Passion in Poetry and a 21st Century AppeAL: Neerali’s “Call Me Beautiful”
Neerali describes herself with an all encompassing few words; poet, philly, human. Since that’s what we’re all about here at The City Root, I’m honored to walk our readers through her unique artistic lens from my, starry-eyed outsider perspective.
VISCERAL & VISUAL
Neerali’s art is a mix of visual and auditory components that play to her strengths as a writer, a musician, and model—not sure whether she considers herself to be such, but we certainly do. With that in mind, let us commence with a mix of both.
“Before It Gets Better”
This specific poem was both written and performed in the same week. Maybe that’s why it’s so real, and why it hits me so hard! She starts off talking in metaphor about being in a place where it’s about to get better, the dusk is turning to dawn, but it’s not quite okay yet. (Editor’s Note: I feel like I live here…) In this place, Neerali is calling out to someone who she needs the support of and is trying not to judge herself for needing it. We’ve all been through that moment in time, sometimes it’s much longer than a moment, when we can’t do everything on our own. When we’ve needed to call out for a loved one, for anyone, just so they could hold us, help us, show us the support we need while going through a tough transition.
As she says, “Right where it’s good. Right before it gets better.”
It’s poetry that truly appeals to the soul. It just hits home.
Personally…
Coming out of a difficult time, this poem means so much to me. It’s easy to be strong through the worst of it and to hold your head up. But, when the ice begins to melt and vulnerabilities show, that’s when it’s hardest to know that you’ll be okay again. That’s when you let yourself rest on someone’s shoulder and finally cry.
“Catharsis”
This is another strong example of Neerali’s visionary work and is hosted on her Instagram. In the thumbnail you can feel the body language; the way her arms cross over her chest as if to keep her safe. In this poem, as opposed to the last one, Neerali talks about wanting someone else to let her in. She notes that she’s sure this person isn’t letting her in but she can’t tell how far on the outside she needs to be for them to be comfortable. She longs for a connection with this person—for both the cold and the warmth that comes with that connection—and they pull away. The poet is left to pick up the pieces, and realizes that she was muting herself to be on their good side.
In a land of fairy tales, there is no happy ending here.
Sometimes, that’s more honest of a conclusion than any. This is, again, relatable to all of us. Having reached out so far we burned ourselves on the flames of those who weren’t ready for our touch. There will always be people who aren’t ready, but, the love is in the effort, right?
All in all, Neerali is an amazing artist who conveys complex themes through a mixture of artistic mediums. She is a poet, a visual artist, an inspiration, and of course, a human.
Check out @neerali__ on thee gramm for more spoken word poetry, awesome visuals, quick-hitting hand-written poetry, and more. You can also visit her website here: neeralipatel.com/
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