Crazy good poetry
Rives is an amazing AMAZING poet and I suggest you youtube (yes I just used youtube as a verb) his other poems. He's just amazing and this poem touched me.
Her story tugs at every one of my heartstrings
As usual, Transcripts provided after the jump
Sign Language by RivesI work sometimes at a high school for deaf kids.
We put on poetry readings and poetry slams.
We call 'em
deaf poetry jams.
One poets poem goes ...
The night we met,
so many moons, were shining down on us so brightly
I thought
"Hey, maybe those moons have mistaken us for their Gods."
Another poet's poem goes ...
I, I, I, me, me, me, my, my, my
Doesn't anybody tell a story anymore?
And another poet's poem goes ...
Last night I dreamt I was little again.
And i could hear back then,
but the silence in my house
was deafening.
See some of the kids only write about being deaf.
Others make a joke.
Some make a mention.
Some ignore the topic altogether.
Not too different from the choices poets make anywhere else
with gender of skin color.
So you get goofy haiku like:
Homework is bullshit.
And inspires out of me
nothing but vomit.
And poems like
I saw on T.V.
that scientists have taught
a gorilla to speak sign language.
Outstanding!
Why don't they
teach the gorilla
how to wipe
it's ass, assholes?
And the words, the signs themselves
are as wonderful for me to watch
as if they were hummingbirds or butterflies.
Words like goosebumps.
Daydream. Giraffe. Sticky-icky-icky.
These are high school students
who never pass notes in class.
They just sign their shit
behind your back.
And they greet each other
in the hallways lately, going ...
Can you hear me now?
No, well I guess-- that's good! That's all.
And they pester me for the
lyrics to hip-hop songs
which they prefer
because they can
feel the music
throbbing through
the speakers we use for speech therapy
And I tell them
Well, that says
"Everybody put your hands in the air."
And they do
Every month, at our little poetry slams,
where the audience never spreads out,
it spreads back so that everyone can
hear those hands.
And it's damn near silent,
and there's never a microphone.
But sometimes the poets do rock their poems,
and when a deaf poet rocks a poem,
it echoes off the walls for these ears alone, like
i was born as deaf and as quiet as a starfish.
But if I had been born a man,
I would pray to the lord above every night
at the top of my fucking lungs,
just to thank him
for giving me
voice.
Until by Ayisha Knight with assistance form Tony Lightfoot
Until last night
I was missing the key
To the place I forgot existed
Until Last night
I was afraid to express myself
For fear of rejection, retaliation
From people who say
I'm not deaf enough
Because my english is too good
Not black enough
Because my mother is white
Not Jewish enough
Because my skin is black
Not cherokee enough
Because every generation gets divided in half
Some say I'm not straight enough
Because I share my love and life with a woman
Not lesbian enough
Because well, I have loved a man
Not enough labels to go around
Not enough strength to say Enough!
Not until last night
When I raised my hand and reached
Through the looking glass
To touch the reflection of she
Who is me
A naked girl running free
Loving my body
Until drunk uncles started loving me too
Believed all women would walk tall
Until I saw my mother
Crouched against the Wall
Searching for protection
Against an uncontrolled hurricane
Of misunderstood emotions
Years disappeared
Taking with them
Denied emotions
Until I could no longer remember
Where the seed of rage and fear
First appeared
Until I started on a path away from self destruction
And caught glimpses
Of the flame inside
Uncovered
When the mask came off
In games of Peek-a-boo
I see you
I believed I was a rape victim
Until I owned the word survivor
Hated my feminine curves
The roundness of my belly
Until I got it pierced
And let myself revel in its beauty
Confined myself to an invisible cage
Until I decided to move and be free
Until I met strangers
Soon to be friends
Until I met the woman who loved me
And held me
With open arms
Until I took a chance
Remembered
And then transformed myself
Until last night
When I opened the door
And the woman said
Hey sista
Welcome Home
We put on poetry readings and poetry slams.
We call 'em
deaf poetry jams.
One poets poem goes ...
The night we met,
so many moons, were shining down on us so brightly
I thought
"Hey, maybe those moons have mistaken us for their Gods."
Another poet's poem goes ...
I, I, I, me, me, me, my, my, my
Doesn't anybody tell a story anymore?
And another poet's poem goes ...
Last night I dreamt I was little again.
And i could hear back then,
but the silence in my house
was deafening.
See some of the kids only write about being deaf.
Others make a joke.
Some make a mention.
Some ignore the topic altogether.
Not too different from the choices poets make anywhere else
with gender of skin color.
So you get goofy haiku like:
Homework is bullshit.
And inspires out of me
nothing but vomit.
And poems like
I saw on T.V.
that scientists have taught
a gorilla to speak sign language.
Outstanding!
Why don't they
teach the gorilla
how to wipe
it's ass, assholes?
And the words, the signs themselves
are as wonderful for me to watch
as if they were hummingbirds or butterflies.
Words like goosebumps.
Daydream. Giraffe. Sticky-icky-icky.
These are high school students
who never pass notes in class.
They just sign their shit
behind your back.
And they greet each other
in the hallways lately, going ...
Can you hear me now?
No, well I guess-- that's good! That's all.
And they pester me for the
lyrics to hip-hop songs
which they prefer
because they can
feel the music
throbbing through
the speakers we use for speech therapy
And I tell them
Well, that says
"Everybody put your hands in the air."
And they do
Every month, at our little poetry slams,
where the audience never spreads out,
it spreads back so that everyone can
hear those hands.
And it's damn near silent,
and there's never a microphone.
But sometimes the poets do rock their poems,
and when a deaf poet rocks a poem,
it echoes off the walls for these ears alone, like
i was born as deaf and as quiet as a starfish.
But if I had been born a man,
I would pray to the lord above every night
at the top of my fucking lungs,
just to thank him
for giving me
voice.
Until by Ayisha Knight with assistance form Tony Lightfoot
Until last night
I was missing the key
To the place I forgot existed
Until Last night
I was afraid to express myself
For fear of rejection, retaliation
From people who say
I'm not deaf enough
Because my english is too good
Not black enough
Because my mother is white
Not Jewish enough
Because my skin is black
Not cherokee enough
Because every generation gets divided in half
Some say I'm not straight enough
Because I share my love and life with a woman
Not lesbian enough
Because well, I have loved a man
Not enough labels to go around
Not enough strength to say Enough!
Not until last night
When I raised my hand and reached
Through the looking glass
To touch the reflection of she
Who is me
A naked girl running free
Loving my body
Until drunk uncles started loving me too
Believed all women would walk tall
Until I saw my mother
Crouched against the Wall
Searching for protection
Against an uncontrolled hurricane
Of misunderstood emotions
Years disappeared
Taking with them
Denied emotions
Until I could no longer remember
Where the seed of rage and fear
First appeared
Until I started on a path away from self destruction
And caught glimpses
Of the flame inside
Uncovered
When the mask came off
In games of Peek-a-boo
I see you
I believed I was a rape victim
Until I owned the word survivor
Hated my feminine curves
The roundness of my belly
Until I got it pierced
And let myself revel in its beauty
Confined myself to an invisible cage
Until I decided to move and be free
Until I met strangers
Soon to be friends
Until I met the woman who loved me
And held me
With open arms
Until I took a chance
Remembered
And then transformed myself
Until last night
When I opened the door
And the woman said
Hey sista
Welcome Home
~I'm fifteen miles over the speed going as fast as I can off into my day dreams~
-Ashani M
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