my faves...

Not only do I love to write and perform poetry, but I love even more reading and listening to other poets. I often make the mistake of comparing myself to these great artists. Then I snap out of it and realize that no two poets are alike and that it is not a competition. It is about the art. It is about learning. It is about expressing yourself from an honest place. It is about pushing through the conventional and finding your own voice. With all of that being said, I'd like to share some poems and performances that have touched me deeply, I present to you a few of my favorites:

Nikki Giovanni, "Choices"

if i can't do
what i want to do
then my job is to not
do what i don't want
to do

it's not the same thing
but it's the best i can
do

if i can't have
what i want . . . then
my job is to want
what i've got
and be satisfied
that at least there
is something more to want

since i can't go
where i need
to go . . . then i must . . . go
where the signs point
through always understanding
parallel movement
isn't lateral

when i can't express
what i really feel
i practice feeling
what i can express
and none of it is equal
i know
but that's why mankind
alone among the animals
learns to cry




Marc Marcel,"New Money"




Original Woman, "Why She Cries (Barbie)"




Alice Walker, "Gift"

You intend no doubt
to give me nothing,
and are not aware
the gift has already been
received.
Curse me then,
and take away
the spell.
For I am rich;
no cheap and ragged
beggar
but a queen,
to rouse the king
I need in you.


just a few that mean a lot to me... what are some of your favorite poems?