I remember a time when the mention of poetry made me want to vomit the forthcoming deep analyzing and attempts to understand where the poet was coming from. Poetry was one of components of English that I truly disliked. I believe it was my freshmen or sophomore year when we had to do a poetry project composed of writing a ballad, limerick, sonnet, cinquain, etc; it was horrible. Having to write about something that was absolutely uninteresting mad the experience so much worse. However towards the end of high school and in my first year at Binghamton University, that dislike started to lessen. When I was introduced to spoken work I feel in love. There wasn’t this strict A-B-A-B or A-B-A-A-B-C-B-C-B scheme that needed to be followed; the poets use metaphors, their emotions, and it just flows. With spoken words you have to pay attention to what is in between the lines or you will miss this amazing connection the artist just created.
I took a liking to Vladimir Mayakovsky’s “Brooklyn Bridge” because I interpreted it through a spoken word lens. I heard the pauses he would place in certain places and his overall attitude while reading the poem. He makes a line between himself and the bridge as these beings full of pride and glory. With all three poems, there is a connection to the bridge ranging from identity, to community, to representation. Through this form of writing you can unlock a secret of your heart (“Favorite Color”), make a statement about yourself (“S for Lisp”), or create a connection that rings bells for many (“Childhood”). Taking a step back, hearing the voice of the poet, and trying to understand their perspective might change those initial thoughts you have.
