May 16, 2008
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Middle School Slam
Imagine I am middle schoolish
(or if you prefer, you can call it Jr. High)
And I am at a poetry slam
I might be brave enough to risk looking foolish
I might be quiet and quite shy
Perhaps that’s who I am
Or I am popular and this is just fun
Middle school girls in concert scream
As I approach the stage
Or will at least when I am done
As down mom’s cheeks tears also stream
For I am older than my age
So judges please be kind to me and mine
Perhaps what we think deep ain’t so
But we try hard to find that Zen
And on a scale from 1 to 9
Please start from 8 or mo’
And please make mine a 10.
I attended my first poetry slam at my daughter's middle school (she didn't compete - in fact, there wasn't anyone I knew competing). I am impressed by people who put themselves out there. Especially given that the stereotypical poet, particularly in "jr. high school" is shy and quiet and stands far away from the mike until someone moves the mike closer, and she/he backs away again, but has to get an 8 for trying, even though we couldn't hear. Right?
Comments (5)
Good job. You really got the feeling of it. What a tender age.
Absolutely right.
You are right
Dear Prometheus,
Thanks so much for visiting my blog and leaving a comment on my June 6th entry. I like this poem very much. Back when I was in school, poetry wasn't popular AT ALL. I began wrting at age 14, and my poetry was quite well known when I was in high school, because I passed around my "volumes" to my "readers". But I was pretty much the only one who actively wrote poetry. Most guys sprurned this a "unmanly" as well. This was in the late 60s.
Michael F. Nyiri, poet, philosopher, fool
you know you really captured touchingly the painful drives of the adolescent poet