TED2019
Sarah Kay: "A Bird Made of Birds"
Filmed:
Readability: 3
1,727,091 views
"The universe has already written the poem you were planning on writing," says Sarah Kay, quoting her friend, poet Kaveh Akbar. Performing "A Bird Made of Birds," she shares how and where she finds poetry. (Kay is also the host of TED's podcast "Sincerely, X." Listen on the Luminary podcast app at luminary.link/ted)
Sarah Kay - Poet
A performing poet since she was 14 years old, Sarah Kay is the founder of Project VOICE, an organization that uses spoken word poetry as a literacy and empowerment tool. Full bio
A performing poet since she was 14 years old, Sarah Kay is the founder of Project VOICE, an organization that uses spoken word poetry as a literacy and empowerment tool. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
I have a friend named Kaveh Akbar,
who is a fellow poet.
who is a fellow poet.
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And Kaveh found this photo online
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of the anatomical heart of a blue whale
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that scientists had hung
on a hook from the ceiling,
on a hook from the ceiling,
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which is how they were able to observe
that the heart of a blue whale
that the heart of a blue whale
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is big enough that a person
can stand up fully inside of it.
can stand up fully inside of it.
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And when Kaveh shared this photo online,
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he did so with the caption,
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"This is another reminder
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that the universe has already written
the poem you were planning on writing."
the poem you were planning on writing."
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And when I first saw that,
I was horrified.
I was horrified.
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I was like, "Come on, man!
I'm trying to invent new metaphors!
I'm trying to invent new metaphors!
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I'm trying to discover beauty
that hasn't been discovered yet.
that hasn't been discovered yet.
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What do you mean, the universe
is always going to get there before me?"
is always going to get there before me?"
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And I know this isn't
a uniquely poet problem,
a uniquely poet problem,
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but on days when the world
feels especially big
feels especially big
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or especially impossible
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or especially full of grandeur,
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those are the days when I feel,
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"What do I possibly have to contribute
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to all of this?"
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Not long ago, I saw this video
that some of you may have seen.
that some of you may have seen.
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It makes the internet rounds
every couple of months.
every couple of months.
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There are these birds
that are called starlings,
that are called starlings,
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and they fly in what's
called a "murmuration,"
called a "murmuration,"
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which is generally
just a big cloud of birds.
just a big cloud of birds.
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And someone happened to catch
a quick video on their phone
a quick video on their phone
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of these starlings flying.
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And at first, it's just an amorphous blob,
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and then there's a moment
where the birds shift,
where the birds shift,
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and they form the shape of a starling
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in the sky!
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(Laughter)
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And as soon as I saw it, I was like,
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(Gasps) "The universe has already
written the poem
written the poem
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you were planning on writing!"
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(Laughter)
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Except, for the first time,
it didn't fill me with despair.
it didn't fill me with despair.
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Instead, I thought, "OK.
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Maybe it's not my job
to invent something new.
to invent something new.
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Maybe instead it's my job to listen
to what the universe is showing me
to what the universe is showing me
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and to keep myself open
to what the universe offers,
to what the universe offers,
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so that when it's my turn,
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I can hold something to the light,
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just for a moment,
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just for as long as I have.
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The universe has already written the poem
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that you were planning on writing.
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And this is why
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you can do nothing
but point at the flock of starlings
but point at the flock of starlings
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whose bodies rise and fall
in inherited choreography,
in inherited choreography,
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swarming the sky in a sweeping curtain
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that, for one blistering moment,
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forms the unmistakeable shape
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of a giant bird
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flapping against the sky.
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It is why your mouth forms an "o"
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that is not a gasp,
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but rather, the beginning of,
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"Oh. Of course."
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As in, of course the heart of a blue whale
is as large as a house
is as large as a house
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with chambers tall enough
to fit a person standing.
to fit a person standing.
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Of course a fig becomes possible
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when a lady wasp lays her eggs
inside a flower,
inside a flower,
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dies and decomposes,
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the fruit, evidence of her transformation.
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Sometimes, the poem is so bright,
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your silly language will not stick to it.
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Sometimes, the poem is so true,
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nobody will believe you.
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I am a bird
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made of birds.
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This blue heart a house
you can stand up inside of.
you can stand up inside of.
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I am dying
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here
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inside this flower.
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It is OK.
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It is what I was put here to do.
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Take this fruit.
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It is what I have to offer.
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It may not be first,
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or ever best,
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but it is the only way to be sure
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that I lived at all.
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(Applause)
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Sarah Kay - PoetA performing poet since she was 14 years old, Sarah Kay is the founder of Project VOICE, an organization that uses spoken word poetry as a literacy and empowerment tool.
Why you should listen
Plenty of 14-year-old girls write poetry. But few hide under the bar of the famous Bowery Poetry Club in Manhattan’s East Village absorbing the talents of New York’s most exciting poets. Not only did Sarah Kay do that -- she also had the guts to take its stage and hold her own against performers at least a decade her senior. Her talent for weaving words into poignant, funny, and powerful performances paid off.
Sarah holds a Masters degree in the art of teaching from Brown University and an honorary doctorate in humane letters from Grinnell College. Her first book, B, was ranked the number one poetry book on Amazon.com. Her second book, No Matter the Wreckage, is available from Write Bloody Publishing.
Sarah also founded Project VOICE, an organization that uses spoken word poetry as a literacy and empowerment tool. Project VOICE runs performances and workshops to encourage people to engage in creative self-expression in schools and communities around the world.
Sarah Kay | Speaker | TED.com