My Favorite Spoken Word Prefomances

This is for all my poetry fanatics, spoken word is on stage performance where poets read out their poems like a story or over an issue. I enjoy watching spoken word because you can see the emotion in the person and you can really feel the passion they have for that topic. I want to share my favorite spoken word performances.

1) To This Day- Shane Koyczan: This spoken word was one of the very first that I listened to, and after this I fell in love. Shane does an amazing job telling a story, and making you feel beautiful, and strong. I promise this is a video worth watching. My favorite quote from this poem is:

"If you can't see anything beautiful about yourself, get a better mirror, look a little closer, stare a little longer. Because there's something inside you that made you keep trying despite everyone who ever told you to quit. You built a cast around your heart, and signed it yourself. You signed it "they were wrong"  

(Shane Koyczan)

2) Somewhere In America: While I was watching poetry slams I came across this one and it really opened my eyes. These three girls: Belissa Escobedo, Rhiannon McGavin, and Zariya Allen are part of a program called Get Lit that helps increase teen literacy through spoken word poetry.

"The teacher never fails, only you do. Every state in America, the greatest lessons are the ones you don't remember learning." (Get Lit) 

3) Rape Poems To End All Rape Poems: Justice Hehir, Lindsey Michelle Williams, Kate Thomas, and Michelle Williams from Rutger University expressed the topic of rape culture and their view on the topic. The poem starts off by addressing how they will preform "another rape poem" because they feel  there will be more rape poems until people will address and fix the problem. This poem speaks volume and gave me chills.

"Until no really means NO! Until rape means crime. Until woman means human. All these rape poems will continue until there is no damn material left" (Rutger University)

These are some of my favorite spoken word poems and I hope you like them too. If you have an spoken word favorites share them in the comments, I would love to see other people's favorites,

Poetry Slam

Yesterday night my school had a poetry slam, and this is the first one I have ever gone to one. The amount of expression that came out of people's mouth was indescribable. Some people it was their first time up there, and they read something so personal to a bunch of strangers. That to me is stepping out of the box and as I like to say living louder. Their words were ineffable and so beautiful the amount of talent in that place was too much.  These people have walked down the same halls, sat in the same classrooms, talked to the same people, and at that very moment we were all united by words. At that moment I felt a connection was made with each and everyone that was there. We all laughed together, we all sympathized together, we were all sad together, and most importantly we all had fun together. This was a way to get people to let out their feelings onto paper and into poetry and I felt like each of them gave inspiration to everyone in the audience. Everyone who listened learned something from this slam, and what I learned is that you aren't alone people will always be there to listen, learn and help you with whatever you are going through. This poetry slam really gave me inspiration and I hope one day you will take time to write a poem, attended a poetry slam, or even preform you will not regret it.

To Be or Not To Be Parody Soliloquy

As a senior in high school we had to read about Hamlet. Our teacher made us write our own version to his soliloquy for "To be or not to be". When I wrote this poem I wanted to express the feelings of someone who is going though anxiety.

To Be Anxious or Not Be Anxious

By mz

To be anxious or not to be anxious- that is the question:

Whether' tis easier to be at peace

And let confidence fill these thoughts

Or have your body shake and heart race

And by nervousness, never enjoy each day.

To doubt, to listen to the voices in my mind-

No more- and by worrying I face

The constant reminder of the voice in my head

That I hear each day-

Tis' an illness

That is hard to face.

To be anxious, to be at peace-

To be at peace perhaps like a dream. Ay, there's the problem

For along the way what might we lose

When we make the anxiousness overpower you

Must this be a never ending fight

That's the thought

That makes me tremble in fear

For who wants this anxiousness fear

The tossing and turning all night

The fear of knocking on that door

The fear of asking for a napkin alone

The uneasiness that builds up inside

The second guessing yourself each time

And the mask you put up

To hide what you are trying to deal with inside

When the anxiousness builds up inside

When will you know when it will stop?

Who would handle our obsessive thoughts,

To fear and worry about the little things,

But hardest part is missing out on the things that everyone does

While we stand unable to express ourselves

Wishing we could be at ease like everyone else

Is it worth all that anxiousness

Or are we too afraid of finding peace within ourselves?

Thus missing out on all the fun things we did not say or do

And thus regret fills our insides and devours the joy

Is that what society has turned to

And the chatter that people say about stress getting in the way

With all this anxiety that holds us hostage in our heads 

And we can either choose to let it be or let it break free.

I hope you enjoyed my own version of Hamlet's soliloquy, I had to preform it in front of my class. I was nervous at first I even started shaking and I read it fast until I realized what I was reading and towards the end I was able to calm myself down. I wasn't going to let being nervous take over what I was trying to express. I hope this has helped anyone with anxiety, you are not alone its time to let you anxiety break free.