The Grand Slam Winning Poem
This is the poem that won the Running Water Poetry Slam Grand Slam in 2005 or something. It was inspired by a Ben Kweller song "No Reason." It treads a lot of the "appreciate the mundane" ground that many others have. Still. It's much better out loud. I really need to find some video. Either way, here it is.
that A’s still in the corner
right now there are dogs who are getting treats
Right Now
Right now, everybody
Right now, everybody
Right now, everybody
Right now.
Right now there’s whole lotta shit going down
there’s poor in this town
and the flu’s goin’ round
Right now we’re trudgin’ though a pretty big mess
people dyin’ from stress
people tryin’ to profess
that right now, we’re in it up to our necks
cars getting in wrecks
waitin in line for the checks
You wanna know what else is happenin’ right now?
Right now some woman just found her keys
she’s been looking for them for weeks
under the couch, in the car
she went through the garbage twice, twice
and then she found them, kicked under the fridge
Right now some kid just got his first A
not a big deal, just a spelling test
but he’s still holding that paper so tight
that the sweat from his hand is starting
to eat through the paper
and it doesn’t matter as long
that A’s still in the corner
right now, some guy just woke up
from the best nap of his life
right now, some lady just opened
a new bottle of shampoo
right now, some grandma just
finished crocheting her first blanket
right now, everybody,
right now, everybody,
right now, everybody
right now
Right now it really doesn’t look so great
we got a war to debate
and a risin interest rate
Right now seems like a pretty bad time
so much victimless crime
so much of society’s grime
right now we don’t feel so well
there’s an embryonic cell
tell us if we’re going to hell
But you know what else is happening right now
Right now a little boy
is the holding the hand
of a little girl for the very first time
and the tingles are running up his arm
and out of his face as a smile
so big it would hurt to stop
right now there are dogs who are getting treats
right now some lady just got a whole lot of mail
right now some guy is listening
to the song he just bought
for the ninth time
and he loves, he loves it
he can’t get enough of it.
right now some guy is putting on
his favorite pair of shoes
right now some woman is taking off
her least favorite pair of shoes
right now some kid just opened
a new bag of Cheetos
and right now, you have every reason
to set the alarm a little earlier
and stay up a little later
right now you have every reason
to pull out your down comforter
right now you have every reason
to watch a movie in bed
right now you have every reason
to forget about the shit
for just one minute
and have some fuckin’ ice cream
right now, everybody,
right now, everybody,
right now.