The exercise:
Def Poetry Jam would like to introduce you to The Last Poets and their performance of Take Your Time.
Mine:
I can't stop watching this one - I'm completely mesmerized. By the rhythm of the drums, the hypnotizing background chant, the gripping oration. Each lull in the performance is just so perfectly placed and timed.
"She cannot hold us with arms burdened by exploitation" is such a powerful line. It just stands out from the rest of the piece every time I listen to it. The other one that catches my ear each time I hear it is: "Hoping and praying we can remember when we learned to become human."
With such fine godfathers, you can't help but wonder whatever went wrong with rap.
Here are The Last Poets performing on Common's single The Corner. Common is one godson who turned out just fine.
3 comments:
Heya Marc,
I've not had the chance to follow the link today (I'm on a slow wi-fi connection in Barcelona) but nonetheless, I wanted to say that I liked your writing for both today and yesterday. All this prose is good -- will we having a four-sentence prose challenge soon to go with the four-line poem on Sundays?
Take your time
Ancient laughter and a face
That Aeternitas has painted with lines
A quiet and sacred place
Where you're invited to take your time.
An Hesperidical garden
Where golden apples glisten in lines
And a sweat-browed Atlas bids you
To wait a while and take your time.
Thanks Greg - I hope you're enjoying Barcelona!
I am intrigued by your four line prose idea. And it comes at a good time, as I seem to be running out of Def Poetry Jam performances to link to. Hmmm.
I like the idea of Atlas telling people to take their time :)
Hey Marc, just to share another talented poet.
http://realizationofhappiness.blogspot.com/2009/04/def-poetry-jam.html
:)
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