Force: A Spoken Word

Force: defined as mass times acceleration

It’s what brings you down to earth, what makes you so grounded.

What takes you from the stars but gives you the fruits of the trees

And the suns of the rising skies.

Force: defined as a metaphysical power that guides the most formidable. 

Only worthy of the strongest of adversaries, of enemies.

A path of life to walk, it is.

The most gifted, it is only for.

Force: defined as something that places you on earth

That lets you live here and is a gentle source.

That could take anything away from you

But it doesn’t because it is benevolent.

Force: defined as strength.

Strength to keep to your morals

Even when others try to push you

Down into the ground and eat crushed rocks and the decomposed of you loved ones.

And force: defined as pressure, you to

Sway under the mighty wave of your society, your environment

To do the things you do not want to do

And make you see things you don’t want to see.

Force: defined as something that moves you.

Something that can pick you up with the slightest of breeze

Brings your families together

But also tears them apart.

The warm air replaced with chills and picture frames

Creak under the force: defined as pressure, of the boot

As they force: defined as movement against your will, you from their arms

They force: defined as swaying of the mind against your will, you to hate them

So when you see family, they are no longer family.

Force: defined power that can move you.

Something that has the power to push us under

The weight of its underbelly crushing your bones.

Your skeleton cannot hold the force: defined as mass times acceleration equals weight,

And exerts force: defined as pressure, onto your breaking spirit.

Force:  defined as power, strength, the moral of man that will move you.

Will push you onto the ground and force: defined as an action against your will, you to obey.

Force: defined as an action against your will, your ancestors into gas chambers

Into crypts, in front of firing squads, murder 6 million of your people and 5 million more.

Force: defined as an action against your will, will drop a nuclear stone out of the sky

And poison the mist, poison  the flower, poison your neighbors, your loved ones.

Force: defined as an action against your will, will round you up, tear you from your home

Burn it to the ground, and when you come back,

The charred rooms, the blackened walls, the singed ovens,

Will force: defined as an action against your will, you to cry, weep, a tear rolling down the

Bridge of your nose and plant the seed of life into the ground.

Force: defined as violence used against people.

Defined as military power.

Defined as terroristic power.

Defined as power to be wielded against you. 

Force: defined as mass times acceleration

What brings you down to earth, what makes you so grounded.

What takes you from the stars and gives you the fruits of the trees

And the suns of the rising skies.

Force: defined as a metaphysical power that guides the most formidable. 

Only worthy of the strongest of adversaries, of enemies.

A path of life to walk, it is.

The most gifted, it is only for.

May the force be with you

Running: Spoken Word

Step after step pounds the rough barren pavement.

Each one resounds in a loud bang like fireworks.

I pass them quickly, a place replacement

They hide in the piano.  Silently, they lurk.

Faster and farther I go I feel enlightened, lighter, stronger,

Hercules molded out of clay and gold

Prized strength and bravery.

I hum to the melody of my piano

Beside the road, inside my soul.

A symphony to my ears.

I am a mess.  I wake up with blankets on the floor

Mismatch of too big too small clothes cling to me

An abundance of pens and pencils leafed through a shortage of papers.

Too many carbs, not enough veggies on my plate

And my room is something from the devil’s closet. 

But when I run, I feel like everything matches,

Everything is orderly.  Everything is meshed together perfectly. 

I train for the race that is coming closer and seemingly more

It’s for my mindset I run out into the sunset

To catch the leaders.  I step forward

So my body has a destination to journey to

And my friends, teammates, family follow along beside me. 

I race because I know it’s the only thing that lets me

Cry solitude, stay sane, escape.  I run away from darkness.

I run away from the illusions that plagued

My soul is a broken piano, playing the tunes of a fantasy world.

The illusions play me, my soul, the sheet music in front of them to

Enact a story before my eyes that leave me catatonic

To the melody.  The bass clef ensnares me to the beat of the low octave

As treble comes closer to me.  The ones who I call friends, family, strangers

Beat me with the long end of the quarter notes,

Trap me in the staffs and speak

In shrill, high keys.

I am worthless, weak,

A coward.  I am not loved.

They torture me with off-key notes

And push me off into the wild, unwritten pieces to be eaten or burned

And my cries for help, to stop only fuel their pleasure.

But I tell them to keep going because

In a sick fascination I did not enjoy them

But I felt addicted to the music, I needed them, I craved them.

The beating coming from the brass chords

Beneath the lid of the piano painted with my cries of despair

Made me complete, I exalted grace and glory and pain and emptiness.

And finally my screams pierce the heavens and break the piano.

My first foot forward cuts on the broken glass and wooden splinters.

And the faster, farther they move, the more the pain goes away.

I run to shut their music out.  I run so they do not play my piano anymore.

They’re not strong enough to hurt me or fast enough to chase me.

I run to play my own music,

My heart beats to the repeat-peat-peat of my steps

My arms swing with the metronome of the 4/4^th signature

Speeding on the course to the end.

I sprint across the finish line.

The piano has been abandoned.

The piano has been repaired.

And a masterpiece has been born.

Final Exam Proposal

For my final exam, I'd like to do a spoken word presentation like what we were talking about in class before.  I'd like to recite two or three pieces that I've created in a slam style.  If, however, this isn't possible, then I'd like to make a video reciting spoken word pieces.  They may have either background music or collaborated with other students, but I'd like to do something spoken because I feel that I can express myself better through words than through paper.  Either videotaped or live, I'd like to do spoken word pieces because I can express myself better and I can be more poetic in this fashion.

Spoken Word: BNV Finals: Denver Round Four

A great spoken word piece by Amal Kassir and Ashlynn Damers.  Probably the most powerful one I've seen yet!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQJo7x0U4gE

Video Project Proposal

Charlie Rosenblum

Mr. Wensman

Poetry

November 12, 2013

Poetry Proposal Form

Poem-

 http://makingpoetry.blogspot.com/2013/11/adam-spoken-word.html

Proposal-  

I want the main element of this to be the tone and voice with someone holding images or interpretive hand gestures, like in spoken word. Or a few cut in scenes of images that hit home.

Storyboard-

Logistics-                   Plan your work & work your plan!

Tech tools and skills needed: (Gene has materials you can sign out; iphones work well)

iMovie, either a flip camera or an iPhone

Materials needed-  (Be sure you have considered a tripod and lighting!)

markers and paper, photograph, computer

Other people needed-

Someone to either do the action or videotape.  It could be done solo as well

Audio element(s)-  music?  sound effects?  

Maybe light background music.  The main focus will be the voice

Found visual/footage needed-

None

Filming time/date/venue-  (note it always takes longer than you think)

Either class time or on the weekend or after school

Adam: Spoken Word

Do you remember when we first met?

In kindergarten, on the playmat with the toys?

I don’t.  But I know at some point we met,

And we became good friends,

Because everyone in kindergarten is good friends.

And if you’re not, you’re seen as an outcast,

A freak.

Do you remember when we were in assembly together?

We had the same homeroom teacher and

 Parents were taking pictures of you,

Of us.  Your smile as bright as the sun

Radiating through the dark room and mine was,

Well, not so much of a smile as much of a

Thuggin “peace” face creased with coolness.

Do you remember when we were on the same baseball team?

By this time we had different friend groups,

You were naturally athletic and personable,

Tall, tan and handsome, at least that what the mothers would say.

And I was scrawny, borderline pudgy, and unathletic.

I only did it because my parents made me.

You could hit the ball and everyone cheered

While I missed it on the tee and struck out in no-out baseball.

My ADD kicked in and I would draw yellow sunflowers

In the brown dirt on second base, not paying attention to the ball that

Whizzed past my pale, unscathed face. 

Remember that time I switched schools,

And didn’t see you for five years?

You met my friend at a party and were snorting lines

Of medication from the bathroom. 

She thought you and you’re friends were “fucking stupid”

To take something you didn’t know what it was made of.

“Just turn up man, no need to go hardcore.”

Do you remember that time, when you disappeared?

No one knew what happened at first.

I heard it from another friend who was on Facebook

And everyone posted RIP on your wall.  They still do by the way,

In memoriam of the popular kid in high school.

Rumors spread; you were caught with weed by the police

And they brought you to your dad because he was a firefighter

And they knew him well so they thought they were doing what was best

Instead of locking you up in a cold cellar that would’ve taught you a lesson and let you sober up.

You fought with your dad, you would’ve been benched

From playing hockey, grounded, maybe a misdemeanor on your record.

 and your poor life was down the drain

So you took the ole shotgun and fired it into your mouth.

And I know you thought it was the end of the world.
Did I miss something?  Is it my call to make accounts of what happened?
I felt nothing at first, but then numb.  No pain, but questioning.
I questioned this every day.  You were popular, athletic, handsome.

But to be honest you didn't want to deal with the consequences, did you?
You were spoiled, you were selfish

You were fucking stupid to do that.

You took the easy way out. 

Now you don’t have to face your parents anger

Now you don’t have any stories to tell your friends

Now you don’t have to face any consequences.

But you didn’t think that people on this side of the fence would miss you?

What would you say to your family that cried every day after the funeral?

What would you say to your friends with the empty void in their life

And pictures plastered across the web?

A facebook page dedicated to your heroic suicide

That should have never been heroic nor a suicide.

And you leave me here wondering what’s worth taking your own life

Because I’ve thought about this many times

But you make it so easy, an alternate ending

To make yourself a sheep in wolf’s clothing.

And I’m sorry if I'm blaming you
if this is wrong, but it's still not the way to go.

I just want to know the story.

Just please answer me.  Why?

Do you remember when we first met?

In kindergarten, on the playmat with the toys?

I think we had the same homeroom teacher

Or played at recess on the slide and swings.

I don’t.  But I wish I did.  I hope you did.

Compasión

Hands cup the face

of the elderly woman

who lost her children

during the lost time.

She wears the headscarf

as a tribute to her and the

other mothers, grandmothers

children.

Her tanned skin,

aged with wrinkles and dark spots,

melts in his hands,

his "compasión."

Silver hair falls

in strangled curls

and brighten her face

just a tad more.

The look in his eyes

speaks for itself:

dark, hollow, yet

full of hope.

His graying beard

still thick with black hair

disguises his inner

gratitude, "compasión."

...................................

Lost children,

kidnapped in the night

and sent to detention centers;

unknown, their fate is.