Be warned. Some of these poems have spicy language in them. But hey, slam poetry & spoken word is kind of a Postmodernist thing!
This is Taylor Mali. He's one of the most famous slam poets in America. I bet you can't figure out why I love this poem so much! This is full of irony and a dash of paranoia.
Here is Rudy Francisco's spoken word performance of "Complainers." Consider his use of maximalism and fragmentation here when you watch his inspiring, energizing presentation!
Oh, come on. You knew there would be some Epic Rap Battles of History in here. I love the pastiche and historiographic metafiction elements of this one, combining historical events with Marvel comics. Perfect.
[Content Note in description below.]
This is spoken word called "Dear Anxiety" by Clayton Jennings. It is a powerful account of his overcoming anxiety, and it uses Postmodern elements of metafiction and intertextuality/pastiche. I tear up when I watch him. This one is heavier, so [CN - it addresses mental health issues, religion] skip this one if you think it's inappropriate for you.
The Jimmy Fallon spoken poetry video, “Complainers” by Rudy Francisco, hooked me in when he began with the startling stories about people living through painful injuries. After he tells these stories he proclaims that they all said “it could have been worse”. Throughout his poem he utilizes “tell me” accompanied by statements overused by people complaining about things like traffic and alarm clocks that truly aren’t as horrible as we make them seem. He tells these stories and “tell me” statements in order to tell the audience to be more grateful. Rudy Francisco uses fragmentation when he goes in and out of telling the audience about other people's past traumatic stories to talking about the little things people complain about daily. This poetry is extremely powerful and effective in telling the lesson.
M&M P.2
The Jimmy Fallon spoken poetry video, “Complainers” by Rudy Francisco, hooked me in when he began with the startling stories about people living through painful injuries. After he tells these stories he proclaims that they all said “it could have been worse”. Throughout his poem he utilizes “tell me” accompanied by statements overused by people complaining about things like traffic and alarm clocks that truly aren’t as horrible as we make them seem. He tells these stories and “tell me” statements in order to tell the audience to be more grateful. Rudy Francisco uses fragmentation when he goes in and out of telling the audience about other people's past traumatic stories to talking about the little things people complain about daily. This poetry is extremely powerful and effective in telling the lesson.