Have you ever heard the term “tall, dark, handsome & gifted”? If your answer is no, you’re right, because I just made it up to describe the very fine-looking and talented, Yaphet Jackman.
We all crave an outlet to express ourselves, for Yaphet this outlet is poetry. He brings his thoughts, feelings, ideas, emotional state and whatever else is inside to life through verses. It was through a network of intellectual friends that Yaphet first discovered his admiration for poetry. This appreciation led him to the Upscale Restaurant for Poetry Night one evening, sometime in 2003. Being exposed to such talent piqued his interest further thus amplifying his love for the craft.
It wasn’t until 2005 that Yaphet first tried his hand at writing poetry. Yaphet was an introvert who needed an avenue to achieve peace of mind and to deal with life’s problems so he decided to pen his thoughts. This desire to release has propelled him to pen honest, real life experiences that are now enjoyed by countless people. Using life as inspiration, Yaphet can easily be considered one of the most artistic poets in Guyana.
His most admired and received piece is called “Words” –
“In the beginning, it was all “Words”
WORDS that called me
WORDS that formed me
WORDS that made me
WORDS that broke me
WORDS that caused me to run
WORDS that i wrote to live
WORDS that gives me life as I read
WORDS that takes me high as I wait
WORDS that brought me to this page that you read!”
Today, Yaphet is the face of poetry. The accolade is one he can proudly accept because of the part he played in the resuscitation of Poetry at Upscale. There was a lull in poetry, after inquiring about the break he was contracted to run Poetry Night. After the end of his extended contract he decided that Upscale needed to reclaim poetry so he gave it back but his love didn’t make him leave. He became part of the new team and together they’ve made Upscale the home of everything poetry.
There is no stopping Mr Poetry, when he’s not hosting poetry night, he’s hosting Verses & Flow. This programme was birthed by Yaphet; it’s a television programme that seeks to attract new talent and to showcase existing poets. It is also a very ingenious way to take poetry outside the walls of the Upscale Restaurant, although, it really is an extension of Upscale Poetry.
Though poetry is a major part of Yaphet’s life, he still manages to be effective in his role as Special Projects Coordinator at WT George, he’s a promising Filmmaker, an Events Coordinator and a Global Shaper (he is very proud about this). He’s also a final year Communication major at the University of Guyana and a teacher at Global Technology.
There really is no stopping Yaphet; his maxim for life is “GO HARD OR GO HOME!”
For a full glimpse into Yaphet’s world of poetry, visit Thoughts of the unheard man.
MAGLYFE 