Failure Loves Company

I’m J. Bradley and I’m a poet who slams.  I spent almost seven years rummaging through dumpsters for cheap thrills.  I once became so desperate, I scraped the sweat of the proletariat with a hairspray cap and drank it, hoping it would lubricate my throat with the power to coax 10s from random strangers.  What does struggle taste like?  Depends on your demographic.

Anyway, one of the most important things I’ve learned from slam that helped me write shorter verse is the importance of the economy of language in a poem.  To slam, the three minute time limit is the form and like a high school essay, there is filler padding the poem to meet the magic number.

So, here’s your first challenge.  Whether you choose to accept it, it’s up to you.

1a. (For Performance Poets)

Choose a signature poem, a poem that wows crowds when you perform it, destroys microphones and stages, gets you hot pantsless action.  Now, take that poem and whittle it down to no more than 100 words.  Can you keep the meaning and the spirit of the poem intact?  Will your poem be just as breathtaking as the performance piece?  How will the poem change as you whittle it down?

1b. (For Non Performance Poets)

Choose a poem you love love love (it can be a published poem).  Now, take that poem and expand it to no less than 250 words.  Can you keep the meaning and the spirit of the poem intact?  Will your poem be just as breathtaking as its condensed version?  How will the poem change as you trick it out with hot lines?

You have until next Monday.  See you soon.