"You Always Have A Choice"

I like the intro immediately, "This is my voice, there are many like it, but this one is mine," I find it relate-able because everyone has the ability to speak up, but it's what you decide to stand up for versus what you decide to sit down for.  I love what he said politic means because it's what I believe it is, especially when it comes with making empty promises to the citizens that vote for them. The visual he creates with his words leaves me feeling depressed inside and yearning to want to help everyone that he was describing. The most powerful lines is when he brought in Helen Keller and Martin Luther King Jr. and other Civil Right movement activist. The ending line "you always have a voice" reminded me to always speak up and never stay silent when there is something I don't agree with.

"If We Want Our Children to Grow into Socially and Emotionally Capable Young People We Must Ask For A Balanced Education"

The artwork that goes along with poem is amazing, it's just enough to represent everything that he is saying. I enjoy that each piece flows into the next. My favorite line includes, "At school they get a taste of what things are like in the world outside. There's friendship, romance, disappointment, embarrassment, discrimination, and bullying." It's true thinking back that I did learn all things at school, in fact the hardest place in my life was when I was in school. I enjoy that this poem was about stopping bullying too, but it was more of an inspiration poem to encourage change in the world. The "To This Day" poem that he performed was the same way but it was more passionate, it involved yelling and drastic movements, this one was more relaxed. It was like I was approached by a person who is coming to me and pleading their case calmly versus anger.

"Dear Ethan.....No"

I strayed from Shane Koyczan, this time I decided to pick a female, Jeanann Verlee. I found it funny that they were all love letters to someone she liked or dated. I liked that some of it was humorous while others where serious. I feel that with each person she said Dear to I felt I learned a little more about her and the person she was speaking about. I enjoy that at the end she ended it by slowly fading out. I am debating whether or not to look at more by her, but I am thinking about doing more about other female Spoken word Poets. I feel as though their aren't many and the ones that are performing should be given some spot light.

"Those Fine Egyptian Sheets..You Gotta Burn 'Em"

I picked this poem having no idea what it would be about, but thinking maybe it had something to do with how the arts saves lives. I thought that would be relatable considering recent retrenchment at my university. Then I hit play and began to listen to the poem, I realized that I had already written about the poem he was performing previously, "Swiftly", but it was an animated version. To actually see him perform the poem was strange. I think it was because I was watching him from the chest up, but I could tell that he was still moving his hands, he even glanced down at them a few times. After the poem was completed an interview began, which was another pleasant supplies because I learned that another poem I had looked at "We Are More" was in fact a poem that he had written for the Winter Olympics that were held in Vancouver in 2010. Which was interesting because he is very humble when asking why he was picked, he even gave his fan credit. I liked that he shared a personal story about himself and not an embarrassing one involving a fan. I even laughed at it because I wouldn't have thought someone would have gotten Scarlet Fever today and to think that a hotel had to burn sheets.

"My Life Was So Much Simpler When I Could Just Disappear"

This poem yet again started a little but explicit, but it draws me in to what else he has to say. I believe this is an earlier poem, not just because of his appearance, but because the way he is speaking. I feel as though he is testing the waters in what may and may not work. I like the slowing down of certain words after a fast phrase, "I don't want to turn this into poetry, but...you're so beautiful flowers turn their heads to smell you." is an example of this. I found myself wishing that this would become a cliche like so that men would use it on me just to make me feel good inside, however cliches are never romantic and through time they just make people want to roll their eyes, kind of like when guys look at me and say "you have beautiful eyes" and I look at them and smile and say "why don't you try using a line someone hasn't used on me before" then proceed to walk away. Much of this poem was very fast, but I was still able to follow what he was saying, unlike previous poems I listened to. I found myself yet again wishing that this poem was written just for me, butterflies in my stomach fluttering all the way past my heart and making me light headed as he sweeps me off my feet. Then the poem ends and I remember that it was just another fantasy.

"I Could Sit Around All Day Wearing Nothing But Your Kiss"

I realize that "The Short Story Long" is actually Shane Koyczan's own personal band to perform with his poems, which is amazing. This video is a little bit choppy, I can tell that this is someone's own personal video so the screaming and "wooing" from the audience is a little bit distracting, but it also makes me realize that Shane Koyczan is like a huge "pop artist" in Canada. Even though this is a choppy recording a few rows back from the stage, I still feel Shane Koyczan words reverberating and holding strong emotions. I like that the women in the band breaks in and says certain words, it gives the words more power because a women is actually saying "baby". However, this poem is explicit and describing his sex life for the first time, it still is something that many people experience. I found it funny that Shane Koyczan offered his own comic relief while performing his poem with his jesters. I would love to see him perform live, I feel like he would always be doing something to keep the audience interacted and have eyes on him.

"I Will Accept Your Apology, But You Better Make Me Believe You Are Sorry"

"He would say be still my boy, never son" that line immediately made me depressed and sad. I felt that it was so harsh that this child wasn't called son because of a choice that wasn't his to make. I feel that it still hurts Shane Koyczan because he repeats the line "never son". In past poems he never really repeats lines, he incorporates the title into the poem, but he doesn't repeat lines that hurt so much. "Do you love me? Was an itch our doctors told us not to scratch" was so impacting, as if asking a simple question could make everything fall apart, which is strange because it sounds like there is nothing to fall apart. His voice sounds of struggle and yearning for what was never given, love from a father, and no matter how much he begged inside he would never receive it. I like that when the father figure finally spoke to him Shane Koyczan no longer hated him, and that he accepted his apology. He was moved by an apology and in all the silence between the two the father figure learned everything he needed to know about the son.