He Is: A Slam Poem by Liam Hurley-Matz

He Is by Liam Hurley-Matz is a slam poem written and performed by a friend and prior classmate from Asheville, North Carolina. Slam poetry, as defined by powerpoetry.com, is a “type of competition where people read their poems without props, costumes, or music. After performing, they receive scores (0-10) from 5 randomly selected judges.” Liam does not ever write his poetry down. He creates and memorizes lines in his head before performing. I found this specifically impressive because He Is lasts over two minutes. This may not seem like a lot, but for someone to make up and perform two minutes and seventeen seconds of words that flow, with out writing a single word down, seems almost impossible to me. He Is speaks about the joy and comfort an authentic friend can bring, and the happiness one can feel from the simpler (and sometimes finer) things in life. I would not call Liam a ‘nerd’ at all. Not even close, actually. I would call him quirky and independent. He’s happy with marching to his own beat, which is why I respect Liam and this poem so much.

I believe Liam is communicating that some of the happiest people in life are not the coolest, and sometimes some of the coolest people are the most unhappy. He Is reiterates the notion that, as hard as it might be in high school, the things that really matter are being brushed off of our shoulders as values at the bottom of most high-schoolers priority lists’. He Is helps listeners remember that happiness is internally derived, and knowing one genuine person trumps sort-of knowing a dozen less-than genuine people. I also think it’s very powerful how the listener does not know who the speaker is talking about until the very end. At first I thought he was speaking about himself, which would still be powerful, yet not nearly as powerful as speaking about a best friend. Obviously, love in a romantic sense is not the only way it can be shown. The way that Liam respects, loves, accepts, and looks up to his friend communicates love to me in the most raw way possible. He Is is a good reminder to high schoolers, including myself, that the things which we find so important right now probably wont even matter in a year. 

I find this poem beautiful for the authenticity, honesty, and love it holds. It’s also a reminder to not judge a book by its cover. Liam states in one line “To him they dont seem to fit in, but maybe they just haven’t made enough space. He knows that normal is never extraordinary…” I admire the way two friends love each other for the person that they are—end of story. No ifs, ands, or buts. I think everything he has to say is worth listening to, because sometimes it’s easy to forget.