Through a series of poems and haikus, Asia Samson told stories about his life, including times he experienced loss, grief and frustration, during a Maintenance Shop spoken word event Tuesday.

He talked about his experiences as a father, a partner, a brother and a son. Within the poems, Samson stressed the importance of these moments in his life. The readings also contained jokes and puns, which complemented the serious elements of the poetry.

Samson is part of a group known as The Asia Project, an acoustic music poetry act that has toured over 2,000 college campuses since 2009. The group, composed of Samson and his brother-in-law Jollan Aurelio, combines music and poetry and has been featured on HBO Def Poetry, TEDx, Button Poetry and NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest.

Samson performed as a solo act at Tuesday’s event and spoke on the loss of his sister and the grief that followed this loss. In a poem about her, Samson talked about how this loss affected him and his family.

“That’s when I knew that all along we had failed to see the light at the end of this tunnel she was going through,” Samson said during a reading of his poem. “Because while we were praying for her awakening, the awakening was really meant for us. To remind us that life is a coma we can still choose to wake up from.”

Samson also talked about the importance of staying present in life, especially during busy times.

“My sister taught me you have to be present,” Samson said. “When you have that time, take advantage. Be there.”

For more information about The Asia Project, visit their website.