Defining Slam Poetry

I am more eager than normal for National Poetry Month to roll back around this year. This impatience is only worsened by witnessing the genius of Baltimore's Slam Team Slammageddon (National Winners) visiting my university.

They are A-mazing. Love everything about them.

But like all performances, they filled me a drive to write. Unlike all performances, there is so much inspiration and drive I literally don't know where to apply it first.

So, I'll just call this a practice poem for April. (unedited as is the norm.)

"Slam"

Google tells you that Slam Poetry
is simply
competitive poetry
a movement from the 90's
that democratized the art
and brought it back to its vocal roots

But that isn't the whole story

That is barely a definition

Slam is a verb
Slam
a feeling
Slam
a fight
Slam
catharsis
Slam is your heart
giving a right hook to stupid
to injustice
to fucking Starbucks
Slam, slams
oppression to the floor
Slam is the bodies
that snap and clap and mmmmmm in their chairs
the russel of our feet, the tears in our eyes, and the sweat on our palms
The Slamming of our souls
me into you
you into them
them into me
standing in ovation
Slam is the room collapsing
into your essence
and exploding into the space time continuum
Leaving us enlightened, saddened, proud
inspired, encouraged, engulfed
anything but alone
Slam is Slam is Slam
it's you
and it's me
And it's loud
and it's free
it's the rhythm of heartache
the rhyme of respect
it's everything you don't want to see
everything you can't live without
It's the height of reason
the vortex of logic
the playground of words
the ringing in your ears in the space it leaves behind
Slam is slam

Slam is not a word

Slam cannot be defined

Google be damned