I’m My Only Competition in Poetry

Red Lion Poetry shares his passion for diversifying poetry in this episode. For him, “Poetry is a sword. Poetry is a first aid kit. Poetry is batman’s utility belt.” Poetry is a versatile pocket knife he’s regularly accessing to meet the needs of the communities he resides in. He tells us how he overcame dyslexia to write and continue writing about as much as he can to stay relevant and flexible in the vast market. He tells us, “If it needs hope and I can speak to it, I will.”

His name is as strong as his drive. Inspired by a vision he had of a lion burning red fire, he named himself after the spiritual encounter, embodying a quote he cites from Slangston Hughes, “Didn’t you know people are the greatest poems?” 

For him, writer’s block is a non-issue, because there are always things to write about, even if he doesn’t know how to write it yet. He explains that there’s never a shortage of content to provide, but sometimes it takes time to move from second base to third and eventually home.

The most powerful moment for me was when he talked about poetry as a mirror. He tells us, “A mirror is useless until you stand in front of it. A mirror doesn’t have an identity, you give it an identity. You give a mirror identity because you hold an identity...poetry is powerful because you make it that way”

His vision for his poetic future opens to a park or seven layer studio where young people can explore various genres of art, learning to appreciate it and craft it in their youths. He regrets not learning it sooner and wants to inspire the younger generations to find the value he finds in it now. 

If you’re looking for passion, music, and more of his story, listen to the full episode on your favorite podcast app.

Red Lion Poetry (aka Charles Patton) is a spoken word artist that inspires hope. You can find him on FB and IG @RedLionPoetry.