This past Friday, Gabriel Ramirez, a spoken word poet, came to Saint Joseph's University to host the BSU talent show. I have always been a big fan of spoken word poetry. There is something so beautiful about the way the words create a story on stage. I thought this would be a great time to share some of my favorite spoken word poems.

1. " When Love Arrives" by Sarah Kay and Phil Kaye

"Love arrives exactly when love is supposed to and love leaves exactly when love must" - Phil Kaye

2. "When a Boy Tells You he Loves You" by Edwin Bodney

"That was when you learned that when a boy says I love you he means I am getting ready to be inconsistent with you now."

3. "Scars/To your new boyfriend" by Rudy Francisco

"And of course, you wanna know how I got these scars. I got these scars the day I fell in love with you. I landed face first."

4. "10 Things I want to say to a Black Man" by Falu

"I would run in the rain for you. I mean do you know what happens to a black girl's hair in the rain?"

5. "If I Should have a Daughter" by Sarah Kay

"Instead of 'Mom', she’s gonna call me 'Point B' because that way, she knows that no matter what happens, at least she can always find her way to me."

6. "To the Boys Who May One Day Date my Daughter" by Jesse Parent

"And when you first meet my daughter and fall in love with the look she sends over her shoulder, her crescent-moon eyes framing her laughing smile, you are gonna wanna talk to her."

7. "On Realizing I’m black" by Gabriel Ramirez

"My grandfather died as the moon. I am not him. I am black and full of stars. I am not the absence of light. I am who allows light to exist."

8. "Explaining my Depression to my mother" by Sabrina Benaim

"Mom says where did anxiety come from; Anxiety is the cousin visiting from out of town that depression felt obligated to invite to the party."

9. "Ode to my bitch face" by Olivia Gatwood

"That's a term coined by someone who was just generally unhappy with the fact that women aren't smiling literally all the time."

10. “Somewhere in America” by Los Angeles Team

"Every state in America, the greatest lessons, are the ones you don't remember learning."