hello all right so I just want to make
sure that we’re all operating on the
same level yeah so can we do this real
quick can we all please close our eyes
all right and while you’re closing your
eyes I want you to imagine yourselves at
age seven age seven yeah and I want you
two to picture yourselves at age seven
running through sprinklers and the
freedom that that was and the joy
all right cool let’s open our eyes okay
so the question of the evening is this
do you remember the days when we used to
play on the playground every day or like
six of you do so y’all need to close
your eyes a little bit harder you know
the same okay let’s try that again do
you remember the days when we used to
play on the playground every day what
yeah that’s right recess 15 minutes of
sheer madness 15 minutes of running Oh
Brown getting down with all of your
friends until the bell sounded that
inevitable Bell that rocked the well of
time try and I remember those days so
vividly licking jell-o instant pudding
off of our hands making forts out of
sand and doing everything you can to
just play when’s the last time you took
50 minutes out of your day to just run
around and play we use to do this
everyday it was a staple of our
existence and those days are now
dissonant but if you close your eyes you
can remember it those 15 minutes that
now seemed trivial but when you’re a kid
fifty minutes was ephemeral everlasting
it was a fleeting moment but it was so
dang real 15 minutes instead of time to
swing your brains out make a movie out
of clouds
there’s no time to climb in and out read
the monkey bars five times because of
times we gave up for squares and make it
up to King or fling Red Rover
fierce at each other any game of
dodgeball with three teams leaving in
annotation it was that time for two
friends run up and down hills holding
hands singing ridiculous babe there’s
enough time to get one kick in a game of
kickball and really that’s all you ever
need it was one kick to show everybody
what’s up and I never had the power to
crank it ball like Angela all over the
fan tense a home run but I can always
get on base and tease the opposition is
good for a squeeze play I want to skip
easily obtaining the extra base with the
face you’re just crazy all right
yeah what’s the last time you grab your
friends I played a game of kickball
when’s the last time you climb the tree
as high as the sky because it felt right
was the last time you just called
someone said let’s ride bikes when’s the
last time you grab the carrots when you
were in your underwear and sang it to it
like a mic well you guys are weird just
like me huh not in MRC said a rhyme into
the beats keeping your heads Bob because
my Stiles is deep but I’m talking about
grabbing a carrot and singing some
mamas a little self amongst a little
song officer we didn’t even know what
that stuff meant but it sounded
brilliant the equivalent of Mozart in
our modern days it captivated the
imaginations of our youth I never get up
to stairs when I’m singing at the top of
my lungs while driving alone people hear
me out
why are we striving so hard to grow up
wide you’ve now in our free time call
each other to go out and eat when it
sitting down and eating a meal at a
restaurant everyplace creativity and the
expression of the free spirit I mean
that’s episodes sterile to me and I
don’t do about what stability you’re
wendi-go me not to dinner ever become an
activity sitting across the table from
your friends and family breeds
familiarity but the cyber formality is
just too plain for me can’t you see
remember how it used to be and when the
fantasies at speed through my brain are
entertained by visions from long ago we
used to potluck on the beach I mean yeah
we’d eat but then we’d teach each other
how to flip slide run or fly we could
have done anything it didn’t matter it
was engaging it was entertaining we’re
learning how to be active and creative
together remember and now I see the
masses of our generations falling into
the trap of daily routine that unceasing
monotony plaguing our society and I be
resisting you see I don’t deal well with
monotony when did watching TV ever
become an activity letting time pass
before my passive viewing watching
someone else do something we’re not
actually doing thing about it yeah
letting time pass forming passive
viewing watching someone else do
something we’re not actually doing it’s
like we’re recessing through the eyes of
someone else’s 15 minutes of fame and we
could be out living our own 15 minutes
of game do you remember the days when we
szczepan to play on every day what was
that thing we took recess thank you
[Applause]
cool so I want to talk tonight a little
bit about just shortly briefly about a
metamorphosis that I experienced as an
artist and as a human before art yeah I
did the whole applied nuclear physics
thing I got a degree in nuclear
engineering and then I went into
management slash business consulting in
San Francisco it was there in San
Francisco that I was exposed to slam
poetry and all the brilliance that it is
and so I started to sort of dabble with
it as a hobby but the other came a
crossing plane my life where I had to
decide what I was going to do with the
rest of my life and and this track that
I was on with the corporate America side
of things wasn’t doing it for me I
wanted to interface more with my
community I want to bring about change I
wanted to dabble in arts I wanted to
have more fun yeah all those reasons and
so I decided to take the leap and to
derail off the corporate track and to go
full-time into art and poetry and it was
this this moment when I decided I made
one small little decision that would
have a ripple effect throughout my life
I decided yeah if I was gonna be up here
on stage performing these poems then it
was my responsibility to go out and live
those poems because I could then get
back up on stage and perform in a way
that was more real in a way that was
full of integrity genuine knows it those
are those the logic behind making that
decision but the benefits are making
that decision was twofold one poetry
became my outlet for figuring out truths
truths in how I want to see the world
change how I wanted to see myself change
it became a way to explore honesty and
openness yeah but – and this is the
change that
sort of rippled through everything
living my poetry led me to new insights
yeah it put me on the path to being open
to new things that I could think about
and then those new insights would lead
to new poetry which should then be to
new changes in my life which then eight
into new insights new poetry new life
new insights poetry life yeah I start to
witness a symbiotic relationship between
poetry and life and poetry and life and
poetry life and that’s when my
everything my art and my life started to
take off and go into a metamorphosis of
sorts to show you guys a little bit of
an example and of course there were many
insight if you look at the string of
poems that I’ve written throughout my
career you can see so the the the
leaping points of insights after I wrote
recess I decided I want to play more in
life so one day I was at the store and I
saw one of those like a big bin of those
red rubber kick balls I was like oh yeah
I’m gonna get one of those things so I
did I bought it and I used to carry that
thing around everywhere I went and any
time anybody saw me with one of those
balls whether they were young or old it
didn’t matter
they’d be like oh yeah you’ve got a ball
let’s go play yeah so we would we would
and I would start Foursquare games with
strangers on the sidewalks of Waikiki
we’d start kickball games and shopping
center parking lots and one of the
things I also used to do with that ball
was to take it into the ocean and float
around with it and throw it around and
this story they’re going to tell you
guys is a true story it takes place with
me coming out of the ocean with one of
those red rubber kick balls I was coming
out of ocean approaching the showers
minding my own business when I met this
kid he must have been about 1 to 2
walking but not talking yet completely
naked skin seemed to be brown but as
I’ve now completely unexposed so he’s
looking at me
and I look back he stares intently at
the red rubber ball of my hands all
wide-eyed and I’m like ah you want this
ball he immediately grabs it bounces and
giggles he just tickled his own
imagination and I continued on my
business char up it said to say hey you
go play with that ball for a bit he runs
off his mama calls to him
mikono be careful and I’m thinking to
myself Makana what kind of means gift
and then I continue on with my business
but this kid has captivated me he’s
expressing pure joy without words the
hurls the ball with all his might to
keep him in my sight as sand switches
off my feet turn now I’m double no
triple rinsing my hair which I never
really do but I’m doing all that I can
to stall I just want him to experience
that ball and by the fifth rinse it’s
time for me to go and I know you know
it’s gonna be difficult for me to get
that ball back but he throws it to me
appreciative other time and at this
point I’m having a very hard time
leaving so I roll the ball back he picks
it up does it for a second then checks
it back to me it now seems as if we’ve
got game so I stay and we play back and
forth back forth back and far for bit
but he stops drops the ball it was off
and heels out his hand well knowing me I
go get ball that I gotta give him fire
but realize that that’s not what he’s
trying to communicate he looks sad or in
pain yeah that’s it his pain because
I’ll see a splinter pricking into his
finger I barely even touch it but if he
knocks automatically shutters
dramatically he still stands with his
hand out you see he trusts me with this
splinter so I take it to myself I’ve got
to do this quick otherwise we’re both in
deep trouble cuz his skin is like tissue
it’s ridiculously sensitive in splinters
they really hurt y’all and his eyes his
eyes are peering into my oh my dear to
us you see he hasn’t yet been sworn into
a childhood of don’t talk to strangers
the day
villains ought to get you hasn’t had
time to learn how to ignore the rest of
this community as this day passes by he
hasn’t learned the societal nonsense
he simply being as his heart tells him
to be trusting me and he’s open and
standing and I’m asking his mama who’s
five feet away eh is that okay she
smiles and nods yes she gives me the
go-ahead and so I go I figure deep
breath and watch that move I grab him
close him dig his body – temporarily but
the worst is now over and he looks and
he smiles and I nearly cries see this is
the essence of existence he goes to pick
up the ball except to play again but a
time has come to an end of my new friend
is wondering where I’m wandering just
walk away slowly Sigma kana you can have
the ball and for me it was a small price to pay for a brief lesson
sure that we’re all operating on the
same level yeah so can we do this real
quick can we all please close our eyes
all right and while you’re closing your
eyes I want you to imagine yourselves at
age seven age seven yeah and I want you
two to picture yourselves at age seven
running through sprinklers and the
freedom that that was and the joy
all right cool let’s open our eyes okay
so the question of the evening is this
do you remember the days when we used to
play on the playground every day or like
six of you do so y’all need to close
your eyes a little bit harder you know
the same okay let’s try that again do
you remember the days when we used to
play on the playground every day what
yeah that’s right recess 15 minutes of
sheer madness 15 minutes of running Oh
Brown getting down with all of your
friends until the bell sounded that
inevitable Bell that rocked the well of
time try and I remember those days so
vividly licking jell-o instant pudding
off of our hands making forts out of
sand and doing everything you can to
just play when’s the last time you took
50 minutes out of your day to just run
around and play we use to do this
everyday it was a staple of our
existence and those days are now
dissonant but if you close your eyes you
can remember it those 15 minutes that
now seemed trivial but when you’re a kid
fifty minutes was ephemeral everlasting
it was a fleeting moment but it was so
dang real 15 minutes instead of time to
swing your brains out make a movie out
of clouds
there’s no time to climb in and out read
the monkey bars five times because of
times we gave up for squares and make it
up to King or fling Red Rover
fierce at each other any game of
dodgeball with three teams leaving in
annotation it was that time for two
friends run up and down hills holding
hands singing ridiculous babe there’s
enough time to get one kick in a game of
kickball and really that’s all you ever
need it was one kick to show everybody
what’s up and I never had the power to
crank it ball like Angela all over the
fan tense a home run but I can always
get on base and tease the opposition is
good for a squeeze play I want to skip
easily obtaining the extra base with the
face you’re just crazy all right
yeah what’s the last time you grab your
friends I played a game of kickball
when’s the last time you climb the tree
as high as the sky because it felt right
was the last time you just called
someone said let’s ride bikes when’s the
last time you grab the carrots when you
were in your underwear and sang it to it
like a mic well you guys are weird just
like me huh not in MRC said a rhyme into
the beats keeping your heads Bob because
my Stiles is deep but I’m talking about
grabbing a carrot and singing some
mamas a little self amongst a little
song officer we didn’t even know what
that stuff meant but it sounded
brilliant the equivalent of Mozart in
our modern days it captivated the
imaginations of our youth I never get up
to stairs when I’m singing at the top of
my lungs while driving alone people hear
me out
why are we striving so hard to grow up
wide you’ve now in our free time call
each other to go out and eat when it
sitting down and eating a meal at a
restaurant everyplace creativity and the
expression of the free spirit I mean
that’s episodes sterile to me and I
don’t do about what stability you’re
wendi-go me not to dinner ever become an
activity sitting across the table from
your friends and family breeds
familiarity but the cyber formality is
just too plain for me can’t you see
remember how it used to be and when the
fantasies at speed through my brain are
entertained by visions from long ago we
used to potluck on the beach I mean yeah
we’d eat but then we’d teach each other
how to flip slide run or fly we could
have done anything it didn’t matter it
was engaging it was entertaining we’re
learning how to be active and creative
together remember and now I see the
masses of our generations falling into
the trap of daily routine that unceasing
monotony plaguing our society and I be
resisting you see I don’t deal well with
monotony when did watching TV ever
become an activity letting time pass
before my passive viewing watching
someone else do something we’re not
actually doing thing about it yeah
letting time pass forming passive
viewing watching someone else do
something we’re not actually doing it’s
like we’re recessing through the eyes of
someone else’s 15 minutes of fame and we
could be out living our own 15 minutes
of game do you remember the days when we
szczepan to play on every day what was
that thing we took recess thank you
[Applause]
cool so I want to talk tonight a little
bit about just shortly briefly about a
metamorphosis that I experienced as an
artist and as a human before art yeah I
did the whole applied nuclear physics
thing I got a degree in nuclear
engineering and then I went into
management slash business consulting in
San Francisco it was there in San
Francisco that I was exposed to slam
poetry and all the brilliance that it is
and so I started to sort of dabble with
it as a hobby but the other came a
crossing plane my life where I had to
decide what I was going to do with the
rest of my life and and this track that
I was on with the corporate America side
of things wasn’t doing it for me I
wanted to interface more with my
community I want to bring about change I
wanted to dabble in arts I wanted to
have more fun yeah all those reasons and
so I decided to take the leap and to
derail off the corporate track and to go
full-time into art and poetry and it was
this this moment when I decided I made
one small little decision that would
have a ripple effect throughout my life
I decided yeah if I was gonna be up here
on stage performing these poems then it
was my responsibility to go out and live
those poems because I could then get
back up on stage and perform in a way
that was more real in a way that was
full of integrity genuine knows it those
are those the logic behind making that
decision but the benefits are making
that decision was twofold one poetry
became my outlet for figuring out truths
truths in how I want to see the world
change how I wanted to see myself change
it became a way to explore honesty and
openness yeah but – and this is the
change that
sort of rippled through everything
living my poetry led me to new insights
yeah it put me on the path to being open
to new things that I could think about
and then those new insights would lead
to new poetry which should then be to
new changes in my life which then eight
into new insights new poetry new life
new insights poetry life yeah I start to
witness a symbiotic relationship between
poetry and life and poetry and life and
poetry life and that’s when my
everything my art and my life started to
take off and go into a metamorphosis of
sorts to show you guys a little bit of
an example and of course there were many
insight if you look at the string of
poems that I’ve written throughout my
career you can see so the the the
leaping points of insights after I wrote
recess I decided I want to play more in
life so one day I was at the store and I
saw one of those like a big bin of those
red rubber kick balls I was like oh yeah
I’m gonna get one of those things so I
did I bought it and I used to carry that
thing around everywhere I went and any
time anybody saw me with one of those
balls whether they were young or old it
didn’t matter
they’d be like oh yeah you’ve got a ball
let’s go play yeah so we would we would
and I would start Foursquare games with
strangers on the sidewalks of Waikiki
we’d start kickball games and shopping
center parking lots and one of the
things I also used to do with that ball
was to take it into the ocean and float
around with it and throw it around and
this story they’re going to tell you
guys is a true story it takes place with
me coming out of the ocean with one of
those red rubber kick balls I was coming
out of ocean approaching the showers
minding my own business when I met this
kid he must have been about 1 to 2
walking but not talking yet completely
naked skin seemed to be brown but as
I’ve now completely unexposed so he’s
looking at me
and I look back he stares intently at
the red rubber ball of my hands all
wide-eyed and I’m like ah you want this
ball he immediately grabs it bounces and
giggles he just tickled his own
imagination and I continued on my
business char up it said to say hey you
go play with that ball for a bit he runs
off his mama calls to him
mikono be careful and I’m thinking to
myself Makana what kind of means gift
and then I continue on with my business
but this kid has captivated me he’s
expressing pure joy without words the
hurls the ball with all his might to
keep him in my sight as sand switches
off my feet turn now I’m double no
triple rinsing my hair which I never
really do but I’m doing all that I can
to stall I just want him to experience
that ball and by the fifth rinse it’s
time for me to go and I know you know
it’s gonna be difficult for me to get
that ball back but he throws it to me
appreciative other time and at this
point I’m having a very hard time
leaving so I roll the ball back he picks
it up does it for a second then checks
it back to me it now seems as if we’ve
got game so I stay and we play back and
forth back forth back and far for bit
but he stops drops the ball it was off
and heels out his hand well knowing me I
go get ball that I gotta give him fire
but realize that that’s not what he’s
trying to communicate he looks sad or in
pain yeah that’s it his pain because
I’ll see a splinter pricking into his
finger I barely even touch it but if he
knocks automatically shutters
dramatically he still stands with his
hand out you see he trusts me with this
splinter so I take it to myself I’ve got
to do this quick otherwise we’re both in
deep trouble cuz his skin is like tissue
it’s ridiculously sensitive in splinters
they really hurt y’all and his eyes his
eyes are peering into my oh my dear to
us you see he hasn’t yet been sworn into
a childhood of don’t talk to strangers
the day
villains ought to get you hasn’t had
time to learn how to ignore the rest of
this community as this day passes by he
hasn’t learned the societal nonsense
he simply being as his heart tells him
to be trusting me and he’s open and
standing and I’m asking his mama who’s
five feet away eh is that okay she
smiles and nods yes she gives me the
go-ahead and so I go I figure deep
breath and watch that move I grab him
close him dig his body – temporarily but
the worst is now over and he looks and
he smiles and I nearly cries see this is
the essence of existence he goes to pick
up the ball except to play again but a
time has come to an end of my new friend
is wondering where I’m wandering just
walk away slowly Sigma kana you can have
the ball and for me it was a small price to pay for a brief lesson
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