Note: The nature of slam poetry means that this video contains some audio content that may be considered not appropriate for younger viewers, or safe for work.
Any parent knows that helping our children grow up and find their own identity is difficult regardless of the technology we have available or how connected our social networks. Perhaps the biggest tension here, and the aspect of parenthood I’m least looking forward to, is that at some point they need to step out on their own to discover who they are.
I’m always on the lookout for films, videos and books that can contribute to this journey. At the Greenbelt festival this year I stumbled upon a slam poet called Harry Baker (@harrybaker) who fits this bill perfectly — he’s also “2012 World Slam Champion.” He stood out not just because of the speed at which he could rhyme or the incredible recall for these complex poems, but because he addressed themes of technology and identity.
Like Katie Makkai, he performs poems of substance. Although the style is quite different I had a similar reaction to this as Roy Wood in his post about Makkai — this is worth taking the time to watch. If you are not sure what exactly slam poetry is, Roy describes it well as “short, incredibly powerful spoken-word monologues.”
The poem above, “Real Men” is a great example. He offers his definition on what it is to be a man, and along the way addresses FIFA, Pixar movies and even the manliest of months, “Movember.” His point here is that we need new ways to define what it is to be a man.
As with most of his poems, towards the end his tone changes and he uses the levity of the earlier verses to focus our gaze on a truly inspiration example of manhood. He tells the story of Jordan Rice, a “13-year-old victim of the devastating floods that swept through the Australian city of Toowoomba [who] died after asking his rescuer to save his little brother first.”
Even though there are elements of the poem that are a little blue (I think these passed my kids by) I was keen for them to watch it. Having done so we ended up spending the afternoon Googling the Jordan Rice story as well as the issue of the Australian floods. A Sunday well spent I think.
Although there will come a time when my kids need to find their own identity in the world, my hope is that creative ways to see the world (like Baker’s poems) will grant them the resources with which to make that crossing.
There are more performances from Harry Baker at the FGTV Live channel as well his YouTube channel.
