Poetry: Land of the Free and George Watsky

Jake and his dad Stephen Gyllenhaal at ACLU Foundation Torch of Liberty Awards Dinner (2003).

LAND OF THE FREE

"Can't disney this away, can't prozac it back
into the warm sofa of this once obedient chest.
The grand chandelier that's turning like a satellite
demanding utter allegiance and the closer attention
that should have been paid to grammar,
to the names and statistics of all the ballplayers
has lost its grip on the color pink
mistaking it for the space between
the first and second amendments"

Text copyright © 2005 "Claptrap" -by Stephen Gyllenhaal.


Source: www.snreview.org



UNDISPUTED BACKTALK CHAMPION

"I know what you’re thinking
and yes I do work out.
You may find this hard to believe
but I was not always the
mentally muscled pencil pusher
you see flexing his mind before you.
You see back in the day I was super super lightweight
back-talking-elementary-school-teachers champion.
With one raise of my scrawny arm
I could hit Mrs. Ames with the colloquial plural of octopus
list every Venezuelan Vice-President
in reverse alphabetical order
and correct a subject-verb disagreement
in her original question
our phones were ringing like a save the whales telethon
back then.
Inquiring teachers wanted to know
how could such a skinny little kid
be filled with so much hatred and contempt?
Back talkers don’t win many blacktop boxing matches
scrawny arms raised for throwing sand and exacting scratches.
Because educated fourth-grade playground mercenaries know—
creating pain is easier than creating
Whiteboy’s narrower than Urkel!
This imagination’s fertile
but you can’t fit a square into a social circle
Though stuffed into a locker
one tends to get philosophical
…blood, black and blue do make a pretty shade of purple.
In seventh grade I scrawled Neanderthal
across Takashi’s locker with a Sharpie after he lit my hair on fire to see
what it would smell like—
I left a couple blazing trails on the asphalt when he tore after me during lunch
Coulda been friends but nerds with vendettas offend
and God prefers burning a vandal on both ends;
melted wax poetics
Doing lines of Shakespeare in the bathroom
with a library card and a twisty straw.
That lightweight Hulk Hogan who can’t bench press
the wheaties box his face is on
I don’t think I need remind anyone
of my famous last stand in middle school
the post PE face-off in the hallway—
Mr. Minshull and his whistle blocking the exit.
My boombox was the only one that ever
stuck by my side
so I cranked the janky credo-blaster to 10
If you wanna go and get high wit’ me
Smoke an L in the back of the BenZ
Oh why must I feel this way?
Started rhyming over the top of his head
I can’t remember exactly what was said
just that it was epic [...]"

"Undisputed Backtalk Champion", edited by bestselling author Adam Mansbach, sold out its two first printings on First Word Press. Excerpts from George Watsky Official Website: www.georgewatsky.com


"George Watsky performing his poem "Carry the One" at the opening plenary of Greenbuild Chicago 2007. George took the stage directly before President Bill Clinton gave the keynote address to a crowd of almost 7,000 in the main conference and overflow room".
Still from 'George Watsky - Def Poetry 6 Full video'.

George Watsky- 'Drunk Text Message to God' video.

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He's also a talented musician, a 22 year old poet, emcee and actor. Check out his music and updates in his myspace page. HAPPY 22nd BIRTHDAY, GEORGE!!