Speak again, speak like rain *

March 17, 2016

Writing poems seemed like an effortless hobby when I was in college. I felt good when I wrote something down, even when no one would have the chance to read them. The poems I write are quite short but enough and are usually inspired by particular situations.

I love reading poetry that speaks to thyself. So when I stumbled upon videos of people reading out their poetry aloud and famous verses read by some people, I began to appreciate the words more, spoken out with proper intonations and emotions. I attended a journalism seminar when I was younger with a session on poetry reading, but it did not strike me more than the videos I have watched. I supposed that spoken word isn't so famous when I first heard about it. Nonetheless, spoken word as an art has been going on for a long time, even before printing presses evolved. When I saw clips of performances by different artists especially Sarah Kay and Phil Kaye, I enjoyed them very much that I would want to personally see and listen to spoken word performances. When Love Arrives is a great piece about savoring each moment we encounter love. I wished I knew them before they came to the Philippines.

I also found about the Anima community, and they are producing clips sending messages and verses from the bible. Their messages are both empowering and inspiring. It's pleasing that their community is able to use this kind of art for their missions. The video below entitled Who You Are: A Message To All Women spoken by Jon Jorgenson is one of my faves. Loads of spoken word artists make pieces with positive messages and advantages of personal relationship with Jesus. These pieces are especially appealing to visual and auditory learners.

Spoken word has become more popular in the Philippines when one television series (which I never saw though) featured a spoken word poet named Juan Miguel Severo. It was a hit and all of sudden, more people have been sharing verses and prose from that particular poet. I have watched one of his performances (through the clips of course) and I found it intense and full of emotions. Words Anonymous artists are also great and they have been sharing clips of different pieces. Recently, I got ahold of Zuela Herrera's Dulo't Simula with a fitting video. I loved the words and the rhymes that she used. It talks about lovers that will always find each other. I've said it before and I'll say it again, love is universal and people will not tire talking about it. You can also check out the other artists out there who are equally amazing.


Some of the poems I have written were collected by my husband. One of those was about happiness and was made into a music piece - my husband recorded himself speaking the words with his original composition playing in the background. That piece entitled Masaya Ang Mundo was apparently included in our wedding songs. I am proud of his work and wished that we can make more projects like this in the future. Take a listen.


Poetry has been undeniably a part of my life and I will go always go back to it, whether as a writer, a listener, or a reader. Maybe soon, I'll write again, and write like rain. :)

-----
* Out of Africa, Isak Dinesen

No comments:

Post a Comment