forWord

month

May 2011

31 posts

National Poetry Month: Day 30

This is the last day of National Poetry Month - WE DID IT! 30 poems in 30 days. It’s been a great month, and much thanks to those who have dropped by our page along the way. In other news, be sure to look out for some NEW CONTENT from forWord in the upcoming weeks! With this last poem, I started with a free write, but kept in mind an intention of going back to my fiction roots, writing...

April 2011

49 posts

sorry for the lateness, i had a long day yesterday. anyway, this is a short free write inspired by a line in a temper trap song called sweet disposition. here’s my piece for day 29. a moment of love, a dream, a laugh, a kiss, a cry, our rights, our wrongs and these moments become like snapshots cuddled in a memory we are looking towards tomorrow dreaming about yesterday. …wont...

Coffee is not my cup of tea Too much energy That I don’t know what to do with Too many electrical impulses Rushing down my nerve’s highway As if they were all late for work. Nervousness Shakes up my skin like tidal waves When I’m trying to remain still Like a lake, Now stuck in the middle of a Pacific Ocean Of random thoughts Wondering: Why am I so nervous? Oh yeah, There are just too many...

Write in the perspective of a tree as it’s either growing or being cut down. This is my home, My birthplace. Please lower your chainsaw, I have done nothing wrong. I have only grown where you sowed me, done what you told me, Why aren’t you proud of how big I’ve become? Is there a reason to cut me down? Didn’t you want me to grow? I’m not a palm tree in Los Angeles, but I feel so damn...

theonenonlyafox asked: Love your stuff! I had no idea it was National Poetry Month and I'm glad I was able to discover that through all these great posts...Keep up the greatness :)

Day 26: Write one leaf about murder.

I chose this oneleaf because I had a startling dream/nightmare during a nap I took today, and I woke up really creeped out, wondering why my brain would concoct such thoughts… but I thought I’d just share how I felt within the dream. It’s sort of a downer poem :’( This is Day 26 of National Poetry Month. —— “The Perfect Parent” by Stephanie...

Speak Easy: 4/25

It is always a pleasure to be at Speak Easy. Last week was dope too. I apologize for not writing a blog last week. I got caught up in writing a poem and y’know how that goes. Briefly, last week was the first time none of forWord performed. We just sat back and absorbed everything. It was refreshing! Yesterday, Speak Easy was PACKED. We had no idea it would be this packed full of people....

heatherinanutshell asked: Mark, thank you for letting me know that it was Leonid Afremov's work that I was so captivated by. I really appreciate it!

Day 25: Write one leaf about a crack in the...

the crack in the universe left it split like a fractured skull and the gooey core of it the people who held it together the scientist, the doctors, the activist, the mothers, the humanitarians were seeping out the edge i tried to imagine that i could save them but too much was broken the system that was thought to be so dependable played itself out the order, the chaos, the calm, the...

Alrighty, kinda got a trend going on here with the late night/early morning poetry. Once again…I was late because I was watching the Lakers lose a really close game =(. We’ll get them next time! I couldn’t think of anything to write about so I went to Write One Leaf’s Tumblr and chose the prompt of: Write one leaf in which you describe a hand full of earth. Struggle If you ever get a chance...

Sorry for the late post. I am so tired right now. lol. Writing a spoken word piece like this one was definitely a challenge. For this free write, I had to use my imagination entirely whereas I usually start writing about a real life experience and build from there. So this was fun and a real challenge to try something new. And I was going to record this poem, but it is so late and I need to...

This is Day 22 for forWord’s celebration of National Poetry Month with 30 poems in 30 days. Just a lil bit late… I’m following in the footsteps of Eddy and Mark hahah. Anyway, I started writing this earlier today, and finished it after coming back home and being inspired by the folks who rocked the mic at The Definitive Soapbox in Long Beach. This poem was prompted by an old...

Reflections: The Definitive Soapbox Open Mic

The Definitive Soapbox open mic was SICK. It was our first time there ever, and definitely will not be our last! Thanks to Big Brotha for letting us know about this event and signing us on the list because we were going to be late due to work and traffic. forWord performed “Writer’s Block”; it being our only group piece that we have memorized. It is always great to share this...

j0nawithazero asked: send me the link for godzilla haiku!

oneofthosedeafmutes asked: This is a sweet-ass blog. I can dig it, verily.

Hey awesome people. Once again, I’m late. I ain’t gonna lie: I was watching the Lakers game while writing my piece…so basically, I was watching the Lakers game. This is my spoken word piece for Day 20. It’s a poem for Nujabes, who was a Japanese hip hop beat maker/producer. You might have heard his stuff if you watched Samurai Champloo or ever looked for a new sound in...

“Babysitting the Demon Children” With every pull and tug of my wrist They seep my energy away And I tire. A walk through the park becomes a sinister occasion. Blades of grass scratch at my feet as I chase a wayward soccer ball Turning around, the children have abandoned the field for the sandbox girl’s pigtails. Each grab a fistful of hair. No! I order. Yes, they...

nomorerevolutions asked: so glad i found you guys. keep it up.

readaloudproject asked: Dear forWord collective:

we anxiously await your contribution to The Great Read Aloud Project.

Regards,

TGRAP

Here is the Day 16 poem. How did I come up with this topic, you ask? I honestly don’t know, it’s just a compilation of the thoughts I had about whales, poisonous fish delicacies, the movie: Finding Nemo, sharks, an episode of Family Guy. If you like any one of the things I mentioned, you might like this poem. If Fish Ruled the World If fish, ever grew a heated desire to revolt How...

Fridays are my busiest days. I got home from work at around 6:30 PM. I figured to write a series of haikus. After all, this is one of forWord’s most prized hobbies. Actually it is writing Godzilla haikus, but this is close enough. Writing haikus and counting fingers are so much fun. Anyways, I am going to watch a friend’s play, Romeo and Juliet, with the rest of forWord tonight at...

Aside from doing 30/30 as forWord, we are also part of an even larger collective of poets who are celebrating National Poetry Month the same way. The only difference in format is that a poet will call on another poet and give them a prompt to write to. So, the Day 7 (Nghiem Le of Uncultivated Rabbits) called out Eddy and asked for a Happy Poem for Day 8. Eddy writes and records his piece and...

j0nawithazero asked: It's great that you guys are doing this! I'm saddened I'm always burdened with work and can't come to the UR nights at UCI or other spoken word events, but I'm happy I can keep up with you here!

Reflections: Speak Easy: 4/11

Here’s the 411… Last night, we made our weekly trip to the Speak Easy Open Mic in Downtown LA. Mark, Steph, and I carpooled. Susan met us there. We arrived later than usual because Steph had to pick up some tax forms at her house. Those tax deadlines are coming soon! In any case, eventually we reached Downtown LA. After a few trips around the block, we found a close parking spot....

davidduo asked: Hello. Thanks for reading my first spoken word poem. It's good to know that my work is actually appealing haha. I was just curious as to whether or not you guys have poets submit their work to you and if you post it on this sight or something along those lines. If so, please let me know. I have something new I just worked on that I'd like you all to see. Thanks for your time.

Unrest and Tests Under a time restriction, my hand forced To hug a pencil as tight as mother To write what I cannot shout To answer questions my neighbor knows nothing about My arms guard against leering eyes Stare through this paper like glass Stare at time’s hands teasing Stare into my daydream; A, B, C, D, or E The time is up! My shoulders shrug as if a politician spoke My head falters to my...

rainyzerox x bakitwhy's "Words of a Poet"

rainyzerox: I just submitted a revised version of “Be My Poetry?” on Bakitwhy’s Word of a Poet competition! « Click for overview of the guidelines. If you got some time, please take a look and support me as part of the rating is based on views and the other is on level of interaction but please share if it’s really that “share worthy” So without further a due (here’s the link for my post...

Reflections: forWord Saturday + Rufio Ink Launch...

Yesterday was AMAZING. We started off our Saturday by meeting up at the forWord headquarters at around 12:30 PM. Steph, Susan, and I worked on our untitled piece. It’s pretty much done (Sorry, Mark!). Just kidding. Since I called him out the day before on A P.O.E.M., he worked on his piece for today. A P.O.E.M. is an ongoing event on Facebook dedicated to celebrate National Poetry ...

waffles a powdery confection a blessing next to some fried chicken taste like heaven dipped in syrup comes in beautiful creases unlike those damn pancakes waffles you carry me through the day with your crisp taste that never melts no, you never fade away or falter you are a waffle a light, crisp, batter, dough based cake cooked in an iron and good (mmm, mmmm, mmmm) ANY time of the day - Susan

Gotta keep it going. This is from Write One Leaf made up of nothing but questions. I got some inspiration for a spoken word/poetry subject cliche of celestial bodies. Hopefully it’s a little bit more original. - Mark The Solar System Does Mercury ever sweat? What kind of face would the moon make if she ever got to see the Sun set? Why is it that we always find ourselves between love...

francisarevalo asked: Hey forWord! you guys are real good, I don't see many youth teams doing what you guys do, so please keep it up. It inspires me to be consistent with quality writing when other people are doing their thing. My name's Francis, from Vancouver, BC. I love connecting with passionate people too, so I'd just like to share with your team :) Much love from Canada,

Hey guys and gals. Sorry for the delay, but here is my first piece for 30 for 30 (National Poetry Month) and my first piece on forWord tumblr. YAY! - Mark — I want to know you through stories Left by your trudge marks in the mud when you were a kid What weighed you down so much back then? I want to know your name through the letters it uses And admire their perfect posture every time...

Hey everyone! Sorry we’re a little late on this for NPM, but here is another free write for the 30 Days. —Steph —— “The Evolution of Work in Haiku Form” I This new job is great! I can’t wait to prove myself See what I can do II Wow this is boring Incompetence is rampant Don’t they notice me? III Unmotivated Drains my creativity I want to quit...

TODAY WAS GREAT, LIFE IS GREAT!

HELLO everyone, Stephanie speaking. Today, forWord went to the Uncultivated Rabbits Open Mic for their first Monday of the month open mic for April. I was really nervous to share a new piece I finished writing just last week and only finished editing yesterday. (BTW, it’s tentatively titled “Chalk Days.”) Wanted to memorize it really badly, and I sort of have it memorized, but for some...

forWord asks: How do you prefer to compose your... →

Answer our question on our Facebook page! How do you prefer to compose your poetry? [ ] Writing on Paper [ ] Typing on Computer

Hey friends and fans! So it’s officially now National Poetry Month, so forWord will be putting up new content every day for thirty days to celebrate! So I (this is Steph, btw) wrote this free write, with a prompt from writeoneleaf… I’m hoping to make videos of these free writes in the future. Unfortunately, I ran out of time for this particular one. Anyway, here it is! And look out for more...

pocketfullofsusan: i thought steph was gonna do it but let me set off national poetry month for forWord (http://forwordcollection.tumblr.com/). hopefully there will be one poem for every day this month on the forWord blog and also, hopefully the 4 of us will switch off. make sure to follow us and check us out…. i miss you in ways that i cant put in more than these 3 words miss kisses too...

Happy National Poetry Month!!! →

Not only is it April Fool’s Day, it is also the first day of NATIONAL POETRY MONTH so we will be celebrating each and every day of April with anything and everything that is poetry! To celebrate National Poetry Month in our own special way, forWord will be writing 30 poems for 30 days! According to the official website of the Academy of American Poets: What is National Poetry Month?...

Reflections: Break the Silence! Open Mic

Today, forWord members Steph, Susan, and I visited Pizza Pi in Downtown Long Beach for the Break the Silence! Open Mic. We have not been to BTS! since they were at Mirage Coffee House a year or two ago. Coincidentally, we came across Pizza Pi a week ago when we were looking for a place to eat. But that’s a completely different story… In any case, Steph and I arrived at 7:00 PM. We...