Deaf Poetry

I always think of writing. I think of what makes good writing, I try to break down authors I enjoy and respect in the hopes of finding the secret; the one ingredient that makes their words stand out from the rest.

I think of my own writing. I analyze it for content. I compare it to what I've written in the past in the constant fear that I'm repeating myself. And I think that is the fear that drives me to keep writing. The fear that I'll go to my grave with the ghosts of the poems I should have written haunting me for eternity.

The poetry drives me forth.

Every time I watch HBO's Def Poetry I am torn. I don't know whether to love it or hate it. There's no in-between, this is not the type of program to dabble in soft emotions. I don't know as of yet how I currently feel about it but I continue to tolerate it because there's hope I might fall in love with it. I continue to tune in because I fear if I don't I'll miss out on something special. A poet that can lead the way. A poem that can change the world.

The positive aspects of the show include the notoriety it brings to the art. Def Poetry brings a crowd to a poetry reading, which, if you've ever attended one, you understand is a big deal. The show also showcases young talent, people who want to speak and be heard. That should be commended. For all its shortcomings the show appears to mean well.

But it does come up short, and where it matters most; poetry-wise. In regards to the talent level, there is no denying that there is talent, but it isn't necessarily the type of talent that adds poetry to our days. The performers perform, yes, but is it poetry? There are plenty of 'homies' who want to be down. Being a poet is now considered cool. Reciting rhyming lines to the barely audible beat of their days, they describe what they've seen and what they wish their world were like. They are (seemingly) honest and true and that, I must say, is the ultimate redeeming factor of the show. For better or worse it does have a defined voice.

Yet, for all the guest appearances by noted poets and authors such as Rita Dove and, to a lesser extent, Nikki Giovanni, just to name two, the show seems empty at times. It's often devoid of true poetry. The kind that leaves you gasping for air. The best moment this season was the guest-appearance by Kanye West, who performed a piece about making child support and alimony payments. It wasn't even a poem, but rather a performance driven by the artist's obvious charisma and stage presence.

With all that is going on in the world, with truly meaningful poetry being written everyday, Def Poetry features poetry about nothing and while nothing can make for great subject matter, the show suffers for it. An infatuation with Krispy Kreme donuts doesn't impact me as much as much as some of the pieces I hear at local open-mikes. Rhyming couplets don't necessarily equate poetry. For all their sincerity, the performers are locked into the streets and manage to speak about little else. The poems suffer from tunnel-vision and the show tends to become monotonous.

Unless it evolves, Def Poetry's downfall will be its intense focus on the streets. Yes, it's important to talk about that aspect of American life, but not at the cost of EVERYTHING ELSE that matters. There is too much going on in the world today. Like all creatures, by becoming too specialized the show will create its own downfall. It has begun to lose its power already, as this season is proving to be the weakest yet since the start of the show.

It's a shame that Def Poetry can't speak to the audience like it once did. It can't evoke those feelings anymore. I once heard a man say, "No piece of steel will ever go through me with as much force as a period in the right place." For all the change a show like Def Poetry could make, for all it could mean to a culture, it's sadly coming up very short.

I wonder if it does so because it has stopped thinking about its writing. Perhaps it's stopped comparing itself to what it was.