I have a friend named Kaveh Akbar, who is a fellow poet. And Kaveh found this photo online
of the anatomical heart of a blue whale that scientists had hung on a hook from the ceiling,
which is how they were able to observe that the heart of a blue whale is big enough that a person can stand up fully inside of it.
And when Kaveh shared this photo online, he did so with the caption,
"This is another reminder that the universe has already written the poem you were planning on writing."
And when I first saw that, I was horrified. I was like, "Come on, man! I'm trying to invent new metaphors!
I'm trying to discover beauty that hasn't been discovered yet. What do you mean, the universe is always going to get there before me?"
And I know this isn't a uniquely poet problem, but on days when the world feels especially big
or especially impossible or especially full of grandeur,
those are the days when I feel, "What do I possibly have to contribute
