Slam+Poetry

media type="youtube" key="lZstwKJ8cps" height="315" width="420" align="center" "__Like Totally Whatever__" is a masterpiece voiced by the fantabulous Taylor Mali to parody the speech of modern-day teenagers. The theme is that teenagers these days do not speak with authority and conviction, but always doubt themselves because it is "cool." The poem is extremely ironic, as it employs the manners of speech it so fondly criticizes. "Invisible question mark's and parenthetical (you know)'s" is an excerpt from the poem and truly the physical manifestation of the point he is trying to get across. The poem uses a few metaphors, such as " I'm just inviting you to join me on the bandwagon of my uncertainty?" and " What has happened to our conviction? Where are the limbs out on which we once walked? Have they been, like, chopped down with the rest of the rain forest?" which create a nice, visual image in my mind's eye. I chose this poem because I just absolutely adore irony, and the poem was full of it. Though it was straight to the point and did not have any layers of deception and mystery, it was a well-written poem, and Taylor Mali make the words come alive. I also like the way he manages to wrap the poem and any loose ends into a beautiful conclusion.

"Like Totally Whatever" by Taylor Mali  In case you hadn't noticed,

 it has somehow become uncool

 to sound like you know what you're talking about?

 Or believe strongly in what you're saying?

 Invisible question marks and parenthetical (you know?)'s

 have been attaching themselves to the ends of our sentences?

 Even when those sentences aren't, like, questions? You know?  Declarative sentences - so-called

 because they used to, like, DECLARE things to be true

 as opposed to other things which were, like, not -

 have been infected by a totally hip

 and tragically cool interrogative tone? You know?

 Like, don't think I'm uncool just because I've noticed this;

 this is just like the word on the street, you know?

 It's like what I've heard?

 I have nothing personally invested in my own opinions, okay?

<span style="color: silver; font-family: Verdana,Arial; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;"> I'm just inviting you to join me on the bandwagon of my uncertainty? <span style="color: silver; font-family: Verdana,Arial; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;"> What has happened to our conviction?

<span style="color: silver; font-family: Verdana,Arial; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;"> Where are the limbs out on which we once walked?

<span style="color: silver; font-family: Verdana,Arial; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;"> Have they been, like, chopped down

<span style="color: silver; font-family: Verdana,Arial; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;"> with the rest of the rain forest?

<span style="color: silver; font-family: Verdana,Arial; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;"> Or do we have, like, nothing to say?

<span style="color: silver; font-family: Verdana,Arial; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;"> Has society become so, like, totally. ..

<span style="color: silver; font-family: Verdana,Arial; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;"> I mean absolutely. . . You know?

<span style="color: silver; font-family: Verdana,Arial; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;"> That we've just gotten to the point where it's just, like. ..

<span style="color: silver; font-family: Verdana,Arial; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;"> whatever! <span style="color: silver; font-family: Verdana,Arial; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;"> And so actually our disarticulation. . . ness

<span style="color: silver; font-family: Verdana,Arial; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;"> is just a clever sort of. . . thing

<span style="color: silver; font-family: Verdana,Arial; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;"> to disguise the fact that we've become

<span style="color: silver; font-family: Verdana,Arial; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;"> the most aggressively inarticulate generation

<span style="color: silver; font-family: Verdana,Arial; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;"> to come along since. ..

<span style="color: silver; font-family: Verdana,Arial; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;"> you know, a long, long time ago! <span style="color: silver; font-family: Verdana,Arial; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;"> I entreat you, I implore you, I exhort you,

<span style="color: silver; font-family: Verdana,Arial; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;"> I challenge you: To speak with conviction.

<span style="color: silver; font-family: Verdana,Arial; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;"> To say what you believe in a manner that bespeaks

<span style="color: silver; font-family: Verdana,Arial; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;"> the determination with which you believe it.

<span style="color: silver; font-family: Verdana,Arial; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;"> Because contrary to the wisdom of the bumper sticker,

<span style="color: silver; font-family: Verdana,Arial; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;"> it is not enough these days to simply QUESTION AUTHORITY.

<span style="color: silver; font-family: Verdana,Arial; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none;"> You have to speak with it, too.