And so it ends...

How does it feel to be a blogger? Hmmmm. Well now that you ask…it’s pretty much the first time I’ve ever even thought about it. I couldn’t tell you if it is being a blogger or just being involved in this class in general, but I feel like I’ve become a part of a new community of people: that community being my classmates and all the poets that we’ve read. It takes a lot of courage for a person to share a piece of poetry or any writing in general because its like opening up a part of yourself to that person, so in being in this class and reading my classmates blogs I feel like I’ve come to know them all so much better. You can see their personalities coming out in their writing, and it makes you feel like you know what makes them special even if you haven’t ever really talked to them before. I know that being a blogger and writing poetry has made me more comfortable with sharing my thoughts, my ideas, my feelings, and my life with the rest of the world. I am not naturally a very open person, but poetry has been an amazing release for me. To be honest, I think I might keep blogging. It probably won’t be as frequent, but I enjoy sharing my thoughts through writing, and I think I will continue to do so.

 

         Dirty little secret? Kind of a lame song I thought to myself, but it all came together. The background music was distracting at first, but as the performance went on the pace of the music heightened the suspense of the poem. It was amazing to hear some of the things that people keep bottled up. With every card that was read, a new personality and a new voice were introduced into the poem. It created an ambivalent tone of voice that made the message even more universal. The range of secrets also brought the poem weaving in and out of seriousness with bits of comic relief like “I LOVE country music”. The most memorable part of the performance occurred when the poet finished with the line “When I blow out the candles, I never make a wish”, and she literally blew the card away. This action created a sense of looming finality that was paralleled, via a little luck from the poetry gods, with the end of the song still playing in the background. It was a very well performed poem and an even more original idea. We all have our dirty little secrets, but for now I think I’ll keep mine bottled up. 

Pond in South Quad?

I Hope I Don't Suck...

My performance poem will be drawing from a mix of artistic inspiration. I plan on using a rap-like style of delivery similar to Saul Williams, but my actual diction and literary techniques should appear closer to those of Harriet Mullen. I hope to strengthen the message of my performance primarily through simple hand gestures and the tone of my voice. My non-verbal media will consist of basically writing on the board, and it should add another message to the actual piece. My goal for the performance is to land a platinum record deal, but I would settle for an A in the class as well. 

Ranting, Raving, and Rapping

In 'America', Ginsburg's political statement reflects a ranting drunken man muttering his complaints with America, international conflict, and society in general. The absurdity and bluntness of his humor displays an everyone-was-thinking-it mentality that emphasizes the need for his confession. He is surprisingly open with usually confrontational issues such as sex, drugs, and violence. Saul Williams takes a similar approach in 'Coded Language' in openly addressing similar confrontational issues. He advocates acceptance of all different types of people and lifestyles. However, his style is much more poetic and songlike than the prose style that Ginsburg utilizes. Saul Williams imitates a similar style of wordplay to Ginsburg, but in general his delivery is more like a rap. Saul Williams also takes a more aggressive approach to delivering his poetry, and Ginsburg shows a more laid back approach.

What the words didn't say

A wrinkled brow, cringing teeth, and longing eyes. No word is ever spoken, yet a poet displays a myriad of emotions. The pace quickens and his voice rises. He never said he was anxious; nevertheless, it was very obvious. The poet jumps as the music rises with clashing sounds proclaiming the exhilaration. The mounting bliss is relayed without ever uttering a word. No innuendo is lost. No assumed beat or underlying tone is overlooked. A performance poet is able to show emotion through a combination of diction, tone, and expression that extends much further any amount of written work ever could. One particular poet that is able to do this is Beau Sia.

 

He captivates the attention of the crowd when he begins his poem with a plea. Without the knowledge of the crowd, he actually introduces his theme, a device only possible in a performance poem. The begging intonation of his voice and the desperately grasping motions of his body exaggerate his expression and succeed in implying the irony of his performance. His Gary Coleman impression and Nsync dance moves provide humor to juxtapose the underlying seriousness of his message. He plays on the Americanized stereotypes of Asian culture with flamboyant imitations and stereotype jokes. His frustration with these stereotypes as well as his struggle to succeed artistically is displayed by his dramatically performed concluding hyperbole in which he proclaims, “Give me a chance, and I’ll change the world!” The audience adds to the performance by providing reaction to his humor and rolling with the pace of his diction.

Sonnet 18 Rhyming Remix

Impaired by a summer day,

Longing for times more temperate,

Rough sins only make duds in May.

Lease gone up, it’s your dieing date.

The material will rot, and money never shines.

What you put on hold is not dimmed.

Every hair or glare’s value declines,

But your stance with force remains untrimmed;

The external hummer will not fade

Its your obsession, you know you owe it,

So don’t lag longing in the shade

When rhyme's lines hope you grow it.

            Go and then seethe over lies an’ see.

            Oh song, sing, it gives strife to thee.

 

Mullin' over the Blues

 

“sun goes on shining

while the debbil beats his wife

blues played left handed

topsy-turvy inside out”

 

Mullen’s blues style stanzas appear in quatrains rather than three line stanzas and can be described as she says as “topsy-truvy”. The stanzas exemplify the typical blues progression from problem to resolution. She shares common themes with many blues poems by writing about the troubles of relationships, everyman’s endless search for success, and escaping depression. Yet, many of her themes take on a more modern and risqué tone than those typically seen in blues poems. Her use of double entendres and hidden insinuations allow her to address more sensitive subjects such as sex and violence without being perfectly blunt about the issues. The tone of work is certainly very pessimistic, and it is possible to say it acts as a social criticism. She uses this intonation to address issues such as sexism, abortion, racism, and social injustice in general. Mullen’s actual diction in the work differs significantly from typical blues. While she often utilizes a rhythmic style of short phrases commonly found in the blues, most of her lines are full of double entendres, puns, alliterations and consonance, homonyms, and other poetic devices that give a second meaning to her writing. She often twists common phrases to present a more profound implication. She references blues songs in her lyrics as well as any thing from advertisements to catch phrases. This excerpt displays Mullen’s true diversity of style.

 

curly waves away blues navy

saved from salvation

army grits and gravy

tries no lie relaxation

 

some little bitter

spilled glitter

wiped the floor

with spoiled sugar

 

back dating double dutch

fresh out of bubble gum

half step in the grave

on banana peels of love

 

devils dancing on a dime

cut a rug in ragtime

jitterbug squat diddly bow

stark strangled banjo

 

This poem in particular displays the vast array of literary devices that Mullen has mastered in order to portray her message. Her alliterations and consonances create a flow that is characteristic of the blues: “devils dancing on a dime”. She also uses metaphors like the “banana peels of love” in order to portray her message. Her blues style flow is accentuated by a myriad of internal rhymes, rhymed couplets, and alternating rhymes that appear throughout the work. Mullen utilizes all of these poetic devices in a brilliant attempt to create her own uniquely modernized blues poetic style.

 

go ahead and sing the blues

then ask for forgiveness

you can’t do everything

and still be saved