I love this man's poems.


Like Lilly Like Wilson

He does slam poetry and it's great. <3

Like wow, what a terrific poem! I'm so glad you posted. I love to find new, I mean new to me, poets.

Every time I thought of this poem I smiled, so, just had to post the words.


Like Lilly Like Wilson
By Taylor Mali

I'm writing the poem that will change the world,
and it's Lilly Wilson at my office door.
Lilly Wilson, the recovering like addict,
the worst I've ever seen.
So, like, bad the whole eighth grade
started calling her Like Lilly Like Wilson Like.
Until I declared my classroom a Like-Free Zone,
and she could not speak for days.

But when she finally did, it was to say,
Mr. Mali, this is . . . so hard.
Now I have to think before I . . . say anything.

Imagine that, Lilly.

It's for your own good.
Even if you don't like . . .
it.

I'm writing the poem that will change the world,
and it's Lilly Wilson at my office door.
Lilly is writing a research paper for me
about how homosexuals shouldn't be allowed
to adopt children.
I'm writing the poem that will change the world,
and it's Like Lilly Like Wilson at my office door.

She's having trouble finding sources,
which is to say, ones that back her up.
They all argue in favor of what I thought I was against.

And it took four years of college,
three years of graduate school,
and every incidental teaching experience I have ever had
to let out only,

Well, that's a real interesting problem, Lilly.
But what do you propose to do about it?
That's what I want to know.

And the eighth-grade mind is a beautiful thing;
Like a new-born baby's face, you can often see it
change before your very eyes.

I can't believe I'm saying this, Mr. Mali,
but I think I'd like to switch sides.

And I want to tell her to do more than just believe it,
but to enjoy it!
That changing your mind is one of the best ways
of finding out whether or not you still have one.
Or even that minds are like parachutes,
that it doesn't matter what you pack
them with so long as they open
at the right time.
O God, Lilly, I want to say
you make me feel like a teacher,
and who could ask to feel more than that?
I want to say all this but manage only,
Lilly, I am like so impressed with you!

So I finally taught somebody something,
namely, how to change her mind.
And learned in the process that if I ever change the world
it's going to be one eighth grader at a time.

If you like that one then I think you'll enjoy these two:

The The Impotence of Proofreading

and

Speak With Conviction Though, I've seen it called other things.

Ritzy: Thanks for posting more links to Taylor Mali. I like the first so much that I did dig around a bit for more. Speak with Conviction is one I came across; another terrific poem. I have to say as good as the poems are on paper, you really have to listen to him recite his own work. What a dynamo!

I definitely agree. Did you listen to his "What Teachers Make" poem? That one, I believe, is his most powerful performance.

Hang with me everyone. I am trying to do a little housekeeping. We started a new thread by a sloppy combining two started by Ritzy.

Here is a reposting of her post:


The Ritzy
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Joined: 27 Feb 2009
Age: 22

Posts: 31

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PostPosted: Fri Sep 18, 2009 12:42 pm
Post subject: Carlos Andrés Gómez

When it comes to poetry, I seem to gravitate to performance poetry. Carlos is one of those poets that I really just can't get enough of.

What's Genocide?

Man Up I consider this to be pure poetry, though, I know some people wouldn't think so. However, his story telling and performance impressed me to no end. I cried by the end of it. Maybe I'm just a sap.