Best Spoken Word Poetry, Part II | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Politics and Activism

Best Spoken Word Poetry, Part II

...the kind that will change your life

51
Best Spoken Word Poetry, Part II
The Poetic Worshiper

Last week I shared five of what I am calling the BEST spoken word poetry out there, ones that will change how you view the world. Here is a continuation of those first five. I really hope you enjoy and share your favorites!

1. Lily Myers - Shrinking Women

Seattle poet, Lily Myers focuses most of her work on feminist issues. Shrinking Women deals with the hypocritical way women are raised: to hide their authentic self, while men have no such limitations, but rather a freedom where they can eat what they want, be as loud as they want to be, and take up as much room in the world if they so choose.


2. FreeQuency - I'm Sorry Poem

FreeQuency was born Mwende Katwiwa, and is a Kenyan immigrant living in New Orleans. She is a poet, but also, she is an activist who focuses on Women issues and Drug Policy Reform. Her poem, I'm Sorry deals with the shaming that goes on within this country toward sexual assault victims. She points out the problem, and it's not with the women...

3. Taylor Mali - What Teachers Make

As a future educator, I love this. Taylor Mali spent nine years in the classroom teaching a multitude of subjects, and now as a full-time poet he is still an advocate for teachers, and for the nobility in their chosen career path. What Teachers Make is a slap-in-the-face type poem about how what teachers do for humanity is worth more than dollar signs.



4. Ebony Stewart - Happy Father's Day

Ebony Stewart is an award-winning poet from Central Texas. Stewart's poetry usually focuses on extremely relatable topics, which make her writing and performance poignant, if not, at times sad. Her poem Happy Father's Day touches on the relationship between daughter and barely-there father.


5. Oscar Brown, Jr. - I Apologize

Oscar Brown, Jr. was more than a poet. He was an actor, a singer, a songwriter, a playwright, but more than that, he was a Civil Rights activist, and a United Stated Congressman. While he was a respected artist, he was an even more respected civil servicemen. When Oscar Brown, Jr. passed away in 2005, a piece of America's heart broke off. I Apologize embodies the spirit of what Brown dealt with during the Civil Rights Movement.


Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Entertainment

12 Types Of Drunk Girls You'll See In Every Friend Group

"Getting drunk with your best friends is an experience in and of itself. It takes us on wild and ridiculous adventures with the people we trust with our lives."

310
friends
Cloud Front

Getting drunk with your best friends is an experience in and of itself. It takes us on wild and ridiculous adventures with the people we trust with our lives. Each one of you plays a vital role in making sure the night goes (relatively) smoothly.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

10 Signs You Work In A Restaurant

There's always chaos in the restaurant business.

1233
10 Signs You Work In A Restaurant
Brisanis

Working in the restaurant industry is possibly the most fundamentally challenging occupation I have ever experienced when it comes to hospitality and customer service. When you go to a five-star restaurant you expect the time of your life, a two hour getaway, a walk through another time period (rustic Italy, France, Spain, etc), or simply a honeymoon undergo. What you don't see are the behind the scenes scut work: carrying trays, polishing glassware and silverware, kitchen chaos, the list is endless. Now, I'm not saying being a host, server, or bartender is the worst thing in the whole wide world, there are definitely worse things. But the fact of the matter is that it isn't always sunshine and rainbows. In the two years that I have spent in restaurant and customer service, I have spoken my share of expletives, yelled at kitchen staff, and dealt with not-so-happy guests. It isn't easy to keep a bright and shiny smile on your face when all you want to do is choke every person who walks near you. Anyone who has spent even two weeks working in a restaurant understands the rigor and stress that comes with it. Restaurant culture is a tiny world in and of itself that operates on its own principles and creates its own society. It even has its own language. The sayings "runner", "corner", and "on a bus" wouldn't make sense to anyone otherwise. My mother and I both work in a restaurant and the best advice I can give someone going out to eat is to treat us like people. Yes...believe it or not we are people, people. Say "please" and "thank you", or stack your cleared plates before a busser gets to the table. Trust me, the gesture goes a lot farther than you may think.

So, if you work in a restaurant, you can relate with the following points. If not, check out how the brain of a restaurant service (or any customer service) worker actually works. See if you can identify any crazy weird habits your friends have a tendency to partake in.

Keep Reading...Show less
Adulting

11 Things I Learned My Freshman Year of College

Not everything you learn in college can be found in a textbook.

869
Breanna Vogel
Breanna Vogel

One of the scariest things we will ever face in our life is going to college. Many of us move away to a new town, join new organizations, and make new friends. We are expected to study, have a social life, relationships, maybe work, and be healthy. It seems pretty easy to do, and in high school all we wanted to do was graduate and move on to this next chapter of our lives. If you are in high school, here are some things that you can learn from before you get to college. If you have already been through your freshman year of college, hopefully you can relate to the things I have learned in college.

Keep Reading...Show less
how to get away with murder
Tumblr

It's about that time where we are too tired to do anything productive, too cold to leave bed, and too lazy to find a new show to watch so we result to re-runs.

For all of you home-bodies, for all of you cold weather haters, here are my suggestions for this holiday break. Let the binging begin!

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

12 Long-Term Relationship Milestones

You've got a keeper if you've made it to any of these milestones.

1105
couple on the beach
Pexels

You've been together for so long. It's great. And as the time spent in your relationship grows, you hit certain milestones where you know it's real. These can be make-or-break moments, or just little things where you finally realize that you're both doing it. Everybody hits these milestones, no matter how long it takes; they're inevitable.

You know you've made it when you hit these long-term relationship milestones.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments