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Alexandra-Joyce Porte
English 114 B
Professor Morinini
6 May 2015
An Unnecessary Apology for an Unapologetic Apogee
Shane Koyczan is an award winning spoken word poet, author, and performer,
obliterating all rules of poetry and forging his own literary path. Before the world took notice of
him, Koyczan was merely an unpopular kid in high school and struggled to communicate by
writing prepared responses for questions and conversations. When he attended Okanagan
University College in Princeton, his creative writing instructor Nancy Holmes suggested him to
set aside fiction and try his hand at poetry. He developed his unique performance style at home
with a decidedly neutral audience: Id perform for the cat, and if the cats eyes got wider, I knew
I was doing something crazy. Or if it started looking really scared, I thought, Okay, Ill back it
down a bit(Koyczan). Powerfully engaging and authentic in attitude, he shines a light into the
bleak world behind some of the most incomprehensible acts in our culture, and also shows the
healing power of love. In Apology, Shane Koyczan wins over the hearts of a diverse fan base
when he speaks his mind about how an apology needs to come from genuine sincerity; but he
also makes it clear that its never okay to apologize for personal feelings such as love.
More often than sometimes, Im sorry is an infamously overused line for its inadequacy.
Today, we live in a world full of people pleasers accustomed to slipping out these three familiar
syllables not only whenever someone may feel offended, but also whenever one may feel the
need to defend themselves behind the weight of a pair of words leaked out by a weak consistent

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uniformity. For instance, Shane Koyczan apologizes for apologizing for the irrelevant and
smallest trivial things out of sweet humor but mentions that she sings sweet logic that apologies
should grow like trees / only able to bear fruit of its roots in the soil of genuine sincerity / but I
somehow manage to parity each apology by speaking it before I act / and the fact is, Im not
really sorry that I completely dig Degrassi (14-17). Infiltrating a bit of pop culture, Koyczan
speaks his mind about the equal weight each apology carries, allowing his audience to absorb the
compelling humility in his voice as they try to make a personal connection to his meaningful
message. Somehow, by saying Im sorry to someone for an honest-to-god mistake is not the
same as apologizing for being such a free spirit. Each and every remarkable human being owns
the right to be themselves and doesnt owe anyone anything at all for their spontaneous
foundation. Therefore, its unacceptable to apologize for anything that is a part of you because an
apology conveys the connotation that you are displeased in the way you live your life.
The important global message of this spoken word poem is that human beings should
never feel sorry for their inexplicable feelings because the profoundness of being human is to
feel. Whether it would be feelings of fear, remorse, or complexity, love should be the least and
last thing on the list to apologize for, because its an irrational feeling. Koyczan strongly
expresses this momentum when he begins playing with metaphors and imagery in such very
beautiful language: and my heart is a protest that I let rally against my ribs / cause I want to
build my bones into cribs and lay my reluctance to rest (29-30). In other words, the heart is the
strongest muscle in our body. This blood-pumping organ is the fundamental place of personal
will, trying to break free from its own barrier of familiar life consistencies (also known as the

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comfort zone). At times that we feel like letting go, in a sense that rebels against the social norms
of society, we neglect and shove our robust feelings into a jar. These are the times when people
decide not to accept themselves for who they are even before giving others a try. Neglecting to
enact feelings of healthy rebellion only defeats the purpose of this deliberating life motto: never
hold back. Koyczan chooses to live his life in this motto which compensates for all his true
emotions because he wants to test what it would be like to live phonetically / to hold you
unapologetically / to plant a giving tree in my backyard so that when youre gone, it can give you
back to me (31-34). Exhibiting the endurance to wade in tidal waves of judgmental people is
tough because it requires an individual to speak up with clarity, to live without boundaries, and to
learn how to be selfless when being selfish. With this in mind, Koyczan suggests for us to live
unapologetically. Meaning, to do whatever we want, whenever we want, and not feel bad about
it. In my nineteen years of living, I am sure this is another way of saying play with abandon
except without feeling sorry for you being you. Thinking back to when I was thirteen years old,
I remember keeping to myself but wildly reflecting an artistic beast inside that wanted to reveal
its existing human capabilities. Ever greener than myself today, the younger me would laugh
uncontrollably whenever an opportunity came, or randomly build up a conversation with a kind
stranger. I remember offering a waitress a hug just because of her delightful service, but only
coming home to bashing on myself for such a weird public performance. I felt sorry for exposing
my self-identity that continues to lay hidden in me because I lack the confidence of showing my
unbearable affection. Hearing these words from a different perspective teaches me to care less
about what others may think of me, and inspires me to live my life unapologetically.
Too often, an apology escapes easily from the curves of peoples lips without a particular

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reason of why sorry was being said in the first place. An apology could have been wired out
computationally from the brain instead of being wrung out from the heart. The impulse to
apologize for love is even repulsive because it portrays some form of regret or nonacceptance.
There have been many instances where Ive said Im sorry but havent actually felt why or what
I was sorry for in the first place. In my current relationship, my partner and I would always
apologize for the simplest things, for smiling too much, holding hands silently for a long time,
sharing intimate thoughts and feelings. But underneath all these apologies, I honestly dont think
weve ever felt sorry for loving each other infinitely beyond our convictions. Although this may
sound adorably intriguing, an apology does hold some truth to it, but also creates a solar flare of
energy that lets the other person know how much you truly care about them.
Shane Koyczan wrings out the entirety of his apologies into extraordinary lines of
imagery that describe his purpose for apologizing: I want the sky to fracture under the
impossible weight of an apology / cause Im sorry, Im sorry that I want so much / Im sorry Ive
been using Im sorry as a crutch to lean on for so long / but if you sing me that song of sweet
logic again / then I promise to make the effort to stand on my own (93-97). The repetition of
apologies that hum from his heart express how much hes sorry for wanting so much in an
intimate relationship. Shane Koyczan is saying that hes sorry for showing more than enough
affectionate love, but then recalls the sweet singing voice of a lady that shares the secrecy of how
an apology should be sincere, perhaps even saved for the most unforgivable thing. Restoring
space and time with forgiveness, the impact of apologies are sure to break open the atmosphere
with overwhelming love.

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This is what it is like to live life unapologetically, to love unapologetically; but more
often than not, people take the overall existence of love for granted. Shane Koyczan believes that
too many people are falling more in love with themselves in front of the mirror, as if falling for
their own reflection would be adequate / and thats bullshit, because we only get from now until
the time we go / and if theyve only got time to love themselves then no ones going to be around
to hear the sound of their heartbeat echo (100-103). Therefore, life becomes more meaningful if
only people learn to love with an open heart: theres a reason that our hearts are more like a
muscle and less like a bone / So lady, dont expect an apology when I tell you, Im only held
together by a heart that pumps glue / Its the strongest muscle in my body, and Im flexing it for
you (98, 104-106). In the end, this is where this poetic journey takes us, to the incomprehensible
act of unapologetic love in life. Ultimately, love is less of a noun and more like a verb. Love as a
verb influences humanity to live their life freely with abandon, without apologies.
Not only is the spoken word poem, Apology a narrative delivered by Shane Koyczan,
but its also a beautiful rendition of how an apology is more often spoken softly, and rarely felt
by the heart. Ironically, the most important lesson to be learned is to live life unapologetically.
Saying sorry for things that make someone special for who they are is not going to make anyone
feel any better because it feels wrong to apologize for something that manifests inside and out of
a human beings soul. Overall, Shane Koyczan educates human culture to care less about what
others might think of ourselves, and instead stay true to ourselves without the fear or worry of
others judging us for our apogee of unapologetic existence.

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Works Cited
"Shane Koyczan - Apology." YouTube. YouTube, 16 Dec. 2008. Web. 11 May 2015.