Here a few slam poems that you might enjoy.
Feel free to comment on one or more of these poems - or other slam poems you like - and / or transcribe or record your own slam poem and post it here :)
Enjoy!
G
Suli Breaks:
Shane Koyczan:
Sarah Kay:
Taylor Mali:
Beau Sia:
Harry Baker:
Feel free to comment on one or more of these poems - or other slam poems you like - and / or transcribe or record your own slam poem and post it here :)
Enjoy!
G
from: http://bplolinenews.blogspot.ca/2011/03/word-up-2011-poetry-slam-for-jefferson.html
Technology sucks
ReplyDelete“Yo… answer my messages”
Facebook… twitter… instagram… snapchat… skype… iphones… androids… laptops… macs…
All these social networking and high tech devices are said to be “saving” our lives…
They’re supposed to bring us together. Allow us to make bigger and better relationships. Keep us in touch at all times.
But do they really? Because I can’t remember… the last time my best friend came and knocked on my door… the last time someone actually took the time out of their day to make an attempt to see me just for the reason of seeing me. Funny thing is I don’t think they could, even if they wanted to… I guess that’s due to today’s ways of communication. I’m pretty sure more than 80% of my best friends don’t even know where I live… And if counting all my so-called “Friends” as labeled by my Facebook account, it would be over 95%.
What if one day I was all alone at home during an emergency, struggling, or even dying of a tragic event? What do I do? That’s when I speed dial my best friend, only that the number saved under my best friend reads… 9…1…1… Yeah what other choice did I really have? No friends to help me when in need of a real friend.
And I came to the realization of this, as I saw my parents and their relationships with their friends… and I gotta say they’re the cool ones here. The older generations is where it all went down… The younger generation is just too messed up.
All this technology hasn’t made relationships better in any way. It has made people lazier, giving them the idea…. that a few texts have the same value as a one on one conversation…. that a Facebook chat is as worthy as a real chat.
Most kids spend countless hours on their phones and their high tech devices, but almost all just a waste of time, misguiding themselves into believing that it’s their only link to the world. And when one loses their phone, it’s the “END OF THE WORLD” for them. And I’m not just saying that to prove my point but it’s a line I’ve heard hundreds of times. It’s like they're temporarily dead until they get a new one. So does that mean their phone is their saviour. Excuse me but I have to say that’s the stupidest thing I have heard till this day.
So no I won’t answer your messages along with the other 23 messages from my other “friends” and that’s the end of that…
I decided to write a slam poem (in a stream of paragraphs) with inspiration from one of my favourite poets, Sarah Kay:
ReplyDeleteLife.
I was once a little boy, sitting on the front porch of my house, with dreams and ambitions different than now. I had once thought that our path in life would soar magically towards us, and slowly unravel and open like a carpet. I thought that we would be able to find a genie, in some sort of a magical lamp and let them know our three wishes. Three wishes that I wanted someone else to grant because I was too lazy to accomplish them myself.
They tell me that life will hit you hard sometimes, and that some of us may never be able to get back up. There will be days when you will feel like the thrown away ticket to a train that already left the station. And that’s when you learn that life will not wait for you, and that the train that’s already left will never come back.
They tell me that there will be days when I will feel like a non-existent creature in this world with no possible hopes and ambitions for the future. But that’s when I will tell them and myself that you can change, and that you can make a mark in this very Earth because we are all capable of change.
I heard that there will be times when you’re on the last few pages of a book, only to find out that the last page has been torn, and thrown away elsewhere, impossible to retrieve again. But that’s when you tell yourself that you can always just borrow the same book again and start fresh, and anew.
They tell me that there will be people who will always tell you the opposite of what you truly are. “You need to change” they tell you, “You need to be different” they tell you. And that’s when you know to stop listening to them.
I’ve been told that in this place called life, there will always be someone above you, and someone below you. And all you have to do is stick with the fact that you can’t always be the best even if you’re trying your best and getting all your hands and feet wet. But just know that as long as you’re not drowning in water, and you have your head at least a few inches above and are able to breathe, then you’re fine. You really are, because life will get better for you eventually.
They tell me that I am young and have not enjoyed the glories of life just yet. They tell me that I still have time to grow, mature, and explore the endless opportunities that life will soon give me.
And even if I choose to ride this path slower and differently than others, as long as I am able to cross the road and reach the end, then that’s all that really matters.
Teenage years
ReplyDeleteWho are you to tell me what I can or cannot do? I will do as I please because it’s my life that I intend to change for ease. What gives you the power to distract me from my tower?
Maybe when I was younger than this, then you could teach me, but now you can no longer demand but rather just give a helping hand.
If I was to die today then what was my purpose in life. My time was all yours. All I did was step into “your footsteps”… Those “footstep” you never even took… But mentioned you did just to trick me.
Life’s too short and I can’t be guided by all your hard set demands. They remind me of the memory of a peanut butter, pickle sandwich I once had. They disgust me to a point where I want to throw up, and not just vomit, but rather throw up my gut along with my already burning heart. That should fix the problem eh…?
You lived your life… Now let me live mine. It’s only fair if you find the power inside you to just let go.
Can’t you remember when you were in my shoes? When you didn’t even listen to a word your folks ever spoke. Just try to remember… All the wrongs you have done.
“Don’t do this…. Don’t do that” ye and I shall listen… But due to the repetition, I take that as recognition of disrespecting my intuition. I am no longer the child you used to carry around whenever I used to make a crying sound.
What did you really think? It’s a known fact that for every action there’s an equal and opposite reaction, so it even seems logical that I am very critical about my actions. Your force on me will eventually fire back on yourself so keep pushing and just watch me push back.
So, next time you look into my eyes and say “you can’t do that”… but oh I can and I will, unless you show me that you understand.