Note: I just bought a book today entitled The Spoken Word Revolution (Slam & Hip Hop, the poetry of a new generation) I was chatting with a friend and we began to argue as to weather the pieces in the book were real poetry. He maintained that they weren't and I maintained that they were. And I realised that we couldn't possibly be the first people to argue that fact, after all what is poetry? Who makes the rules that say it is a poem or it is not. Does poetry have to envoke emotion, does it have to send a message, can it do only one of these things or both. In any case this is my response to my friend, and to anyone who cares to argue what 'Real' poetry is.

POETIC REVOLUTIONS
Is this poetry, or desperate words
By desperate writers?
Does it make emotions stir?
Can our message be heard?
Do we speak loud enough for you to hear?
Or must we yell above each other?
Must we scream; of roads diverging,
Of men on mountains,
Of ravens and of albatrosses?
How do we match the greats?
Dickenson, Poe, Frost, if you tell us
Our words are not as powerful, not as
Meaningful, because they are different,
Because they are louder, because they are angrier,
Why do you get to judge, these things we feel?
As a new generation of poets we will find our voice,
Rules will change, opinions will bend, we will
Shake your precious foundations,
And start the fires of a revolution.

Closer: I'm very interested in what people think about this topic, so please leave a comment if not about the poem about the arguement!

What no opinions on Slam poetry vs Traditonal poetry?

If there is a definition for poetry (many have tried) then there shouldn't be. Having no definition means that new ideas are not inhibited. And we certainly need new ideas! I love traditional forms of poetry, but I also like to read exploratory work.

And of course, like beauty, poetry is in the eye of the beholder. So even the writer does have the only say!

But there is also a lot of crap around.

I personally prefer emotionally intelligent poetry with almost any subject, format or style. Such as yours, Mandy. I also like short poems, although I am a creature of Keats, and Endymion is 992 lines long.

Hey Hey

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See the rythm?
See the rhyme?

It must be poetry
some of the time!