Who Are You?

A spoken word piece, modified very slightly for the internet.

So who are you to look at me with such doleful eyes
Eyes hidden behind cups half-raised
As you pretend not to hear every syllable I -
Wait who is this guy?

Ah! Now I have your rapt attention, good.
We can finally pull ourselves up off the floor
Too much of the same thing gone round and round
Do you even know who you are anymore?

Are you the living and breathing dictionary
With your companion thesaurus dragging behind
Condemning, contemplating, and commiserating
Misunderstood melodrama waiting for a contract to sign?

Maybe you're the dark girl, the failed one,
The child where no sunlight has dared to shine
Wrapping your rosary of barbed wire around us
Vehemently strangling off the cries and whines

What about being the twenty-first century gangster
All dressed up in the latest fashion threads
Showing off all the money you shouldn't have
And returning home to your brand name beds

Look, you're the druggie, all junked up
And constantly pushing for the next big fix
Disregarding yourself to feed yourself
And never quite knowing what makes you tick

Better yet, you're the femboy all skinny
With tossed up hair rumpled so perfectly
Pale, smooth and so unsure of your sexuality
But that's okay because you're fifteen and allowed to be up until four in the morning on some dingy writing website listening to words being spoken by a man who looks like he could use another six drinks and maybe a shave but this isn't really about me so...

Perhaps you're the yuppie with a tricked out cell
It can only hold fifteen billion songs, but it seems
That only ten of them were ever listened to
And the rest just aren't good enough for mainstream

I see, you're the creampuff princess type
All feather boas and luxuries in soft pink
Daddy's little girl got lost on the seedy web
Full of dark things and intoxicating drink

Oh, you're not? You're the new-age punk then
Spikes, rings and all dressed in leatherettes
Doesn't care what anyone says about his mohawk
Secret desires for a fashionable return to fishnets

I think I know you, you're my sleek mink coat woman
All Rolls Royce with your perfect teeth and hair
Practically dripping with sexuality and sin
Soulless eyes and hips and not a single care

I recognize you, you're that angry guy who
Nothing on this planet is ever good enough for
But I'm happy you do what you do... Angry guy,
Because if you didn't hate me so much I might not get any attention up here right now... And that's all I ever wanted.

Author's Note

I love this.

Reviews

[_mal]

Same, I like how each little piece was strong on it's own. Made you want to read it out loud (guess that's kind of the point) I like how quietly aggressive you are (didn't say that right)
I like this a lot. It makes you think, and I probably missed the point but thats ok because it meant something anyway. You should get better feedback than this. Glad to read from you again, it's always a nice change.

[Heather]

I read it aloud and I so wish I could see you perform this piece, it would make me clap and fist pump for sure! I love spoken word and this poem was wonderful, the rhythm, the pace, all great and I loved how it made me laugh! I love how you change it fit where you are, makes it more fitting! GREAT, simply GREAT!

[tekphobik]

I wish I could find a video of me doing this one to link on youtube. It was usually received very well, and when it wasn't I just laughed because the last line gets me off as a disclaimer ;)

[masqued_muse]

From one recovering addict to another....isn't clarity, lucidity an amazing destination? I know you have been there, so have I. It is indelibly imprinted on our faces, in our eyes. Only we know the depths of the madness. As for me; I had rather be able to see the enemy afar off, then to meet him head on, unprepared and wearing rose tinted glasses.Your work is personal; a testament to the brilliance that the chaos sought to hide forever.
We are not invincible, Tek, but we know our strength, yes?
On a personal note, I was an addict for 30 yrs. Been totally clean, and will NEVER be any thing else, for 4 years, now.Those that have never been touched by the darkness....will never know how wonderful the light can feel.
masqued_muse

[tekphobik]

It should be noted that I perform this piece, and modify it to fit the venue every time.

"But that's okay because you're fifteen and allowed to be up until four in the morning on some dingy ______ listening to words being spoken by a man who looks like he could use another six drinks and maybe a shave but this isn't really about me so..."

"Daddy's little girl got lost in/on the seedy ______"

I make the venue the blanks.