I’ve been told
that people in the army
do more by 7:00 am
than I do
in an entire day
but if I wake
at 6:59 am
and turn to you
to trace the outline of your lips
with mine
I will have done enough
and killed no one
in the process.
This powerful spoken word poem by Canadian poet Shane Koyczan is a love poem of sorts. The poem is short, but the length of the poem only emphasizes its message, and gives it a power that a longer poem can't always achieve. Since the length of the poem is so brief, Koyczan has had to choose his words carefully to ensure that the meaning of his poem is carried across to the readers. Other than being a love poem, Koyczan also gives a subtle dig to the army, as shown by his last few lines "I will have done enough and killed no one in the process". There are few literary devices used in this poem, but one device used is alliteration in the sentence "turn to you to trace". This poem fits in with my theme because it shows the nature of accomplishments.
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I've always really liked this particular poem. Shane Koyczan's little shot at the military works really well and has always given me one of those wide "Oh Snap!" grins. Great choice!
ReplyDeleteI have this book, and I have to agree with Lewis. Although I'm in love with practically all of Koyczan's poems, I particularly love this one because it is short and impactful, whereas many of his poems are really long and winding and thoughtful (because he's a slam poet) but don't effect you quite as much.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that the length of the poem emphasizes his message: what he does is simple, and that is enough. So, he writes a simple, short poem... and that's enough.
(p.s. i love how you posted this on my birthday. perfect =D)