The Inside Scoop On Dallas Wall

We sat down with classroom poet Dallas Wall, and learned about the mind behind the poetry.

Dallas Wall, a local classroom poet, is known for his quick diction and brave words. I had the chance to sit down and talk with him, really get to know the person behind the words. He isn't a secret bad boy, or a local superhero (although i'm sure one day he'll be close to one.) Dallas is very humble, and finds his own happiness in others smiles. He wants to help others, but not for fame or fortune, something that's rare to find nowadays.

Dallas' past was surprisingly religious. He's quick to clarify that although religion can get a bad reputation, he grew up in a very open home. His apparent kindness is evidence of this, and Christianity has a big part in his life. When asked about his favorite song, he responded with "Jesus Freak", by the Newsboys, because he can really relate to it.

When asked about his future, he wants to study electrical engineering or be a civil engineer. He actually enjoys math, and he's even good at it. In ten years, he will hopefully be living the American Dream, married, with a good job and a nice house.

To really get into the depths of his personality, we had him answer a series of serious, psych analyzing questions:

If you could be any animal, who would you kill first?

Probably a tiger, and he would kill Kanye West. He just doesn't like the guy, the way he acts, or his music. He also added that he would probably kill Donald Trump (that one should be self explanatory.)

What do you fear the most?

Spiders. They're creepy. There's even one that terrorizes him where he works, lurking in an outside cupboard. He waits, he waits.

Are you more of a dog person or cat person?

He's a dog person, but he doesn't mind cats. In fact, he has three right now. Hopefully though, one day he'll have a bigger house and will be able to get a dog, and maybe some cats too.

Where do you imagine yourself retiring?

California, still. He would like to spend his whole life here, really. (I mean who can blame him?) He could never really leave the beach either, he'd have to always be within driving distance of it.

If you could dye your hair any color, would you?

No, but when he was younger he used to use the washable red spray that you get a party city, and he would use it around once a month.

What color is your soul?

Dark grey, because as much as he tries to be nice and clean, there are still habits and his past that slightly dirty it.

What’s your favorite movie?

He really likes both of the Avenger’s films, his favorite kinds of movies are action and comedy.

If you could relive your life knowing what you know now, what would you change?

He wouldn't change much, only some little things. He wouldn't want to change much though, simply because living a different life might make him a different person. Right now he's happy with his life, so he wouldn't want to do anything to change it.

Where do you want to be in ten years?

Hopefully married, with a good job and a nice home. A stable home and family is ideal- because he's never really experienced stability.

Which career would you like to have?

Either electrical engineering or civil engineering. Turns out Dallas really likes math, and he's good at it! When I asked him why he didn't want to go into a creative field, he admitted that its too hard to make a good living or a stable income in creative fields. He will still keep writing poetry as a hobby though.

Bonus: The story behind the emotional poetry

Dallas' poetry that he's shared is always beautiful and emotional. He uses poetry as an outlet for his emotions, he wouldn't want to dampen his friend's moods. He would rather put his energy into writing, and we're all grateful he does.

You can catch Dallas every Friday at second period for Author's Chair in Mr. Samakosky's class.