Spoke-N-Heard by River

They say today’s poetry stands for

Predominately Opposing Enhanced Talented Rage in Youth

Peep the Truth

It’s not about the lyrics and the message anymore.
It’s about gangsters, hustlers, poverty, and war.

But isn’t that the way poetry has always been.
Older poets, just confused us with hidden messages by way of metaphors, and now were wrong because were more outspoken.

I’m not a literary poet, I’m a spoken word artist, so don’t tell me there’s not a difference.

Literary poet’s audience envisions.
While we speak to ours and they just sit and listen.

Formal definition:

Literature in metrical form, the rhythmic arrangement of syllables.

So because I got a little pep in my step or rhyme sometimes, that makes me a poet.
Don’t be gullible.

Teachers teaching me standardized ways to express my ideas on paper and calling it poetic formulas and syllabus.
Are you kidding us?

Haiku’s, limericks, ballads and epitaph’s are something of the past.
Yeah, maybe they’ll get a few laughs, but look how long that lasts.

Poetry is and was made for memory.
Like lyrics speaking up in your brain and saying, “Hey remember me?”

My Definition:

Political, Biological, and Psychological aspects and perspectives on life.
Because we wouldn’t have poetry if we didn’t have strife.

Broken Hearts make rhymes, while tragic events cause stills in time.
And we sit back and write about it.
Call me a cynic, but when a girl holds her head down in a clinic.
And the doctor looks at her as if when she walked in here with the story of how the condom broke, her life broke with it.
And when she has to explain to him that she’s really intelligent.
How she made a mistake and now she’s paying for it.
She screaming at him, when she’s usually diligent.
But he still ain’t hearing it.

I don’t know if ya’ll beginning to flow with me.
But everything old girl said right there was Spoken Word Poetry.

So it doesn’t matter if you ban us from having slams, or take away our open mics.
Tells us were not allowed to use the words, bitch, revolutionary, feminist or dyke.
Break to creative minds that were not allowed to express ourselves.
We don’t need microphones and stage lights; we’ll do it somewhere else.

Stressed out from work, life putting pressures on your shoulders.
Your girl crying on the phone how she misses you and you can’t even hold her.
Family deaths, and public arrests, shit it’s a mess.
But, don’t ask why.
Just put it down and make it P-O-E-T-R-Y.

So you sitting here Mr. Journalist asking me about what does our generation mean?
When we talk about everyday life and what we face as teens?
Cuz I’m just 17 years old and going through grown woman problems.
So don’t ask me questions if you ain’t trying to solve them.

I don’t have solutions for you neither, so get your information from some star struck poet who actually has a tale.
You could sit here all day questioning me, but you’re just going to fail.
I have no issues or ideas to tell you, so let me be free.

The answer is within the articles you write, cuz’ even that’s POETRY.