Atlanta-based poet Ryan Jones brings audience into surreal world of his own imagination

Atlanta-based poet Ryan Jones. (Courtesy of Lee Chapman)

Our “Speaking of” series spotlights local creatives sharing their inspiration, influences and experiences. In our continued efforts to expand the series, today we add “Speaking of Poetry” to our collection. In this segment, Atlanta’s most prolific wordsmiths discuss the art of evoking emotions with words.

For this edition of “Speaking of Poetry,” we feature poet Ryan Jones. Jones describes his style of poetry as surreal. “I used to say I would bring people into the fold of a world of my own imagination,” Jones says. “You know, it touches on pretty serious issues but in like a high-brow view almost where I create a lot of metaphors, to kind of talk about the world in a way that maybe you wouldn’t necessarily think to talk about it.”

In this segment, Jones shares an excerpt from his poem “A Bop for Atlanta.”



“The first time someone says the word

“transplant,” I hear Atlanta’s knees buckle

and groan at the weight of its sound.

They like to call this city a Mecca

and yet pilgrims don’t leave after their Hajj.

Scream “ATL!” over a chorus of sky-rocketing rent prices, 

foreclosures and displaced families.

Why do all my cousins look like pulled teeth?”

Jones can be followed on Instagram here.