May 16, 2008

  • 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. 

  • 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 

Post a Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *