I’m on my period…period!
Check out MaineDrama Productions. Awesomeness at best!
So every now and again I come across some poets that shock the crap out of me because either I didn’t know they were poets or they are much greater than I expected them to be. For this artist, it was both. I knew that my sister-friend Tramaine was a writer; she has her own production company, MaineDrama, in which she produces plays and whatnot (that’s another post for another day). So I should have known that she was a poet at heart; most writers are.
Anyways, I was chillin with another sister-friend of mine one day and she just so happened to read me this email from Tramaine. It was about being on your period. Now, honestly, I don’t even know if it was supposed to be a poem…but I listened to it as if I was in the audience and a sister with a huge fro and bangles screamed it from behind the mic. Let’s just say it’s a wake-up call for all you suckas that got something smart to say for our attitudes and moods. It’s a short read, but great! Ladies, enjoy…fellas beware.
Period!
by Tramaine BrathwaiteAm I on my period?
Let’s see…
We women bleed.
And guess what?
We bleed every month.
And every month we bleed for 4-7 days of that month!
And for about 4-7 days prior to that we cramp, bloat, are moody, and crave.
And then for the week prior to that, we’re extremely horny for no apparent
reason!
So that leaves 7 days of each month that we are ‘normal’ human beings.1 week of each month.
Translates to 12 weeks in a year.
3 months that we are normal!
That leaves 9 months that we are cramping, bloated, moody, and horny.
All so that we can procreate you ignorant bastards.
Period!
Poet vs. Spoken Word Artist
I was speaking to one of my sorors yesterday about poetry. I was telling her about a poem that I’m currently writing and might possibly perform as a duet piece. She began to tell me how she used to want to be a writer and used to write poetry and stuff like that. She said that her poetry wasn’t meant to perform but back in the day she used to perform it. So, I told her that there is a difference between being a poet and a spoken word artist. I think that most artists will agree that what you write and how you say it are two different things and can turn a potentially great poem into a travesty.
One thing I will say though is: a spoken word artist must be a poet but a poet is not always a spoken word artist. It takes skill, a technique, a passion that all poets don’t necessarily have or even care to display. Some people think that ink on a page conveys their message as much as they’d like it to. Which is true. Usually, these are people who write in certain forms, making it easy for someone to read and interpret. However, if you flip through the pages of some of the best spoken word artists, I’m sure, it would be hard to read most of their stuff.
I think in the end, it’s all about recognizing what pieces are performances pieces and which ones aren’t. About 80% of my notebook is something that the world will never see on stage and I’m ok with that. I’d rather have something there that can minister, change lives, effect someone’s thinking and inspire than just pick a poem out of my notebook to perform on stage.
I’m an artist, for sure. But, I’m still working on that technique, perfecting my craft and molding myself into the spoken word artist that I am. iWrite style.
Mindstate Mixtape
So, after a conversation with one of my avid readers (who shall remain nameless…ahem…thanks Janae!) I got more information about the group in my previous post. Their name is actually Mindstate. After a little research, I found out that one of the founders of Mindstate is actually a Towson Alumna; J Pope is her name. The artists in the video are J Pope, Black Root, Wordslave, and LOVE the Poet. According to their website, Black Root shared his vision for Mindstate Mixtape with J Pope mid-year 2008.
“It [is] a terrific way to promote and support the Baltimore, DC and the Greater Metropolitian area (the DMV) and reach a broader audience of people displaying their talents bestowed upon them.”
The actual mixtape is called Mindstate Mix Vol. 1 and is available on their website. I’ll have another video up real soon from them. Their an awesome group that mixes hip-hop, R&B, poetry and just pure hotness! Be on the look out for another video!
iWrite
