Spoken Word Poems that Celebrate Women Just Because
I am perfectly aware that we are hundreds of days away from March 2023. Still, that will not stop me, because as I see it, every day is National Women’s Day. What else is a more perfect way to celebrate than to listen to some passionate spoken word poems, right?
So sis, come and rejoice with me as I list down a couple of spoken word poems that celebrate women’s existence just because!
This Woman – Alysia Harris
In this poem, Alysia shared a number of elegies about the different types of women that she became over the years. She told us that at some point in her life, she embodied the usual stereotypes that women always had to endure (i.e. b*tch, sl*t, wh*re). Moreover, she also dedicated a few paragraphs to the women who inspired her, specifically, her mother and grandmother. As you listen to the poem, Alysia will take you to her metamorphosis from being that girl to this woman.
Ode to the Women of Long Island – Olivia Gatwood
In my opinion, Olivia outdid herself in this poem. Ode to the Women of Long Island is a poem that will ridicule women at first. Olivia’s imagery and delivery will convince you that the women from Long Island really hate each others’ guts. But in a single turn of a sentence, Olivia shifted our perspective and showed us that women are indeed incredible creatures. So wonderful that combatting our innate misogynistic tendencies also comes naturally to us.
The Type – Sarah Kay
Sarah Kay is the first spoken word poet I have ever listened to. Her voice and interpretation prove that you do not have to scream your lungs out in order to make an impact. Also, her poems have always been comforting. In The Type, Sarah tells us that as women, we are also entitled to explore how to make mistakes. But more importantly, she wanted us to learn that sometimes, what we are looking for in a person is almost always the things that we can find in ourselves.
Unnatural – Louise Meets
You can only imagine my joy when I found out that we also had a spoken word scene in our country. Way before spoken word poetry became known in mainstream media, I have been listening to Filipino poets for months already. Easily became one of my favorites is Louise Meets’ Unnatural. Since I have a late Ate who is a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, this poem is very close to my heart. Unnatural enabled me to sympathize with the struggles of queer people by providing a metaphorical description of their difficult experiences as a community.
Melting Chocolate – Kat Roxas
Last, but not the least, is Kat Roxas’ Melting Chocolate. In this list, this is the poem that I most relate to. Back when I first became a working student, I always find myself reading (yes, you can read spoken word poems) this poem more. Like Kat, I always find the ground more stable when I am with my grandmother who is more like a mother to me. This only proves that, despite our age, we still need our mothers to survive.
Listening to these spoken word pieces makes me realize one thing: women indeed make the world go round!
