Slam Poetry

I have been really into slam poetry as of late. If you aren't sure what slam poetry is, the most common example of it is the show on HBO called Russel Simmons' Def Poetry. Here is an example of one of my favorite pieces of slam poetry(probaly NSFW due to language), http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZ9zt5fUS00 It is performance poetry, and relies heavily on vocal performance for the rhythm and tone of the work.

I'm not a good poet by any means, and most of the stuff I attempt to write is really bad love poetry, and never sees the light of day, or is only shown to the one person who generally inspires it(much to her dismay, I am sure), but I have been trying to piece something slam related together because some friends on campus wanted me to do something at the slam they have each semester. It probably won't work well in print, perhaps try reading it outloud to yourself. This is a work in progress, and I intend to add more stanzas at some point. Anyway, here it is:

Sixteen years of school…. Well…..
Sixteen years on and off….
And I have learned nothing worth knowing.

I never learned to walk away from someone I didn’t love anymore.
I never learned how to realize when a relationship is bad for me.
I never learned how to forget someone who no longer loved me.

Sixteen years of school…..and I have learned nothing worth knowing.

I never learned to tell my father how he hurt me.
I never learned to tell him how he made me afraid of relationships for a long time.
I never learned how to tell him that I love him anyway….and I still can’t.

Sixteen years of school…..and I have learned nothing worth knowing.

I never learned to treat my time with my mother as if I might lose her the very next day…..and then I did.
I never learned how to say goodbye.
I never learned how to cope with an empty house.

Sixteen years of school, and I never learned a goddamned thing.

Wow, Chris. Man, that last stanza took my breath.

I hope you keep us updated as you continue to develop your "work-in-progress."

Thanks. I still haven't went back to this. I think it is because I haven't been around slam poetry stuff much latelyy. I wish the local coffee house would start doing slams again. One a semester on campus doesn't seem to sate my slam poetry desires.

I'm not sure that I could ever actually do this one on stage, because it is very emotional for me, especially the last stanza.

But, really, poetry that comes from your heart is the best. I understand the not wanting to read it in front of everyone thing, but, sometimes you have to. Because you HAD to write it, so it HAS to be said. Make sense?

I really MUST look into this style of performance poetry.


Yours was very touching.

I've seen people break down on stage before while performing slam poetry. And reading this one really made me think of that. It was amazing. Not to say that just going out there and laying it out is simply a show. What I mean by it is that I was truly touched and moved by it.

And I guess my main point in saying this is that imagining this one performed as slam reminds me of moments that were worth experiencing in that forum. I really do hope that one day you do feel comfortable enough to get on a stage and perform this one. It would be amazing.

But even withstanding that, I think it stands quite well on its own. The repetition and cadence sets the tone to spoken word even without it being spoken. Do you have any other slam poetry you've written? That one was truly something.

Thanks a lot. I'm glad you liked it. :)

This has been my only attempt at slam so far. I only started writing poetry within the last year or so and I wrote this after watching some really good slam stuff. I'll probably end up trying some more once school starts back and I am immersed in it again.

Some of my other stuff is here: http://www.thedarktower.org/palaver/...read.php?t=440

Some of it could probably be read as slam, simply because I don't use a lot of natural rhyme scheme and meter.

FUCKING SPAM!!

Banned!!

edit--there was a SPAM post above this, it was removed. :grouphug: