When high-schooler Ethan Metzger performed at the first annual Bronx Youth Poetry Slam, the video went viral. As an Orthodox Jew, he describes how a person once accused him of practicing Judaism only because his parents raised him that way, criticizing him for blindly following in the religious footsteps of his parents. They claimed he was “brainwashed.” Ethan Metzger says he agrees with them. His parents brainwashed him into being a good person with good values. As he expressed, “My father twisted my infant brain to value my integrity, and worse, he led by example,” and he’s sorry the other person’s parent didn’t do the same. He concludes by admitting that he didn’t say these thoughts, because his parents also brainwashed him not to quickly judge other people. The people in the audience snap their fingers in beat to his words.
Slam poetry, or spoken word poetry, has recently seen a comeback. Videos like Ethan’s have been posted and reposted across Facebook in the recent weeks. Friends shared how this poetry “clicked” with them or described their feelings spot-on. What is the appeal of spoken word poetry?
First of all, what is spoken word poetry? It is the synthesis of music and literature, which captures the beauty of both and unites them into a harmony of something more sublime. From the written word, it takes the structure and form of expression, the way the words flow into complete sentences and create a message. But it is the music of spoken word poetry that creates the emotional appeal. The cadence of the words gives the poem its rhythm, balance, and flow. In this way, the sentences build on each other, drawing the audience into its current. The voice inflections harmonize with the words themselves, and it is this fusion that touches a cord with the audience. When the audience hears something they connect to, they snap to show their approval and support.
Since spoken word poetry is performed live, theoretically the audience can’t rewind or replay, so all they have is that one moment when the speaker forges the invisible into reality. In the moment that the poet speaks, the words touch souls. As spoken word poet, Sarah Kay, explained in her TED Talk, “When I meet you, in that moment, I’m no longer a part of your future, I start quickly becoming a part of your past, but in that instant I get to share your present, and you, you get to share mine, and that is the greatest present of all.”
Spoken word poetry attempts to connect the reality of the world to the reality of people. Ethan Metzger was able to capture his experience with Orthodox Judaism, and through this he was able to connect to his audience. As Sarah Kay expressed, “They hear you, they feel exactly what you feel at the same time that you feel it. It’s what I strive for every time I open my mouth. That impossible connection.” It is more than a song; it is a conversation of people speaking frankly to one another, pouring out their souls and hoping to touch the soul of someone else.