males

Author:Yusef Komunyakaa

“I think of my poems as personal and public at the same time. You could say they serve as psychological overlays. One fits on top of the other, and hopefully there's an ongoing evolution of clarity.”

Thinking Evolution Fit Psychological Clarity Hopefully Ongoing

Author:Yusef Komunyakaa

“It took me 14 years to write poems about Vietnam. I had never thought about writing about it, and in a way I had been systematically writing around it.”

Way Writing Years Vietnam

Author:Yusef Komunyakaa

“My great-grandfather Melvin had been a carpenter - so was my father - and they taught me the value of tools: saws, hammers, chisels, files and rulers. It all dealt with conciseness and precision. It eliminated guesswork. One has to know his tools, so he doesn't work against himself.”

Knows Values Father Saws Taught Tools Rulers Grandfather Hammers Files Precision Carpenter Chisels Great Grandfather Guesswork

Book:Blue notes: essays, interviews, and commentaries

Source: Blue notes: essays, interviews, and commentaries

“Poetry helps me understand who I am. It helps me understand the world around me. But above all, what poetry has taught me is the fact that I need to embrace mystery in order to be completely human.”

World Needs Humans Facts Helping Order Mystery Taught Embrace Who I Am Help Me

Author:Yusef Komunyakaa

“Only people who have been allowed to practise freedom can have the grown-up look in their eyes.”

People Looks Has Beens Eye Practise

Book:Two Cheers for Democracy

Source: Two Cheers for Democracy