The National Poetry Slam was held in Boston this year. I was blessed (yes, I am using the word blessed here, people!) to attend the Finals at the Berklee Performance Center. Over 80 slam teams from all over the country competed for the top spot. The final four were from Denver, New York City, Columbus, and Providence.

I heard twenty original poems last night. I love spoken word performances of all kinds (I'm assuming you know that by now considering my body of work), but three of the performances really stood out for me. I related, I was moved, I was nearly brought to tears.

One. About being a soft woman. "Is it so much easier to make us monsters than to simply make us dresses?"

Two. About being the child of divorce. "You watch the sunset too often, it just becomes 6pm."

Three. About being a determined believer despite it all. "Never asking is easier to deal with than never being answered."

You'll really just have to listen for yourself.

THE SUNDAY SOUND: August 14, The 2011 National Poetry Slam.
A special thanks to my dear friends Rori and Amy for making this post possible. I needed this bit of raw inspiration.
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