Rudy Francisco is one of the most popular names in spoken word poetry, with most of his performance videos on YouTube having thousands of views regardless of which of the many spoken word channels have posted them. It’s safe to say he’s gained quite the fanbase over the nine years his videos have been posted on YouTube is an understatement.
After all these years, Rudy’s first full poetry collection was published by Button Poetry on November 28. Up until now, he’s only released four chapbooks, so excitement in the fans of spoken word was high. Rudy’s fans, myself included, ticked down the days until the release. After all, Rudy is one of the big names in this community, and all of us know it’s for good reason. So I did what any fan of something does and bought the book.
“Helium” didn’t disappoint me in any way possible, except maybe that I wish it were longer. I mean, I would gladly read this man’s grocery lists (I’m sure he’d find a way to make them interesting), so it’s safe to say that nothing would be enough for me, never mind 95 pages. Okay, that’s all I’ve got. Now let’s talk about everything this collection does right.
From the first poem to the last, any fan of Rudy’s will know that this writing is his. There’s a mixture of new poems like “Alternatives to ‘Bae’” and fan favorites like “Scars” and “My Honest Poem.” Rudy has such a distinct voice and flows that every one of these poems fits itself into, and you can almost hear him forming the words you’re reading, especially for the ones we all know. There’s even a mix of longer and shorter poems, so you don’t feel like you’re drowning in the longer pieces that Rudy is known for.
The poems here are poignant, using personal stories to paint pictures of love and hurt, depression, race, gender, family, and religion. The lines between literal and metaphorical are blurred just enough to make points stick while also being beautifully crafted, and some of them just hit you like a well-trained fist to the jaw, tears springing to your eyes.
The first time I read the poem “To the Man Standing on the Corner Holding the Sign That Said ‘God Hates Gays,’” I was in my French classroom after just finishing the written part of a two-part exam, waiting to take the second part so I could go home, free of school stresses for the first time since August.
So here I am, in this room so quiet I didn’t have an issue drowning out the noise. The girl in front of me is trying to communicate and quiz me on the oral section of the exam, but my attention is on this poem, and I’m trying to keep my mouth from falling open or spreading itself into a grin. I’m tempted to snap my fingers the way I was taught to in middle school English class. I’m tempted to whisper “God damn.” But I just sit there, willing my head to nod along in agreement as I read about the God Rudy knows versus the God that so many people turn to in the name of hate, of racism, of sexism, of discrimination.
I’ve always been quiet in my belief, but I know that my God is the same God as Rudy’s, one that does not encourage such hatred among His children. Finally, someone has expressed that, and I want to hang this poem on my refrigerator.
But I keep reading.
Overall, “Helium” is one of, if not the best, poetry collection I have read to date, and I’m sure I’ll be reading it again before winter break is over. If you love Rudy and didn’t get the book yet because you weren’t sure if it’d hold up to what he’s known for, you need to get your hands on it. If you love poetry, you need to get your hands on this book. If you want to love poetry, you need to get your hands on this book. If you want to understand people better, you need to get this book. You just need to read this book.
