On Spoken Poetry

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I enjoy listening to spoken poetry --
Oftentimes more than music even --
Because when I'm alone in my room at night
Alone in my head
And my unrealities become increasingly Real
Increasingly nightmarish
And I think no one could possibly understand what I'm going through --
Not because my thoughts are particularly deep or special
But because they are so frightfully ordinary
And not even worth the first listen-through --
It's difficult for me to concentrate of music
Because music is Special and Interesting and Irrefutable in its own inherent way
While at the same time forming White Noise that says
Over and over
'Your life doesn't matter, least of all to me'
And it bounces around, echoing in my hollow skull
And it jabs at the institution walls wrapped around my tired heart
And it adds to my aloneness
But see, spoken poetry's different
Because the poems are never particularly polished
And they're kind of mumbled off-the-cuff
And the artists always talk about Real things like Real people,
Even if reality's unrealistic sometimes
And dramatic unapologetically
And I get to hear their voices As It Were
Instead of those auto-tuned pitches and assortment of sounds
And I hear the soft hum of a low-quality recording
From the laptop perched at the top of the bed where
They write about their Lives and Feelings and Normality
And it makes me feel a little bit less alone
And so
When all's said and done
Spoken poetry's a pretty cool thing to have

~~~

I like music, I really do. It's just that sometimes, it seems too perfect and polished and pristine, and instead of thinking, 'wow, I'm so glad there are people out there just like me', I just come away with a weariness in my heart. It's odd. Spoken poetry -- with its elegantly phrased words and clear, emotive voices -- ought to give me a similar melancholic feeling, but it doesn't. It always seems to reassure me that no matter how much my mind might be brooding on a particular day, nor how much distance separates my kindred spirits from me, I am never alone. It provides a pleasant (if unexpected) bolstering.

I understand that the quality of this "poem" (not to mention the recording) is mediocre at best. Alas, I do not claim to be an artist. This merely represents me searching for my metaphorical voice. I hope it is an acceptable offering. :)