30 years ago, I got the bright idea that I was a poet. But not just any type of poet. I didn't want to be a lyrical poet, or a conceptually confused drum slapping poet, or a character lyricist who did poetry slams. I wanted to be a hip verse maker, an innovative modern-day scribe. I wanted my poetry to be the cause of world transformation. In doing so, I realized I had to be relevant, inspired, and somewhat fashionable. The way I saw it, I was downright intercontinental. A self-proclaimed, stylish beatnik, who often morphed into an oddity, for no pay, while doing the all forsaken poetry slams.