酷我-北美枫

[ericcoliu]

Poetic Lens


Spoken Word Poetry -- Weapon of Choice

Spoken word poetry, usually said to have started in the early 1990s in North America, refers to a form of performance poetry in which an artist recites a poem loudly while conveying the emotional meaning of the poem through body-language and voice-tone. Spoken word artists can perform with or without a musical background; besides music, they often use choreography and/or a stage-play, with or without audience participation, to enhance their performance. But, the main focus of spoken word poetry is reciting the poems. One of the reasons this type of performance poetry has gained its popularity in recent years is its socio-politically focused themes, which are mainly against the mainstream hegemonious discourse or rhetoric.


Spoken Word Poet -- Sofia ‘Servando’ Baig, Daughter of the Sand

Among North American spoken word poets, Sofia ‘Servando’ Baig is a rising star known for her passionate voice and powerfully poetic words. As a spoken word poet, she aspires to instill passion, courage and confidence and above all inspiration.

Being born in Montreal from Pakistani, Chinese and Spanish background, she has struggled with her identity throughout her whole life. It was while attending a private all girl Catholic high school that she rediscovered Islam and gradually came to terms with her identity. In early stages of her performance career, she fancied the powerful words of love and hope; with the passage of time, she grew frustrated with the inefficacy of those empty words when being confronted with the harsh realities on the ground. Her poems have gradually begun to morph into a public forum for the exchange of opinions about any subjects dealing with the daily struggles of ordinary people.

What follows is a video clip in which Sofia Baig performs a poem on identity politics and on Bush’s war on terrorism:

http://www.muslimspokenword.com/?page_id=19


See little people yell openly about who I should be and put me into boxes.
See identity categorically-placed entertainment tries to break free; No, they lock me.

--- Sofia Baig




My poetic response to her performance:


The Magic Box


They jump into boxes
Then the box defines them
By colour, size, weight, etc.
The box becomes their identity
If they don’t like their box
They can take a leap of faith
Jump out of the box
And find or make a new one
but no matter what kind of box
They jump into
They have choices
Stay in their box
think outside the box
Or just leave the box


Note:

Last summer, I visited my college friend and had a good chat with her over a well-prepared, delicious, "Chinese" dinner. After the meal, we took a walk to a local park where a lot of kids played joyfully. I saw kids playing the “Magic Box” game fanatically, a game where kids can freely jump into and out of boxes of all sorts to form different alliances among them. This poem is co-written by my Kierkegaardian Either/Or type of friend, Fanfan, whom I met online.
_________________
Time is nothing but a disquiet of the soul

[[ericcoliu]]

Poetic Lens


Spoken Word Poetry -- Weapon of Choice

Spoken word poetry, usually said to have started in the early 1990s in North America, refers to a form of performance poetry in which an artist recites a poem loudly while conveying the emotional meaning of the poem through body-language and voice-tone. Spoken word artists can perform with or without a musical background; besides music, they often use choreography and/or a stage-play, with or without audience participation, to enhance their performance. But, the main focus of spoken word poetry is reciting the poems. One of the reasons this type of performance poetry has gained its popularity in recent years is its socio-politically focused themes, which are mainly against the mainstream hegemonious discourse or rhetoric.


Spoken Word Poet -- Sofia ‘Servando’ Baig, Daughter of the Sand

Among North American spoken word poets, Sofia ‘Servando’ Baig is a rising star known for her passionate voice and powerfully poetic words. As a spoken word poet, she aspires to instill passion, courage and confidence and above all inspiration.

Being born in Montreal from Pakistani, Chinese and Spanish background, she has struggled with her identity throughout her whole life. It was while attending a private all girl Catholic high school that she rediscovered Islam and gradually came to terms with her identity. In early stages of her performance career, she fancied the powerful words of love and hope; with the passage of time, she grew frustrated with the inefficacy of those empty words when being confronted with the harsh realities on the ground. Her poems have gradually begun to morph into a public forum for the exchange of opinions about any subjects dealing with the daily struggles of ordinary people.

What follows is a video clip in which Sofia Baig performs a poem on identity politics and on Bush’s war on terrorism:

http://www.muslimspokenword.com/?page_id=19


See little people yell openly about who I should be and put me into boxes.
See identity categorically-placed entertainment tries to break free; No, they lock me.

--- Sofia Baig




My poetic response to her performance:


The Magic Box


They jump into boxes
Then the box defines them
By colour, size, weight, etc.
The box becomes their identity
If they don’t like their box
They can take a leap of faith
Jump out of the box
And find or make a new one
but no matter what kind of box
They jump into
They have choices
Stay in their box
think outside the box
Or just leave the box


Note:

Last summer, I visited my college friend and had a good chat with her over a well-prepared, delicious, "Chinese" dinner. After the meal, we took a walk to a local park where a lot of kids played joyfully. I saw kids playing the “Magic Box” game fanatically, a game where kids can freely jump into and out of boxes of all sorts to form different alliances among them. This poem is co-written by my Kierkegaardian Either/Or type of friend, Fanfan, whom I met online.
_________________
Time is nothing but a disquiet of the soul

[ericcoliu]

Sofia Baig will take the stage this coming Sunday (August 10) at the fifth annual MuslimFest which is intended to celebrate Islamic cultural expression. This two-day gathering at Mississauga's Living Arts Centre is a youth- and child-oriented event organized by the Mississauga branch of SoundVision, a Chicago religious book and music company.
_________________
Time is nothing but a disquiet of the soul

[[ericcoliu]]

Sofia Baig will take the stage this coming Sunday (August 10) at the fifth annual MuslimFest which is intended to celebrate Islamic cultural expression. This two-day gathering at Mississauga's Living Arts Centre is a youth- and child-oriented event organized by the Mississauga branch of SoundVision, a Chicago religious book and music company.
_________________
Time is nothing but a disquiet of the soul

[christine]

[[christine]]

[ericcoliu]

[[ericcoliu]]

[dundas]

[[dundas]]

[ericcoliu]

I've read the Star's piece.

Honestly speaking, I was little disappointed by her chosen passages from her spoken word poetry album, which are direct, confrontational, leaving almost nothing for the reader to ponder.

What follows is her poetic passage on peace:

“I am Not in the Business of Selling Love with My Words. I merely Pick the Fruit of Peace from this Earth & Raise it to your Lips. Pray that you Accidentally Swallow the Seed. So that it may Grow Within you. Cure the Poison of Belligerence.”

-- Sofia Baig, Blossoming Words
_________________
Time is nothing but a disquiet of the soul

[[ericcoliu]]

I've read the Star's piece.

Honestly speaking, I was little disappointed by her chosen passages from her spoken word poetry album, which are direct, confrontational, leaving almost nothing for the reader to ponder.

What follows is her poetic passage on peace:

“I am Not in the Business of Selling Love with My Words. I merely Pick the Fruit of Peace from this Earth & Raise it to your Lips. Pray that you Accidentally Swallow the Seed. So that it may Grow Within you. Cure the Poison of Belligerence.”

-- Sofia Baig, Blossoming Words
_________________
Time is nothing but a disquiet of the soul

[clair]

[[clair]]

[东西]

[[东西]]

[ericcoliu]

[[ericcoliu]]