My story spoken word

Let me tell you my story – I don’t know if there’s a happily ever after

What I can tell you is that through the sadness and pain, my life’s full of laughter

Alright so, my life has never been a peaceful walk in the park

Some days have just been so damn dark

I promise, I was born a delightfully happy-go-lucky kid

But all that went downhill, it’s like someone unscrewed the lid

For so many years, I was beaten and bruised

Blood, sweat, and tears, outta me it all just oozed

Called so many names, I started to believe them

What I shoulda believed though, is that I’m a priceless gem

Much time passed and I found myself a 20+ year old

Just watching my life starting to unfold

Reality hit and I was all grown up, not a child no more

I had seen too much sadness and hurt, apparently that’s all I was good for

I started taking the blame for things I wasn’t to blame for

The angrier I got, the more things I slammed, door after door

It’s like I was so hurt and broken, I was sinking into a hole, that’s all

Talking to me was like talking to a brick wall

I found myself wishing things a person should never wish

But like every shot I took, it was a miss after miss

As all the lights started to dim

I would pray and pray, late at night to Him

“Why God, why me, why me”

From these thoughts, I could never flee

But even at my darkest, I never wished darkness on him or her, you see

Cause I would never ever wish for anyone else to be me

And when things would get a little too much

I would just tell myself, “Hey, it’s okay, just hush”

I used to look at my reflection and see

The most important person not smiling back at me

There were good days and there were bad days, all wrapped with a bow

Ups and downs, there was just no flow

I found myself falling, sinking, all alone

Then I knew i had to find myself, all on my own

I shoulda asked for help sooner, but I thought that would make me weak

What I didn’t know was that there was help all around me, all for me to seek

I sought out to seek a great perhaps

And found pieces of myself, with no clues or maps

Now I wake up every morning with the intent to make others laugh and smile

That’s what makes my life all the worthwhile

Now I don’t avoid my reflection, I look in the mirror

I smile and I see myself a little more clearer

I took all the self hate and put it in a box

I’ve realized that negativity talks but positivity walks

So now here I am, breathing and alive

Achieving goals, one by one, just trying to thrive

I’m trying to hold onto some peace, love, and sanity

In every day, I try to seek clarity

I’m a work in progress, as we all are

But self-love is the only thing that’ll take us anywhere far

Someone great once told me that without all the lows, we’d never appreciate all the highs

I guess what that means is, make sure your hope never dies

Honestly, the whole point of this is to say

You just gotta wake up and live life with belief, day after day

Life’s a struggle and then you die

The only thing I know is that you gotta believe, jump off, and fly

I said I’d do it without you

And I told you I couldn’t
follow you

My dream was to become a man

You weren’t a part of the
game plan

I said the ones who do, were weak

And I had no business being
meek

Because I can’t lead when I
follow

But you said what’s the point
of leading when you’re hollow?

And you humbled me

I learned it’s harder to bow
a knee,

than to be a man according to
society

You were calling me.

I believed in the pursuit
money

Two jobs at fifteen, that
ain’t funny

I thought the green would
bring the honeys

the friends and the missing
security

You were calling me but I was
focused on my dream

You said I couldn’t serve two
masters.

And it was true, I was
devoted to money and hated you.

You were calling me.

I lived a life that was photo
shopped like a picture.

I was fake, and this isn’t by
mistake.

Man was tricked by a snake
and I did things you hate.  

Jesus died so that I may have
life and you gave me a clean slate

You told me I was bought with
a price.

If I want to be a man of God
then I better act like it.

You said I was just a boy who
shaves.

And to give up my childish
ways

You were calling me.

My whole life I surrounded
myself with people just as lost as me.

I believed the parties, the
alcohol, the sex, were my destiny.  

But you told me I was
chosen, I didn’t have to search.

The things of this world do
not surpass your worth

You pushed me to church and
showed me there was another life,

another path I could take.

I finally gave in, I wanted
Jesus to rescue me. You adopted me.

You Justified me.

It’s hard to be a Christian,
you hold me to a standard

One that most choose to
ignore, but still claim the title

My whole life I dealt with
anger, it stayed on idle.

This world said if I wanted
success, it was vital.

It was at that church retreat
you called me out and pointed to the truth.

I had been wrong ever since
my youth,

I was a prideful man and
didn’t lean on you.

You sanctify me.

God, I thank you for the path
you set for me.

I thank you for the eternal life
I receive for free

through Jesus Christ my Lord, who is the key

to the love you send down to
those who now see

as it is written, «the
righteous shall live by faith.»

I’ll trust in you to make my
path straight.

I know it’s never too late to
come to you Father.

You guide me.

You gave me a desire for
adventure,  

a wild hair that I thought
was for my own venture.

But you’ve showed me that you
will use that to further your kingdom.

We were made in your image,
and we shall be like Him,

that’s Jesus Christ y’all

Lord, in you I find my
courage.

I pray, you don’t allow me to
go astray.

This life I dedicate to you,

Often times you may sit and wonder do you matter?  The voices in your head are sometimes stronger than you. Sometimes they will have you feeling blue. I have been through a lot in my life time. I have seen a lot of things and learned a lot more. One thing that I know that holds true is that my testimony is for women like you. I was just messing around the other day and spit out some crazy rhymes. I was like wait a minute. I didn’t know I had this in me. My goal is to empower women to do some of the things that they never thought that they could do. Whether it is spoken word, starting a business, book club etc. The choice is up to you. Don’t let your past dictate your future. Many people said to me that I couldn’t do a lot of things. It wasn’t always easy to ignore what was being said. I give credit to the higher power that is in me. For without Him seeing me through I don’t know what I would do. I am already getting hate mail, saying why do you tell so much of your business. For those that know me I speak what is real. Some may like it some may not. For those that do I hope it hits the spot. I hope it heals and encourages you in such a way that you won’t let anything stop you, especially opinions. So watch the video and tell me what you think. Share the video if you think it could help inspire or encourage someone. As I always say,  the DIAMOND is  N YOU!!! All you have to do is search and you will find the most beautiful diamond of all time.

Today’s guest post is by Avery White. Avery writes short stories and spoken word, and is currently working on his first novel for middle grade readers. He runs thirdpersoncreative.com, a site dedicated to weaponizing stories against injustice, prejudice, and passivity in the world around us.

“Respect the poet!” the crowd shouts at a couple at the bar oblivious to what’s going on.

Silence.

Slowly, alliterative spoken word sends chills across my neck, down my arm, and into my chest.

I’m feeling words as my eyes stare rapt at the stage.

Literary devices fly with syllables punctuated by inflection. Poetry one line, prose the next. The performer pauses. It’s 2008, and I’m hooked.

I was first introduced to spoken word while taking a creative writing class in college. I then got involved with a local spoken word community in Bryan, Texas called Mic Check, where the scene above happens weekly.

And today, I’m showing you how to craft your own powerful spoken word piece.

How to Speak Spit Spoken Word

What!?

You mean you weren’t born with an innate ability to write poetry, combine it with performing arts techniques, and rhythmically deliver a piece with clever intonation?

Performance poets weren’t either. Even if their names are Sarah Kay or Madi Mae.

Do you have feelings?

Do you wish you could let them go out, terrorize the neighborhood for a bit, and then come home to you without doing any damage (the kind that costs you money)?

Got a pen?

Let’s do this. Here are four steps to writing spoken word:

1. Tell a Story

If you’ve never written spoken word before, you might feel overwhelmed, unsure where to start. But this type of writing isn’t as foreign as you might think. It can follow the same pattern as a conventional story: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.

First, pick a theme you’re passionate about. Putting something down on paper knowing that you’re going to read it out loud later is terrifying, but having passion from the start will help carry you through. And if you’re a writer, you need practice putting fear down anyways!

While there are as many ways to begin writing as there are poets, a way that I have found particularly effective is to start with a “gateway line,” a single line that captures your theme. For example:

• “Do not keep the silence golden.”
• “Looking past Earth.”
• “Life is not ajar.”

To demonstrate this, I’ll write a (short) piece around the following line:

“Practice is failing on purpose.”

Now that I have my gateway line, I’m ready to revisit my dramatic structure: what can I surround my line with? At this point I might make a list of a few plot options:

• A little boy learning to ride a bike
• A guy practicing how he’s going to start a conversation with the girl of his dreams
• A girl exploring the definition of true beauty

I fully intend to reveal something about practice that applies to craft development, but I’m going to do it by juxtaposing it with something wildly different. This will show the audience something about practicing their craft, as well as the subject of the plot.

Spoken word lets you do that. How cool is that!?

2. Flesh It Out

Now that you’ve chosen your plot, it’s time to flesh it out into a story illustrating your theme. This is where you, as the writer, get to shine! How compact can you make it?

At this point you might be thinking that this is remarkably similar to writing anything else. You’re exactly right — it is. That’s why I’m writing this out, to show you that you can do it!

I’ve decided to write a piece about an eight-year-old boy who decides to try to ride his bike sans training wheels. Now, I ask questions to flesh that concept out:

What does he look like? Where is this? How long as he been trying to do this? Why is this important?

Most importantly, why should my audience care about him?

First draft:

Age eight with skinned knees bleeding from the last attempt he pushes two blue wheels uphill.

This time.

Salt touches his tongue as he tilts his face towards the summit. This was his Everest.

He was done training. The two wheels sat lifeless in the garage watching him from a distance.

He believed that with enough speed he could roll forever. The extra weight only slowed him down.

He fought to push the past crashes from his mind as he trudged up Mount Failure.

This was his practice.

3. Read It Out Loud

Once you have something down, read it out loud to evaluate how it sounds. Do you like what you hear?

Spoken word fills the gap between predictable patterns found in traditional forms of poetry and the art of prose. Every literary device, every poetic device, and anything clever you can think of to do while you’re on stage is all fair game. For now, let’s revisit the first draft, tighten the diction, and spice things up with a bit of poetry.

Second draft:

Age eight, and skinned knees pleading he pushes two blue wheels uphill.

This time.

Salt touches tongue as dirt-faced determination drives him to the summit. His Everest.

Two training wheels cry abandoned. Concrete floors and walls lined with tools can get so lonely.

He believed that with enough speed he could roll forever.

Long enough to run the errands that his mother couldn’t.

He fought to push past crashes and knee slashes from his mind as he scaled Mount Failure.

This was his practice.

4. Perform

Now that you like what you’re hearing, start asking performance related questions. This could include questions related to theatre, music, or even dance.

Do you want a part of it to read faster to give it more of a hip-hop sound? Or slower to make it more dramatic? Either way, it’s up to you to figure out how you’re going to read it.

And there you have it — four steps to writing your first spoken word.

Do you write spoken word poetry? What do you find most challenging about it? Let me know in the comments.