Poetry woo!! I just did my first "official" spoken word showcase in PA this weekend. Went well, needs work.
I'd be interested to know if there are any other spoken word artists on the box, or anyone that performs their work in general. If so, hit me up. If not, hit me up anyway.
Legs
I confess
I never learned to close my legs.
I never could get comfortable
Sitting with my knees overlapping
My calves just dangling
My circulation strangling
Until my feet are tingling.
So as soon as I begin to stand
I’m falling on my face.
I never was able to contort my body
To sit like a proper lady
My thighs were always too wide
To be anything but spread apart
Making me think
That pulsing in between my legs
Was really the beating of my heart.
I never find my balance
When my feet stand stiff together.
They each need their own land
To conquer.
I need to stabilize myself
Straddling benches
Backs of chairs
And… boys.
I Need to throw my hips out
Need to let comfort overtake decency.
But my mother keeps telling me
To keep that nickel between my knees
Shut them up tight
With no room to breathe
Cause a good girl keeps
Her legs closed
And her mind open.
But I never learned just how
To keep an open mind while
Closing myself off.
And just maybe I got the message
Mixed up and backwards.
Contorted and cramped up
While I was trying to fold myself
Into pretzel like positions
To preserve some propriety.
But Jesus Christ it feels good to
Stand strong
Cause you can’t wield a battle ax
With you’re ankles locked.
And it’s hard to roll with
The punches if you don’t
Throw your weight around.
And I don’t care if you stare up my skirt.
I never wear one anyway.
I’m not sacrificing my comfort
For yours any day.
Because I confess
I don’t need to learn to close my legs
When I learned how to raise my standards instead.
And I don’t want to sit like a lady
Cause being a lady hurts like hell
So I’ll sit spread open and comfortable.
And stand like I’m proud to be standing at all.
You can find my recordings and shit at the myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/tashapratt