Green Eggs and Slam

     What is slam poetry? “A type of poetry expressing a person’s personal story and/or struggle usually in an intensely emotional style. Very powerful, sincere, and moving,” according to Urban Dictionary in 2010. The easiest way to view the miracle works of slam poets is by viewing them on YouTube and exploring the captivating flow of creativity.

     Based on a YouTube search of “slam poetry” within a year and highest view count I’ve found Neil Hilborn- “OCD” with an astonishing view count of 7,785,726 to be the top of the results list. This tormenting story is about the effects OCD has had on his relationship as well as how she made him feel like there was nothing abnormal about his quirks, how, “she said she always felt safe like no one would rob us because I defiantly locked the door eighteen times.” Unfortunately, his obsessions soon started to have a negative impact on her schedule, “I want her back so bad I leave the door unlocked,” described how much of a heartbreaking effect she had on him after she left. His story robbed me of breath with the beauty he saw in her even when she saw, and acted, on tendencies of his OCD.

     Starting with the age of twenty-one, when his father died with, “a blood alcohol level 4 times over the legal limit,” and working back to when his mother was pregnant wondering, “if she ever thought her son would be just like his father,” Patrick Roche performing “21” comes in second for most views with 4,105,894. Patrick stops at certain ages and describes an event relating to his father’s alcoholism or thoughts of his at that time. His poem brings awareness of alcoholism as well as how quickly an addiction, relapse, can happen.

     Savannah Brown rocked the 3^rd highest views with 2,096,745 for her video, “What Guys Look For in Girls.” Savannah’s low, driven voice spoke about her experiences with lack of self confidence as society had driven her to hate certain parts of her body as they lacked to bring her attention like she had been taught to yearn for, but she, “made sure [she] kept [herself] beautiful so someone could love [her] someday.” Her response to Nash Grier’s infamous video has opened up a new view to the way young girls are feeling about their body with her raw an blatant words.