For 43 years, Moore has been doing just that. As the author of “The Art of Dying,” “The Way of Power,” “The Sioux Dog Dance,” and now his first book in six years tentatively entitled “Wreckage with a Beating Heart,” he has accomplished more than many poets can ever hope for
Red hawk’s journey as a poet started as a freshman in college. His final assignment for his composition I course was to write a poem or a short story. He wrote a poem based on his own experience. Later, when his roommate found it, he accused him of plagiarism because the work was so good.
“Right there I wanted to write,” Moore remembers. “He paid me the biggest compliment without realizing it.”
He would later come to view his talent as a gift: a gift he could only pay for by writing.
“I bust my ass trying to pay and deserve. I write everyday,” Moore said.
As deeply committed as he is to his craft, Moore does take issue with some current poets.
“They aren’t respected anymore. Most poets write crap. It’s impossible to understand,” he laments.
Moore blames these poets with alienating the common people and making them feel stupid.
“If people don’t understand it, you lose it,” he said. “Anyone who comes to it can understand my poetry. Simple goes deep. It’s Zen like.”
Moore attributes the profoundness of his poems to something higher than himself, a universal force he dubs The Creator. He would write something so powerful he couldn’t see it coming from anywhere but God.
“I tapped into universal wisdom. Poetry led me to God,” Moore said.
In turn, these revelations led him to be a better person. He found integrity through poetry and deeper sense of self as well.
“There are two parts of people; The Lamb and The Lion. Poetry feeds and strengthens the Lamb so it can stand beside the lion and not be devoured,” he said.
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© The Voice, 2004
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