Radio Memories

for Amiri Baraka

sucked in,

swallowed whole and helpless

by his words

and rhythm to pop allusions.

Dissecting love into evol things,

staring back at me

w/eyes of Kerouac, Smith and Mandrake,

never guessing the decades of obsession

that would follow,

slaving for shadows and perfect poems,

but Poesia Perfecta can’t happen.

And he knew, he KNEW

when it was penned

that hundreds, thousands

of adolescents would be mauled by it’s lure,

the wounds left to fester,

shaping the nature of the beast.

 

After the words were done sandblasting

my pubescent sanity,

once wrung dry of tears and epiphanies,

 

a new poet was born.  

by

Rod C. Stryker

Amiri Baraka’s poem, In Memory of Radio: http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/a_f/baraka/onlinepoems.htm ,

opened the world of poetry for me. Prior to reading it, I was convinced that poetry was nothing but tomes written by dead, anglo men who knew nothing about our modern times. This poem along with other influences, started my path and ultimate success into the poetry and artistic world of self-expression. Radio Memories was published in my book, Exploits of a Sun Poet and I’ve also included my spoken word track of the poem that’s part of my spoken word album by the same name. Hope you like it.