Love Beats Rhymes Page #3

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For the next 12 weeks

we will be discussing

the rhythmic

language of experience.

Poetry.

How many of you have

ever written a poem?

Ah.

How many of you

don't even like poetry?

Well, let me give you

a word of warning.

This class is not

for the faint of heart.

You will explore

the limits of your abilities.

You will find those limits

and you will soar

past those limits.

Remember this.

Reading a book will

change what you know.

Reading a poem will

change who you are.

This is my teaching assistant, Mr.

Derek Morris.

He will run the study services

as well as be responsible

for the bulk of the grading.

We are fully-booked.

Who's that?

Sorry.

Any students that aren't

registered in this class

will have to audition

in order to get a place.

The audition process is simple.

Recite a poem from memory.

No songs. Just poems.

And I will decide who stays

and who goes.

So, let's get into it.

Who's first?

"How do I love thee?

Let me count the ways."

"If thou wilt not,

be but sworn my love

"and I will no longer

be a Capulet."

"Once upon a midnight dreary

"while I pondered

weak and weary." Hi.

Thank you. Chris.

Seat won't go down.

"I pledge

allegiance to the flag..."

And who do we have left?

Who do we have left?

Floor's yours.

"I start to think

and then I sink into the paper

"like I was ink.

"When I'm writin' I'm trapped

in between the lines.

"I escape when I

finish the rhymes."

Yes!

Rakim, right?

Yeah.

Well that's a rap. So, I'm

gonna disqualify you.

You said "no songs." You didn't

say anything about "no raps."

And I think you're misunderstanding

what the audition process was.

No, I understand what

you're saying. I get it.

What you're

trying to say is that

what some dead dudes

wrote 100 years ago

is more important

than hip-hop is today.

Ooh!

I'm sorry,

what's your name again?

Coco Ford.

Well, I'm sorry, coco Ford,

but you're disqualified.

That's wack.

I'm out of here.

It is not an assumption that

you need this class to graduate.

So I suggest to all of you

who are remaining

to focus.

How can they teach poetry

and leave out rap?

Right?

Where's the English department?

This ain't right.

Coco!

Next.

The Rakim fan.

Have a seat.

A little before your time, no?

My pops got me open on Rakim.

It's the first rap

I knew by heart.

Oh, you're one of those, huh?

You think that rap

and poetry are the same.

Yeah.

I grew up on hip-hop, okay?

I was the shorty running

around all the block parties.

I've forgotten more about hip-hop

than you will ever know.

And I've watched it

become misogynistic

and small-minded

and uninspiring.

Not all hip-hop is

misogynistic and small-minded.

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