Thursday, April 7, 2011

Robby Jerome "Spoken Word" Poetry

Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see.
I say,
It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman

Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Upside Down Portrait

DJ Official ft. Trip Lee - Get Busy

My Thoughts on the Movie "For Colored Girls"

The movie For Colored Girls by Tyler Perry is a movie that seems to have rested in my spirit, heart, and mind longer than intended. While watching the movie, my eyes and mind were enlightened and opened to view life at a deeper level. The script itself was poetic in that the soliloquies (individual speeches) the actresses spoke were poems in itself. These speeches the women spoke throughout were in poem form and expressed the deep pain, agony, heartache, abuse, and mishaps of their lives. Many claim that Tyler Perry bashes the male gender and only shows the negatives of black males. I would beg to differ. What I believe Tyler Perry does is gives a voice to those women who have been in abusive relationships or have experienced mistreatment that many times have gone unnoticed. I believe Tyler Perry is the voice of those women who have been told to keep silent out of fear, rejection, or last resort. I believe Tyler Perry’s movies expresses the injustices that women (black women in particular) experience on the daily basis. Many are narrow minded in their views and opinions of Tyler Perry’s movies in that they perceive it as a negative insult towards black men, thus missing the entire underlying message that Mr. Perry was trying to convey. No I am not bashing anyone who thinks Tyler Perry movies are hostile towards black men, all I am saying is that I believe Tyler Perry’s movies are created to give voices to those black women who were forced to keep silent out of fear. Below I have collected some pictures from the movie For Colored Girls. These pictures are intriguing in that the sad stories of the women are written on the women faces. You can see their pain, heartache, agony, and plea for help written in the sadness of their eyes, the slight frown in their smile, or the sad raising of eyebrows. This movie is one that I feel has done more to give voice to those voiceless women who have experienced traumatizing situations in their lives. I cried while watching the movie. The movie touched me so that months later, it still has an impact on my psyche, such a strong impact in that I felt compelled to write a blog about it. In the words of me: “Women been suppressed for years and have been told to "shhh" ... be quiet and not speak their mind. I understand that a woman who speaks with intelligence is considered a threat. Well I guess I'll just be considered as a threat, but one thing I won't be is silent....”