Poetry - Mr. Enlightenment - Walletz & Pursez

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Walletz & Pursez is the first poetry release from Mr. Enlightenment. His poetry offers a refreshing voice to the current state of poetry and spoken word. While many poets are considered either too serious or too humorous, he does a great job of presenting serious subjects in a lighthearted manner. The title of his chapbook, Walletz and Pursez, implies two things, diversity and complexity. Diversity because his poems offer something for everyone, both men (wallets) and women (purses). Complexity because there can be many interpretations of the poems in his chapbook. He says that a group of people could read one of his poems and everyone in that group would come out with a different meaning:

“If you were to empty two wallets or two purses they will never have the same contents. My Poetry is the same way, two people can hear the same poem but they will have two different ideas of what the poem means. The poems have the same packaging but the view of the content will always vary.”

-Mr. Enlightenment

Mr. Enlightenment, whose real name is Joey Tucker, was born on July 8, 1981 in the small town of Walterboro, South Carolina. Growing up, Joey never had the desire to write poetry but sometimes he would freestyle with his friends for fun. It would be about four more years before he actually wrote his first poem.

After graduating from Walterboro High School in 1999, Joey went on to attend Presbyterian College in Clinton, South Carolina. While taking a poetry class during his senior year in college, Joey’s interest in the art form was sparked. At that point he knew poetry was an art he needed to explore.

After graduating from college in 2004, Joey moved to Charleston, South Carolina and started his career as a fourth grade language arts teacher. Though he pushes for more involvement from parents and less emphasis on standardized testing Joey enjoys teaching because it allows him to make an impression on a child that lasts forever. The name Mr. Enlightenment acknowledges both the fact that he is a teacher and the fact that he uses his poetry as a way to shine light with his lines and words.

Walletz and Pursez is Mr. Enlightenment’s first poetry release. Though he wants to pursue poetry as a career his main objective is to be an excellent teacher. As he mentions in his poem, A Class of Soldiers, regarding his students he says “I’d never pass on any of them”. That can also be said for the audience he wishes to attract to his poetry. Mr. Enlightenment writes for everyone, he doesn’t write specifically for any particular age, gender, or race; everyone, both male and female will be able to connect with his poetry; hence the name Walletz and Pursez.

Read poems from Walletz & Pursez!