The Poetry Slams

Here is a link to my you tube channel where I read my poetry. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryqLr9ehn7Q

I used to go to
these poetry slams in
Des Moines.
Little coffee shops of
academia.
They were competitive.
I won a few.
I was homeless and going
through a divorce, life
had me by the throat.
I wanted to win at
living.
That was going to
be a long shot.

The patrons applauded
after the poetry was read.
And after the cruelty of
The concrete, the applause
felt nice.
But mostly, it was the
pretty posey,
the cute and polished
cat s**t that received
the prizes.
The stuff with no guts.
It felt like I was watching
goldfish in a bowl.

Eventually, I walked out
of the coffee shop circuit.
It didn’t prepare me at all for
my debut in the abandoned houses,
writing words on the walls of those
mad January nights.

Author's Note

I am happy to announce the release of my brand new book, It's Just a Hop, Skip, and a Jump to the Madhouse on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/Its-Just-Skip-Jump-Madhouse/dp/B0DY4XDQYC/ref=

Reviews

[Michael Sun Bear]

Good to see you again Thomas. I really like how you describe episodes in your life, whether purely autobiographical or partly fictional, in simple, straightforward language (that’s a compliment) that seem pretty easy to relate to, then you insert these lines that really wake up the reader. Some of your lines here for a few moments had me “by the throat.” The last four lines in particular just kill! That is the strongest ending to a poem I have seen in a long, long time. Really well done.

[Thomas W Case]

Thank you, my friend.

[Vol]

Sounds like the kind of rocks and mortar poets are made of...
Vol

[Green]

Wow I really enjoyed this but it was kind of brutal to read too (I mean that in a good way). Really kind of all hits you there in the end.
Unfortunately so much of life is that way, the prizes we most think we want to win end up not being worth what it would take to get them.
Great write.

[Relic]

A great poem, Thomas. Your writing is always real and honest.

[John the Baptist]

A memoir of life's lessons here. The speaker was enjoying applause for his poetry during a difficult time in his life. Then he realized the winners in the contests were purveying hackneyed, stale stuff, and he quit the slams. What the "abandoned houses" he graduated to were I cannot say, but apparently they were what he needed as a writer.

[W. Barrett Munn]

Excellent work. Has that Bukowski/Cohen fee.

[K. Louis]

This is a raw and honest portrayal of experiences. I love how you weave together the different threads of competition, vulnerability, and resilience. The way you describe the coffee shop scene versus the reality of writing in abandoned houses is particularly striking.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

This is my favorite from you, Thomas.
Gritty and such truth....the real poetry gets heard and applauded,
but the fluff wins prizes which really don't mean much.
It is the poetry that splits the head open that counts.

[Thomas W Case]

Thank you so much

[red93]

Fascinating again Thomas. We had Poetry Slams in Bristol UK, maybe they still have and I haven't attended for a bit. Quite the scene back in the day. Excellent Work ✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️

[Thomas W Case]

Thank you, my friend.