Unsure
By Brandon Leake
The funniest part of isolation
Is that you don’t have to be alone to feel it
Or not feel it
Or not feel anything
I don’t really know intimacy
She’s the acquaintance I hype up like we’re really friends
When I couldn’t tell you anything more about her than her name
I know love, but loving someone don’t make you close
Just means you have enough of a pulse
To endure this beating
This constant reminder that somehow you’re still here
Even though you don’t feel like it
Sometimes I mistake my own reflection as a shadow
But it’s more grounded than I am
And people don’t understand
They see me on stage and wonder how I complain
Not recognizing I’m the only one up here
Me, myself, and a reflection I don’t recognize
People applaud these poems
Just further justify what lies in my mind
The only worthy parts of yourself are the ones they can take
Are the ones they accept
My skeleton is doing its best to claw its way out of this flesh
To join all the rest of his kin in my wardrobe
To escape from this stage to finally be itself
Raw and unkempt
But that’s what isolation does
Forces you in the closet
Makes that space feel more comfortable
The closer isolation draws near
The further everything else is
And it’s just you, yourself and a reflection you finally recognize
People misunderstand that most isolated people
Are in a love hate relationship with it
They recognize its killing them
But the comfort that kind of death brings is maddening
So yes I want freedom from this cage
But I’m the one holding the key
Most
Unsure
Of everything
The Founder and CEO of Called To Move – CTM, Brandon Leake, is an artistic visionary whose
roots lie in the ghetto’s of south side Stockton, California. Being born and raised to a single
parent household with his mother, Carla Leake-Gibson, Brandon was accustomed to the
complexities of playing this game of life with the decks stacked against you. However, with a
strong home life and some divine intervention Brandon made it out of his neighborhood ghetto
into a college classroom. This journey came with its many trials from the loss of integral
members of his family and abusive home life, but these trails mixed with this spiritual collegiate
journey would soon blossom into a beautiful poetic journey. In 2012 Brandon started Called To
Move – CTM at Simpson University with a small group of artists just trying to share their gifts
and encourage others to do so, which has lead its way into inspiring others through poetry all
across the country. Brandon Leake released a debut album entitled, “In My Thoughts”, which
lead him to traveling from Los Angeles to New York and everywhere in between for a year and a
half performing his pieces, leading spoken word poetry workshops, and keynote speaking.
