Smith vs. Coleman

The oral poetry of Patricia Smith, whether watched on Youtube or read from the page, is extremely powerful in its raw emotion and stark imagery. The creative arrangement of her poetry to complement a written and oral form is also interesting. For me, the most enjoyable part is that she speaks sometimes about distant things like Medusa, in such a way that it seems real. At the same time, she is able to dissect real things, like Hurricane Katrina in ways that are real and made to be surreal at the same time.

The subject matter and diction of her poems is not unlike the power that we saw from Wanda Coleman, although for some reason it seems less jarring. Maybe it is because I have read Coleman first, or maybe it is the hearing of the poem in an oral form and imagining its spoken delivery that makes it less shocking but no less powerful. Her ability to deliver the poem adds character to it and makes it a story. She also explores a diverse subject matter which sheds light on a variety of social and cultural issues or minorities not normally seen, as seen in “Skinhead.”

Certainly, the era of slam poets and oral poetry is back, although I wonder how much of the residues of the jazz and blues can still be felt in the cadence and improvisational delivery?