...Hip Hop is my first love and Comedy is like my fifth.
My second love is poetry.
I have always been a fan of words and how they can be used to invoke emotion, ignite passions and piss people the fuck off. Before I understood the power of my words and how impactful they were, I was wreckless out in these streets. Meaning, I had to capability to make a 6' tall grown man cry and want to fight me, just because I heart their feelings.
I vividly remember being in 9th grade English class (my favorite subject bc duh..) and shutting up a substitute teacher bc she wanted us to read a chapter in a book as a group. My frustration with this was that I KNEW that when Mrs. Cole, our real teacher, came back, she was going to make us reread it bc she always did that. I took that as she didn't have faith in the substitutes to do their job and I'll be damned if I have to struggle through popcorn reading with my peers twice. I, not so kindly, let that sub know that we will not be reading as a class and that we could independently read or work on assignments. She told me that it was my teachers instructions to do what was listed and I, even less kindly, told her to stfu. One of my classmates blurted out, "dang, you stern" and we all worked in silence for the rest of the class.
Mrs. Cole was pissed tf off when she got the report back from the sub and tried to scold me in front of the class. I let her know that if she hadn't already set this president then we wouldn't be in this situation. I was her favorite student up until that day.
In this moment, I was so caught up with being right that I completely missed that these were just adults just trying to do their jobs.
I was a little shit for a long time.
Back to poetry...
I started writing poetry in middle school but nothing consistent until I moved to Knoxville in 2010. I went to my first Open Mic poetry event within the first 4-months I was here and have been a staple (more of a staple spectator than performer) from then on. I realized that when I wrote poetry it was all sad shit. My life was sad. Which made me even more sad so I stopped writing.
I did become the host of Po Boys and Poets with my unofficial bestfriend, Joseph "Black Atticus" Woods and that actually ended up being the catalyst for my comedy career but that is a story for later.
Now, at the top of 2023, I was asked by asked me to be on his slam team, the Atomic Badgers. Now, he wasn't just asking me to be on his team but to also compete in the nation's largest poetry slam competition, Southern Fried Poetry Slam (SoFried), that was actually being held locally here in Knoxville. Without hesitation, I joined the team along with some of the dopest poets to ever do it.
I was the only person on the team who was not an accomplished poet and who had never slammed before but I had my comedy routines and something else they didn't...
...a fiery hot vengeance for a fuckboy ass poet who had me drive 6 hours to be on some demon time/ kinky shit only to realize that he wanted me there to be a judge at this SoFried. I was devastated bc I had been caking with this dude for months. Not just caking, but making real plans on some BDSM lifestyle shit that I was exploring. Just for him to act like he didn't know me so that I would able to be selected as a judge for his bout.
His team lost that bout and did not even come in the top rankings for that year.
Fuck him.
I joined the Atomic Badgers with the expectation of dominating the competition using my team of heavy hitters. Turns out, the judges hated my teammates but they LOVED me. I was able to adapt 3 of my comedy routines in to 3 slam pieces that were all met with standing ovations.
My team ended up ranking 24 out of 28
But I was able to place 8th out of 110!
As far as Mr Fuckboy is concerned, his team didn't compete that year which means that I have step my cookies up for the next slam.
How do I know he is gonna be there?
I don't. I just stay ready so I don't have to get ready.
Anyway, if you have made it this far, you deserve a reward.
Here is my very first SoFried performance ever.
Morgan the Brave - https://photos.app.goo.gl/nPWpRQ62gW8mKjBr8
Comments