For many, the genre of poetry is difficult to understand or inaccessible. Spoken word poetry gives a voice to the words on a page and allows for poetry to have an entirely different life. Through poetry writers are able to express the most complex and intangible experiences and bend language to better serve their creative purpose. The popularity of spoken word poetry on YouTube has further allowed for poet's voices to reach more ears and connect with more individuals all over the world.

Poetry is a vessel through which writers can express complicated issues through vivid imagery and story telling. The performative value of spoken word poetry adds another layer to the form that makes it all the more engaging. With topics ranging from broad social issues to self-reflection, and tones ranging from grave to light-hearted, there are countless spoken word poems currently available for consumption that will never fail to be intellectually stimulating and entertaining.

1. Los Angeles' Brave New Voices Team's "Rape Joke"

"Thank God I'll get some thoughtful dick some day."

2. Doc Luben's "14 Lines from Love Letters or Suicide Notes"

"I always imagined this would happen without warning. Like, suddenly on an ocean cliffside. But this is the kind of thing where waiting for the time to be right would just mean waiting forever."

3. Blythe Baird's "When the Fat Girl Gets Skinny"

"When I was a child 'fat' was the first word people used to describe me, which didn't offend me until I learned it was supposed to."

4. Kanye West's "Self-Conscious"

"The people highest up got the lowest self-esteem. The prettiest people do the ugliest things."

5. Sabrina Benaim's "Explaining My Depression to My Mother"

"I'm not afraid of the dark. Perhaps that's part of the problem."

6. George Watsky's "Go Big Young Friends"

"I don't give a f*ck. And by that I mean I give so much of a f*ck that the f*ck I give consumes me like a huge man-eating wildebeest of a f*ck."

7. Justin Lamb's "For the People Who Ask Me If I'm Tired"

"Hey, are you tired? Because I just set up a hammock in your office."

8. Dominique Christina "The Period Poem"

"Herein begins an anatomy lesson infused with feminist politics because I hate you."

9. Sarah Kay's "If I Should Have a Daughter"

"Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air."

10. Suli Breaks' "Why I Hate Schools But Love Education"

"Education is about inspiring one's mind, not just filling their head."

11. Common's "Be Known"

"Not knowin' the future I don't repeat the past."