A poet can come in many shapes and sizes. A poet can be your next door neighbor, a local barista, or even an LMU baseball player. Sophomore catcher Jordan Ortiz is writing on a page when he’s not behind the plate.
Growing up with a mother who is an English teacher, Ortiz has been writing from a young age, developing a passion for music, journaling, and poetry. Recently, the catcher faced an injury preventing him from playing on the field which allowed Ortiz the free time to express his thoughts and ideas into poems.
Ortiz’s Instagram handle, @Jo_etry35 combines both his name, the word poetry, and the number on the back of his jersey. Ortiz’s written pieces uploaded onto social media are paired with colorful visuals and designs from the app Canva. “I’ll add similar images or gifs depending on what the poem is talking about and on how much time I have,” said Ortiz.
The baseball player’s overall goal enlisted in his Instagram biography is being as authentic as possible in his writing. “I think authenticity is really important, just being transparent, sharing the good and the bad, which is something that is often overlooked on social media,” he said, “The more authentic you can be, the more people are going to respect you overall and connect with you because there is a lot we don’t show about our personal lives that we all kind of experience. It’s about breaking the shield of vulnerability.”
Ortiz started building a dedicated space for poetry on social media late September separate from his main baseball-related account for his own personal reasons. “I wanted to separate the two, having a life outside of baseball and what is normally in the public eye versus having another account that shows a different sides of myself,” said Ortiz.
When it comes to his writing process it is as simple as putting pen to paper. From the first idea, title, to the final words and uploading a post, it all comes to mind. “I’ll write as I’m thinking of something and edit from there. I will write what I am feeling at that moment” said Ortiz.
The sport of baseball requires discipline, patience, and the ability to handle pressure. As a catcher, he helps lead the team defensively behind home plate and works closely with the pitchers. All of those experiences carry over into his writing while also giving him a different outlet from baseball. Poetry allows Ortiz to have another identity rather than his sport alone. “I think all my life experiences add or subtract from poetry just like the different emotional experiences you can have on or off the field. There is a nuance in poetry and baseball that in a way are connected. Since I’ve been hurt and recovering it has been a nice outlet,” he said.
As he continues his baseball career at LMU, Ortiz does not have an expectation for his poetry account, but to push the narrative to love and to not distance ourselves from one another. “I just want to put my poetry out whenever I have the chance to. Just write, write what you feel” said Ortiz.
The Blame Game by Jordan Ortiz
Blame, Blame, Blame
How we cast it like a rod
Throwing it at all in vicinity
Because we show a fraud of serenity
Pretending as if we can do no wrong
But is it pretending
If ignorance is really your song?
It’s their fault your anger is easily drawn
Anger is a mirror of pain and hurt
But most refuse to look because it doesn’t come with a comforting flirt
But have you ever looked within?
