That time I met Sarah Kay.

   It is a common saying we all know too well: “You Should Never Meet Your Idol.” Contrarily, I have met my favorite Poet and Orator, Sarah Kay, and in my opinion, It was totally a worthwhile experience, an honor, perhaps. The experience of having an encounter with someone whom have shaped your character and influenced your dreams still and will forever reside with and within me as one of the rarest  and most immense moments wherein we get to partake here on this dreary, yet blissful Earth.

   I met Sarah at an even where she was performing in Manhattan, NYC. Meeting Sarah was an occasion that I would not trade the for anything this world entails. It was such a pleasure to have dialogued with her.

My sister Rochelle and I both tardily walked into the venue and sat at the closest seat to the stage. I had  come to see Sarah and none was going to obstruct my view of her. I have always dream of meeting Sarah, since I first saw her TED Talk, “If I should have a daughter.” My anticipation was overpowering  and I could not sit still enough.

In an abrupt glance that quickly became an obvious and somewhat awkward stare, I spotted Sarah sitting behind me. She wore a floral dress and her gleaming face held no competition to the orange haze that was the  summer sunset. —— Sure enough, my right hand leaped from my side and arched back and forth in a motion that would indicate to someone from a distance that you know them. In fact, her surprised look gave me that look, as if to say: I don’t know you, do I? Thereafter, she raised her palm to me with all the poise and delicacy a woman could ever entail and mouthed to me: Hi. And I just crumbled in my clothing.

Soon enough, my sister Rochelle and I encroached on what, from a poetic perspective, seemed like her creative process. Rochelle presumed to assure her that I was her biggest fan and that I  have read and listen to all of her works. Honestly, our first encounter of Sarah left a troubling impression and I was unsettled, as I thought she was modestly dismissive of us both. She did say thank you, and vaguely gestured that we should continue to enjoy the show, everyone’s going to be great.”

—— Perhaps this was no one’s faux pas but my own, I did in fact had these wild and kindling imaginations of what this encounter would look like. I had planned it out in my head of clearly that when it was the absolute opposite, I was unpleasant rather than realistic.

After her performance, I noticed that she walked back toward her seat, wherein she had previously sat, but she passed and continued towards the exit. I was appalled. My teeth were  clenched so tightly that they were just about to start receding into my head. I caught a glimpse of two teenagers chasing her with giggles as her shadow merged with her evading footsteps and I just couldn’t fantom what she would just show up, perform and then abruptly exit. “What made me think she should have stayed?” Rochelle asked, and my swift sifting eyes and crossed arms answered her question before she even concluded.

We tarried through the remaining of the show and witnessed Staceyann Chin’s, radical performance as well as Ntozake Shange, who with her vibrant jazz, brought a rekindling to the oncoming dawn.

We were quite satisfied with the overall show and I had gotten over Sarah kay’s early departure. On our way out we saw Sarah in the back posing for photos with her fans and dialoguing and I was so happy. I did not hesitate to join the line and when my camera failed to focus, I rejoined the line to retake photos on Rochelle’s phone. She was so sweet and understanding of having to put up with me and my obsession with her. Three consecutive times in one day. -Oh wow! Well, she survived. In fact, she said that I was charming.

She gladly signed my copy of her book. She also signed a copy of her recent commence speech that I had printed and, thankfully, had with me. I loved her words so much that I would read this speech of her’s whenever I am feeling down. I quoted her words from her speech and she applauded me and wrote a special message to me on the front page.

The speech to which I am referring is entitled “What we build.” and the particular quote from it that I love reads:
“What I understand as now, what I know as true, in an instant becomes abruptly incomplete and requires me to begin again.”
I told her about my dream of being an author and that I would like to write these words of hers inside on a separate page that precedes the content of my book. She said she would be honored and confirmed with an endearing smile and an enlightening message that she had unscripted on the copy f her speech.

I love you Sarah and I look forward to seeing you sometime again in the near future.