Hanif Abdurraqib - And What Good Will Your Vanity Be When The Rapture Comes 

"I say I know, I know...or I knew once and now I write about beautiful things like I will never touch another beautiful thing again" Speaks volume to me

Everything Hanif writes is medicine

This makes me want to call 911 and ask what their emergency is

"the end isn't always about what dies."

I feel like I've grown up with this poem.. I first heard it when I was 29 and it meant so much to me I'd listen to it on repeat. I recently remembered it (I'm 33) and I heard it completely different now. I sobbed during the entire poem. This is true art, to be able to put forth a piece that evolves with the viewer/reader/listener. Absolute beauty.

I keep coming back to this piece, it must have been my 15th time watching it - i always wonder what the meaning is for him and i think i finalllly got it - its to accept and appreciate the things that you see for yourself, life can be beautiful even if you have noone to share it with. The ending shows that he still sees the world the way he used to but now there is release ‘all surrender ends in blood’ to the finishing line ‘i look up and the sky is still blood red’ it means he is surrendering to himself and allowing himself to love life, even if those he love arent there physically he knows they will always be there. It didnt matter if the old man didn’t recognise/remember him as be had accepted the beauty for himself? Everytime i watch it i feel like i get a new meaning. I would love to know what others perceive this poem to be about 💞

“And once you know what it is to be lonely it is hard to unsee that which serves as a reminder that you were not always” fuck

this poem evokes feelings in my I can't describe. deep, bottomless nostalgia for somethingI can't explain, that never existed. I keep coming back to this video, and every time, it means something more.

"dancing shrapnel of dying light". Amazing

Hanif's imagery is just amazing Dope poem🔥

and the man says "what color are you making the sky?" and I say what I might say in a poem I say "All surrender ends in blood" and he says "no, what color are you making the sky?" "Something bright enough to make everyone I love wish they were here" Something bright enough to make everyone I love wish they were here!! WTF Click Click

something about this made me irrevocably emotional and I don't quite know what

"And now I write about beautiful things like I will never touch a beautiful thing again." Far and away the best imagery of any spoken word poet I've heard. There's always a rush of thoughts and emotions upon listening to him. This one had me thinking about how I don't pay attention enough to the moment and it escapes me, leaving me with emptiness. It made me think about loneliness despite how much more contact we have with one another. It made me think about how I try to make perfection out of something that is already perfect in its own right, and then I fail to appreciate what is before me. "And once you know what it is to be lonely, it is hard to unsee that which serves as a reminder that you are not always." This line was interesting to me. Feels like it should've been "see" instead of "unsee", but maybe he meant that only when we come to realize our loneliness can we learn to overcome it with more grateful eyes. That when we learn to appreciate the moment is when we'll find its perfection.

I had to watch this over and over and over trying to understand it. So beautifully written yet l understand so little.

He paints the most beautiful pictures with his words

He never disappoints

This poem impacts me in a strange way. I think about it all the time.

I love this poem so much, please dont stop writing

I admire his words

His tone, His words, His imagery....I absolutely ADORE him!

I love things only as they are..and im.sure I did once too but I can't prove it anymore... That line.

Beautiful poem, Beautiful title, Beautiful performance

Real tears man

the beauty in this brought me to tears

this is beautiful

This has touched me so beautifully thank you...

This is so incredibly beautiful

Beautiful

phenomenal !!

That was simply amazing

by far his most superior poem so far

damn. just.... yes.

so beautiful

I am breathless....

so so talented, amazing!!! one of my new favourites :)

WOW!

Hanif is amazing

yes yes yes yes yes

Wow 💕

❤️

Wow

woah..

Yess

"son... have we met?"

Oh my

ADD AUTO CAPTIONS PLEASE

CAN SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN TO ME WTF THIS POEM MEANS I HAVE TO WRITE A PAPER ON IT

Sooo #nofilter?

This doesn't have nearly enough views.

this fucked me up

This is genius. The man with the bottles was Jesus trying to love and save him, but He was distracted and depressed by violence so his beliefs in Christianity left him. The sky being “blood red” was symbolic of the people he lost to violence, and them being in heaven. And when he said “did you see it? Did you see it the way I did?” It’s a play on how being in our own thoughts and own emotions distract us from the truth and love of God when the man turned away and said “son, have we met” it’s a play on how in the Bible, the rapture is partially described as God saying “depart from me you worker of iniquity, I never new you” for those who didn’t except or build a relationship with him. When he said “and once you know what it is to be lonely it’s hard to unsee that which serves as a reminder that you were not always” is mirroring the concept of what the rapture is.. when Jesus comes back(the sun/son) and take his people, his Spirit will leave with him meaning that people will not have access to him like they do now. So that’s painting how people work be like... wow, I thought I was lonely but I really am now. I’m sure there’s so many other metaphors that I didn’t catch but this is what I got from this rich, beautiful poem. I thank God.

😢🤓

What is distinctive about this? Commonplaces told in a commonplace way. Where's the music, the melopoeia, that makes poetry, poetry.

deezwhatsir