This poem particually stuck out to me as it is so emotion filled and harbours so much powerful messages. Aysha speaks of the other side of the war in Iraq as an Iraqui woman, by just looking at the YouTube comments you can distinguish that there may be some bias but then agian every story is. Americans (and people in general) overlook what is on the other end of war, usually focusing on their soldiers lives and not those inhabitants of the country invaded. They have a population as well and not all of them are fighting, so many innocent civilians are unintentionaly caught in war zones and their lives are taken with no remorse. As an anti-war advocate I really felt for this woman and whether or not they mean to, the military destroys lives, ruins famillies and ends bloodlines. There are many lines in this slam poem that really stick out and make a huge impact; for instance "Sexually trasmitted democracies", "poltical prostitution". This poem is a good way to educate those about what the other side has to endure, whether we are involved in that particual war/area or not as Canadians we should as empathetic human beings should be exposed to how other innocent human beings much like our selves have to go through. Imagining our Canadian land being invaded by a country for a natural resource and having war zones being in the middle of school grounds, cities; having the blood of our families splat across us and not having anyone else in the world realizing not just soldiers are dying but civilians are too, is terrifying and heartaching.
Will they ever call your death beautiful Your life a sacrifice Will the meeting of blood and bullet every be called romantic A love story to be jealous of Chris… I remember you when Guatemalan green matching your flag on your Independence Day Your hair was a black puff of curl and confidence In homeroom you always had homies in the hallway waiting for you We’re still waiting I couldn’t sleep for a week When you washed up water logged in the Calumet River Puffed and purple like violets before bloom Eddie, you were the first to say hi to me First day of school when I stepped in with Bugle boy jeans and a high top fade and I saw YOU Possibly, the coolest dude to ever grace elementary September 22, 2006, 8th period “We really need to hang out” “Yeah, that’ll be cool” “I’ll see you later, D” September 22, 2006 8:30 PM maybe a little later than I thought when your path ended on Vincennes Road Run down by bad luck…. and a police officer Lives like these shouldn’t be shortened Sentence fragments of a future And in the 14 days it took us to write this We’ve had to add more names to this list Because in this city, before we blossom We must weather storms unforecast because Every intersection can become Virgina Tech So excuse me if the news be mixed with my emotions See being brown in Bigger Thomas’s town makes you endangered And in the past TWO years I’ve seen over SIXTY Native Sons set…. in the graves I guess… this is the part where, poets produce plans And we don’t have any In Chicago, anyone under age 20 is a target And I don’t know how to do more than be afraid That in age allowing me to be on this stage Might have me murdered by Monday I’m 18! I play pick-up basketball games with ghosts! Is there a reason, I’m making it out of a community that has martyred young men I might be mistaken for I! DON’T! KNOW! Will they ever call your death beautiful Your life a sacrifice A love story to be jealous of How many deaths will it take Before THIS is considered genocide
I found this slam poetry when I was browsing YouTube, though I can not relate to it I think it sends a powerful message and everyone should watch the link. The poem is about the unforseen killing of African-American teenagers in Chicago. The two boys in the video are only 18 and 17 and even fear their own death as one can read and hear. I didnt know about this epidemeic and how serious it actually is, so not only is this just a great poem its also a great way to spread the word for those blind to this, as I was. Though you can not read it in my post, there are also names, dates and places of where young people were killed being spoken behind the spoken words. A very effective way to add emotions to the poem and it really effects you. I found myself watching this quite a few times over to really soak in the words and understand them, I even found myself researching more about these killings and being really moved by how serious this issue is in Chicago to this day (as this video is from 2009). The line that hit me the most was "I play pick-up basketball games with ghosts". More people need to be aware of what is going on to the teenagers of Chicago, whether it is hate crime, kids killing kids or police brutality. It needs to be heard and this poem is a simple yet powerful way to get it heard and you feeling how the friends and famillies of the victims are feeling.
To travel in the world Not only to see with your eyes But's about opening your mind Also your heart
So you can see will And you can judge You need much more than your eyes To see everything
You'll find stories of every kind You'll find emotions of every type You'll see, you'll feel You'll know secrets and mysteries
Some will make you happy Some will make you sad Places you wish you didn't go to Places you want to get back
But the thing that you have to put always in your mind You don't travel to change places But my friend, you travel So you can change ideas and see better
By Fadwa Daddou Gmiden via http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/travel-21/
I particularly found interest in this poem as it has to do with travelling, and more specifically travelling the world. This is something I aspire to do for the rest of my life or as a career as a travel journalist or for buisness endevenours. The poem talks about the different emotions and stories you'll expierence and feel. As apart of my aspiration to travel the world, I do not just hope to go from country to country just looking yet I hope to go from country to country feeling as well; soaking up the culture, language and the emotions each gives. To do so, you must open your mind and your heart just as the poem states in the first stanza. In just 5 simple stanzas this poem sums up what I hope do to fueling my inspiration and motivation.
