It's Christmas...I Gave Myself the Gift of Poetry

Currently in many homes around the world, one of the most elaborate and extensive gift giving sessions has begun.  It is Christmas morning, a day that most people forget is supposed to be about love and the birth of Jesus, but instead turn into an excuse for presents.  Well hell, let me join the festivities, by giving myself (and all of you)  something that echoes in my soul:  amazing spoken word.

1.  Ka'mone Felix might have taken genius and acquired a patent for that shit...lol..the more I know of her, the more I am impressed.  She has an innate ability to simply grasp your attention, and once given, it is never taken for granted.  This piece right here speaks volumes about her ability to mesmerize while on stage  (By the way, if you've never heard of BPD, look it up.  We cannot understand if we are not informed!!!):




2.  Megan Rickman's voice is brush strokes of mellow jazz embracing splotches of heavy blues.  It is soulful, it is weighted, and it reaches out and wraps you up inside of it.  This poem is that voice's love song, melodic, liberating, and deeply felt.

  



3. Jazmine Williams....Imagine flying head first towards a wall, and in the process, becoming so enamored with the wall, that by the time you're close to impact, it is welcomed.  Then, out of nowhere, you discover that it wasn't a wall in the first place, it was the floor, and you've been falling not flying.  That is the essence of this poem.



4.  Mahogany Browne makes coming to the Nuyorican Poets Cafe feel like a trip you made with family.  Hostess extraordinaire, she is also fierce poet whose words have the power to blanket you in encouragement and guilt you into submission.  This piece is so explosive!!!



5.  You'd be impressed by Aja Monet simply by hearing that at the age of 18, through poetry, she raised $7,000 for Hurricane Katrina victims.  The fact that this year, she doubled those efforts for the victims of the catastrophes in Haiti would only go to further impress you.  Watching this poem helps you understand how wisdom comes in many forms, but it is never limited by age.  (I love the little dialogue she does before the piece....there is love after love....so profound, to me.)



Hopefully you all enjoyed this gift, as much as I have. All 5 of these amazing poets are prime examples of why I love spoken word.

More videos to come.

 Merry Christmas everybody.

Marcus Jamison, the Rare Poet