I am Man

I am Man is a poem I wrote in 1985. I was a freshman at Alabama A&M University in Normal, Alabama. I was working towards a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Drafting and Design Technology. It was my second attempt at higher education. My first attempt was in 1977 when I majored in Music Education. My primary instrument was the classical guitar. I was also a singer, composer, and lyricist. Expressing myself through music, art, and verse has always been a passion. Later in life, that passion extended to web design and then video editing and scriptwriting.

The Academy of American Poets

I don’t remember exactly how I learned about the Poetry Pilot competition through the American Academy of Poets. I remember entering my poem, I am Man. It won first place. There was an awards event that I did not attend. My goal was to share my poem, not be recognized.

Today, I found the notice of my award from the Academic of American Poets competition while looking through papers to shred. It’s dated July 1986. I thought I had already tossed it.

Following is the poem.