There’s something about spoken word poetry that makes you feel enlighted. It’s as though you discovered the explanations to all those uncertain emotions, weird thoughts, and painful memories. It does the talking for you and boy, can it make you cry. Over the past few years, I’ve learned that spoken word poetry isn’t just meant to help you understand the uncertainty of life, but can also bring comfort. It brings warmth, familiarity, and a sense of belonging; there are others in the world going through the exact same things as you are.
“When Love Arrives” — Sarah Kay & Phil Kaye
“Maybe love stays. Maybe love can’t. Maybe love shouldn’t. Love arrives exactly when love is supposed to. And love leaves exactly when love must.”
I think the most beautiful aspect of this piece is that it talks about love throughout time. It speaks of love in different versions and how, while there is such a thing as love, it doesn’t mean that love will be easy or in reaching distance.
“Explaining My Depression to My Mother” — Sabrina Benaim
She yelled the things we are afraid to whisper. She put every feeling, every lonely night, every questionable thought in our heads into words and spoke them out for us without missing a beat.
“About Time” — Miles Carter
In my entire 19 years of life, everything has always seemed rushed. Life has always seemed as though it demanded more, and I was unsure if there was ever an end to it. But sometimes, we forget that life is precious and that the decisions we make reflect who we are. We are meant to walk this life for a reason. And even if we make mistakes, we’d do it all over again for a chance to be better and be our most beautiful self.
“Scars/To The New Boyfriend” — Rudy Francisco
There are some poems that touch your soul, and this one does so exactly. “Loving you was the last thing I felt good at.” Listening to this can make you think of your first heartbreak. It can make you cry, and cry, and cry until you feel like you’ve been healed. He adds in bits of humor into it as well though, which makes you realize that the pain is good and that it comes with healing.
“When a Boy Tells You He Loves You” — Edwin Bodney
The irony of this poem has always been that he never says “man”, but “boy”. It’s not that he’s warning you, but he is informing you of what not to do for a boy.
“Do not crack your face into the fullest crescent moon at the tapered bottom of a blackened sky.”