“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”

It’s an old adage we’ve known since grade school, but it’s not just us. Our parents and grandparents have heard it too. In fact, it goes as far back as 1862 in the records but it probably goes back even farther in oral tradition. It’s amazing to me how many generations have been fed this lie!

This lie that says words don’t hurt us. That words don’t make us feel anything. In fact, words can be the most powerful tool ever given to mankind and it's just about my favorite thing in the universe. They are used to create, destroy, transform, encourage, convey, and this list can go on forever. All this to say is that words may not be able to physically break my bones, but it can do so much more.

The Poetry Foundation defines spoken word as "a broad designation for poetry intended for performance."

A broad designation for poetry meaning the speaker and the writer can use words in any way they choose. The spoken word encompasses other art forms such as poetry, jazz, hip-hop, theater, storytelling, etc. The writer reveals their clever wit in wordplay and often provokes emotions that you have never felt before because you have never experienced their story before. Maybe you have experienced it before. In that case, spoken word has a way of making you feel like you aren't alone. It's a bit of a healing process for the audience and cathartic to the writer.

I think I was fifteen when I first accidentally stumbled upon a spoken word video on YouTube. It had been a few year of writing poetry myself, but this was something else. It was dramatic, funny, and clever which made me want more! I was hooked going hours at a time to listen to different poets. Some were funny like Sarah Kay and others were painful like Rudy Francisco I could hear the emotion in their words and it was enough to make me feel it in my bones.

You see, I hate the old saying about sticks and stones and words because then people are taught to think that the words you say or they say don’t matter. While it may not physically harm you, it’s enough to hurt you.

I fear that somewhere along the line that we’ve been teaching generations and generations to equate “words mean nothing” to “your feelings don’t either.” We have stolen their voice with our own words so to say that words are nothing is misguided.

I said it already, but I’ll say it again. Words are powerful. You are evidence of that. I like spoken word because it is evidence of that too.

So, what are you waiting for? Go to YouTube right now! Type in spoken word poetry and get lost in the art of hearing just how amazing and powerful words can be. I’m sure it will do wonders for your soul, too.