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Texan Slam Poet's 'Ode To Whataburger’ Goes Viral (Video)

YouTube screengrab
Amir Safi performed 'Ode to Whataburger' at the Texas Grand Slam Poetry Festival.

A video of a poetic love letter to Whataburger is going viral. 

Houston poet Amir Safi recently performed ‘Ode to Whataburger’ at the Texas Grand Slam Poetry Festival. “Oh Whataburger,” he says. “Texas-born titan, A-frame shelter, pilgrimage for the south. Church of meat, grease and longer waits. Perfectly-salted pulpit for the hungry. We are knelt before you in drive-through, in car seat or strangely-shaped table that consists of half-booth, half chairs.  We have come to receive your honey butter chicken blessings.”

Safi told the Houston Chronicle he’s been trying to push himself “to write about everyday things we often overlook.” “Sometimes the everyday things are life-changing,” he said.

You’ve gotta watch the video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WKQimdJsoc

[We know you love Whataburger -- what else do you love about Texas?Explore our bucket list of 39 (or more) things you should do in Texas before you die.]

Whataburger loves it!

Whataburger loves 'Ode to Whataburger' -- of course! -- and sent out this tweet:

Everybody loves it!

And here's more social media love:

More about Safi

Safi talked with Texas Standard, the statewide public radio newsmagazine, about his viral poem.

Safi hosts a poetry night called Write About Now. One day, there was a food-themed open mic. Safi thought: “What food do I want to write about?”

“Naturally, Whataburger came to mind,” Safi says. “And I just start to write ‘What are all the things I like about Whataburger?’ and then this poem came to fruition out of that.”

Safi made the leap from biology to poetry.

“Biology in its essence is the study of life,” Safi told Texas Standard.“What can be more poetic then discovering how life works? I did study biology. It was a passion. I also had Iranian parents, who pushed met toward the sciences and the maths.”

Video: Watch Safi read 'Brown Boy. White House'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mr0IVQ4b9TE

Note: We've corrected some of the words in the Whataburger poem.

Eric Aasen is KERA’s managing editor. He helps lead the station's news department, including radio and digital reporters, producers and newscasters. He also oversees keranews.org, the station’s news website, and manages the station's digital news projects. He reports and writes stories for the website and contributes pieces to KERA radio. He's discussed breaking news live on various public radio programs, including The Takeaway, Here & Now and Texas Standard, as well as radio and TV programs in New Zealand and the United Kingdom.