No more special than others.

          As many of you may know; I am a student currently attending Mount Mercy University. I am enrolled in a class called Writing & Analysis. In this class we look through several poems and tear them apart trying to find the true meaning beyond the words. This opens up a new light on the writing we have been assigned and gives each student a better understanding when reading future pieces. While taking this class, I had the chance to attend a Q & A with the writer Abeyta. This great opportunity has helped me view his writing and other pieces in a different light. It taught me about the writing process; showing other students and I that there are several different ways that authors create their works of art. Whether this be writing letters like Abeyta or writing everything that occurs in their given day. I was fascinated to hear that he had never been the outstanding student and that he wasn’t raised in a wealthy family. Now that I have a better understanding of his history it has given me a greater appreciation for his work and a deeper connection with the words. Abeyta’s favorite words that he had said during the Q & A were “writing is to be able to communicate and to communicate is to live”. I endear those words because I believe that it is all true. There is no such thing of living in my eyes if there is a lack of communication. After listening to Abeyta answer the questions that students had asked, it has given me a better understanding why he writes poems instead of books or journals. It has helped me relate on a deeper level because I now have knowledge that he is like you and I. He wanted his audience to know that he is no different or more “special” than others. He grew up in a similar situation to many. With a better understanding of the author his writing has struck me in a different way. I would not say it has changed me but it has opened my eyes to the story beyond the words. It does “save lives”.