at school I was always good at science
and if you get a science at school they
tell you to study medicine it's a way of
using your gifts to help other people
and it makes the school look good so
when I applied to university that's what
I thought I wanted to do I thought it'll
be a long degree followed by a long
career path so I'll take a gap year I
was in that gap peer that I discovered
writing and performing poetry and it
felt like nothing else I couldn't
describe at the time but I knew this was
something I wanted to do for the rest of
my life I just didn't know how
unlike medicine that weren't courses on
it's poetry right for you and I didn't
know anyone who had trod on this path
before
so remember sitting down with my parents
and saying mom dad that's what I call
him I figured it out I went to have
enough time to give this poetry thing a
go properly so I'm switching courses I'm
going to study maths and somehow they
understood I figured this way I'd have
time to carry on writing alongside my
studies and after uni I'll probably have
to get a real job one day or maybe see
sitting in the audience of an event like
this I didn't think I get to be the one
on stage but I still wasn't sure I knew
that there were 20 people who had love
to have my place in medical school who'd
be better doctors than I would because
they were actually passionate about it
they hadn't just written that in a
personal statement I also knew that if I
didn't write my poems then nobody else
would and for me that was important but
when comparing poetry and medicine in my
heads
poetry is a less quantifiable way of
saving lives and I'm a mathematician but
medicine had certainty poetry was a leap
of faith but then I heard a story and
that story turned into a poem and that
poem helps me make up my mind so this
poem is about the story that scientists
once proved the bumblebees couldn't fly
because they're too fat and they have
little wings but bumblebees can fly and
I love that I've always liked an
underdog so I wrote this
i schooled the scientist and the
bumblebee you see the scientists said
the bumblebee couldn't fly she liked the
wing beats per minute or the necessary
size but the bumblebee in her ignorant
proved him wrong she neither she could
fly because she'd flown all along and
now imagine if she'd listened to the man
she might have stopped given up on the
spot tucked her wings in and dropped so
don't ever let someone tell you what you
can't do because just because it's
proven doesn't mean it's true
the bumblebee bamboos loving her life
she hums as she flies hmm
the bumblebee fumbled clumsily stumbled
from flower to flower hmm the bumblebee
tumbled tore through the sky pulling
court screws and dives and then the
bumblebee mumbled crumbled in front of
the Queen and her power mmm the bomb
would be Gromit something explicit
discovered she belabored a gimmick and
then the bumblebee rumbled desperate to
eat that nectar so sweet the bomb will
be humbled her critics silenced all
things scientific in and the bomb will
be John with her speech she didn't care
it in the air she was free because she
was a busy bee loved to fly to flowers
and visit trees deliver seeds
efficiently more so than in a breeze
intricate intimate meticulous axillary
and gather more honey than any tsukkomi
you see ever since she learned to fly
she earned her stripes
despite the words of height from learned
types to press the urge to fight or turn
in high-density young for sky and birds
up high her confidence was soaring she's
a scientist as boring the sort of people
she should be ignoring because they made
no sense at least no center sweets has
pollen even centimeters from where they
depended on their drawings that they'd
rather follow their charts and follow
their hearts if they saw a bee leave
they still believe their graphs they
preferred facts and figures to beeswax
and bigger but she begged to differ she
flew past and laughed I meet the
scientist his aim in life was to try and
dismiss any hypothesis he didn't
preposterous when asked why he never saw
it his pride he replied that obvious it
wouldn't fit on my esophagus not quite
the optimist more like the opposite less
likely to be living in a bubble than
popping it he had hey believe everything
I say fever pollen osis went close to
the anomalous taking measurements making
experiments accumulating evidence his
brain contained considerable cleverness
compared to his intelligence are busy
with bees in the room he forgot the
elephant and his foolproof
was foolproof except for the truth and
if the bumble bee had read his report
she'd have agreed she was too heavy
therefore should never be airborne but
ignorance is bliss and that begins with
the bee
so this one is for the bees in the hive
living lives of aviation the ones who
survive and how it's about you
pollination are ones that thrive in
those sticky situations with their flock
enoki me Haley pill irritation they are
doing what they're doing for the buzz
not for love of money moving and
maneuvering above if the weather sunny
proven to the humans their conclusions
are competing and unusually refusing to
budge this is for those who were being
themselves and who believe in themselves
you see the bee and themselves and set
it free in themselves you know that even
though it's difficult life is full of
miracles and true happiness never came
from being cynical the bumble bee
forever looking for something sweet
overcoming tumbleweed by holding on to
somebody from summary this is those that
stay summary and there will be beasts to
come whatever comes the bee because the
scientists said the bumble bee couldn't
fly she liked the wing beats per minute
or the necessary size but the bumble bee
in her ignorance proved him wrong she
knew that she could fly because she'd
flown all along and now imagining she
listened to the man she might have
stopped giving up on the spot tuck to
wings in a drop so don't ever let
someone tell you what you can't do
because just because it's proven doesn't
mean it's true
I believe that words hold power at
school I was called a buck-toothed goofy
nerd who would never get a girlfriend
teachers can be cruel I was also told
that I was creative intelligent
thoughtful kind brilliant thanks mom but
no matter how inaccurate no matter how
little the person saying them knows you
words of hatred are very hard to shake
off but somehow I managed to ignore
those that were closest to me when I was
14 the most important thing in the world
was getting braces because I figured
that way I could fix my front teeth and
then I could fit in with the other kids
and I remember the day after I got my
braces off I went into school and I sat
in reception smiling I'm a mate said
Harry you look good and I said I know
but I was most excited for break time I
said break time I would get to see my
best friend and if anybody was going to
be happy for me it was going to be her I
remember walking across the playground
smiling and waiting and she didn't say
anything and I was so disappointed I
couldn't believe that she hadn't noticed
I couldn't believe that she didn't care
and looking back on it she probably did
notice but she definitely didn't care
she didn't care what it looked like she
didn't care whether I fitted in or not
because she loved me for who I was and
it took me years to fully appreciate
that I'm currently in my final year of
university I'm not quite sure what I'm
going to do afterwards but it'll
probably involve more poetry than it
does maths I know that it's a path that
hasn't been trodden before but that's
what makes it exciting and I'm learning
to listen to those that love me because
those that love you of those that know
you best and those that know you best
have the most important things to say so
I'd like to finish with a poem it's
called 22 because on 22
and have a lack of imagination when it
comes to titles I also hope that people
would think that it was the new Adele
album and I might get some extra funds
as it turns out it's the name of a
Taylor Swift song so you win some you
loose this oh there's cool 22 and it
goes like this
thank you for listening I've spent most
of my life trying to fit in now I'm
realizing maybe I was made to stand up
that's not a bad thing we're all made
different bits of DNA different from a
young age not encouraged to stay there
from we're trapped in school uniforms
made to fill out uniforms and ways that
placate and make donkeys from unicorns
don't be too unicorn or nor like so for
the ugly ducklings and reluctant to be
riot choose only you were capable of
know what you might do beauties in the
context of those it's applied to in my
view Swan sound like and pigeon
speaking higher coos so for the second
time in my life I'm palindromic the path
of chosen isn't renowned for having
logic but every day I wake up best
believe I'm glad I'm on it 11 years ago
I couldn't imagine college so 11 years
time something I haven't acknowledged I
have no desire to be sat in an office
but that's as far as I got with a
planner for Manas right now I'm focusing
on making the intangible solid I put my
passion to the extent I get stamina from
a twenty-something and my friends are
getting married on it I've just found
someone who will hold my hand if I want
it I mean we're living in a time where
the banks of the robbers and we've all
lost interest at the hands of their
profits but your worst aunt determined
by the cash in your wallet and if they
tell you it is then that is absolute
bollocks for me success in having a lot
of inanimate objects just to deter that
they happen to polish for me success is
being happy being you so find a way of
being you and being happy not the
youthful you need to be the you you know
you are you are fearfully and
wonderfully made you are incredible my
dad taught me about the gift of not
fitting in so in a way these things I
say will embody a bit of him it's tutus
now knock knock who's there more boo
who's now let's tell you less tubby
there's new news now I've been to
weddings of those I thought were too
young to get married and funerals of
those I believe too young to die some
things never change
most seem to the final show isn't the
same as the read-through retry control
XY said to cut undo and redo but nobody
can do we like we do seen - I've hit the
agent loads that I looked up to well
when I looked up to them thinking that
it's up to them I guess it's up to us
now some things have just about sussed
out i've still got enough doubts yet
somehow somehow is a feeling less
impossible my mom taught me it might
take a while for folk to see your hidden
Wealth's who went away these things I
say will embody a bit of her I still
adventure Lots
I still enjoy getting lost I still hope
computer games you anyway I'll ever get
a boss still try maintain a face more
jelly tots than lemon drops - rather
learn from our mistakes and be a clever
frog that's never lost still taking that
time just perfecting me and I've still
got love for the streets it's the d-r-e
a.m. 2 p.m. when in a christina million
I'll take broken beautiful over pristine
and brilliant like I'm 15 a kid again
yet to see things for this Chapel look
up my Sistine ain't finished yeah my
older bro a new assist taught me commit
until the bitter ends in a way these
things I say will embody a bit of them
well I don't mind a masterpiece
I'd rather master peace of mind at least
allowed Vanessa ties that feeling of
failure I am no longer an awkward
teenager I can still be awkward I'm just
not a teenager these days I know no
matter how much natural town I happen to
have I am too old to train to be a Jedi
and as the days passed across and head
by it's less and less likely I will get
scouted to play for Chelsea we'll see
because the world isn't perfectly round
there's enough corners for us all to
find a niche to pour affections and each
kippur reflections to help us see
different because things can be
different if we believe in the people
who believe have been the reason for
everything I do so in a way these things
I say will embody a bit of you shout out
my fam Luke Chris Dave and Sam John
Birch you-know-who and Andrew Stan's
because the future is unknown aka Fun
Zone I mean I've done known you're done
no I'm ready for the next step
don't quite know what to expect but
those have been the best yes on your
marks get set