How Anis Mojgani’s Words Inspired Growth, from Freshman Year to Forever

When I was a freshman in high school, every student was required to take a leadership class. This class was taught by “Coach.” Coach was a former college basketball player, turned high school teacher. She was super tall and had a great laugh. I don’t remember the context of the lesson, or what she was trying to teach, but at some point in the semester she recited the poem “Shake the Dust” by her college friend Anis Mojgani, the several times Slam Poetry champion. I was enthralled. Throughout the rest of the year we begged her to tell it to us again and again. Each time I felt something stir inside me.

A year later, Anis Mojgani and some of his Slam Poet associates came to our school while on their poetry tour and did a reading for us. To that point in my life, it was one of the best things I’d ever witnessed. One guy, Buddy Wakefield shared an ode to his mother. Another dude, Mike McGee talked about the time he got into an eating contest with the Grim Reaper and won. But the one I was most enamored with was Anis Mojgani. At the time he was the 3 time world champion slam poet. And he’s won once more since then. But regardless of if anyone else in the world knew who he was, because of Coach and our freshman leadership class, to us he was a rockstar. And he shared “Shake the Dust” with us, and it changed my life again.

And I didn’t have any money, but I begged my friends to lend me money until one of the teachers lent me enought money that I could by the book of collected poems that these poets were selling. And it sits on my shelf now – probably my most read book. And everytime I open it I’m afraid that this time will be the time that the book falls apart. But I don’t know where to find another copy if this one is ruined.

And since then, everytime I have participated in a talent show, I have done a reading of “Shake the Dust.”

And I share it with you, too, and hope that it means something.

I invite you shake off the dust and the cobwebs and head towards the life you dream of. If not now, then when? If not this, then what? If not this way, then how? Don’t walk, run. And I’ll be running alongside you.

It’s gonna be great,

Drew

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