Spoken word poetry

Top 20 Spoken Word Poems

By ianborders

  • 20. Franny Choi "Pop Goes Korea"

    Franny Choi "Pop Goes Korea"

  • 19. Raymond Ngomane "Letters I Never Sent"

    This emotional poem forces the audience to feel the pain of the Ngomane.

  • 18. Adam Anderson "Me, in verse"

    Anderson uses his word play to entertain the crowd with his expression of his childhood and energy.

  • 17. Taylor Mali "What teachers make"

    I had to add this fun loving poem about teachers in the mix. It is often titled "Objection Overruled" or "If things don't work out, you can always go to law school".

  • 16. Kate Tempest "Line in the Sand"

    Slowly becoming one of the most popular spoken word poets, Tempest's piece is pssionate and thought provoking.

  • 15. Toby T "Tomorrow"

    A new talent on the spoken word poetry scene, Toby T uses his youth and background music to express his feelings and emotions.

  • 14. TJ Dema "Neon Poem"

    TJ Dema, like Toby T, uses music as background for her spoken word poems. She forces the listener to think about all of the senses as she combines her words and jass type instrumentals to lure crowds across the world.

  • 13. Sarah Kay "How many lives can you live"

    Kay is an inspriation to many writers and spoken word poets across the world. She hit it big in the early TEDtalk years, and has been going strong ever since. She may make another appearance later in the timeline.

  • 12. Rives "The 4 a.m. mystery"

    Have you ever wondered what lives at 4 a.m.? RIves uses this mysterious time to write this thought provoking piece.

  • 11. Lemon Andersen "Please don't take my Air Jordans"

    The piece originally written by Reg E. Gaines in 1994, Lemon Andersen uses this poem to express a high energy stage presence with poetic genius.

  • 10. Marion Carey "About TIme"

    Carey truly uses his genius in this poem. Not only does he discuss in his poem the topic of existence, he does it all while solving a Rubik's Cube. Worth the top 10 in my book with that alone.

  • 9. Rives "If I controlled the Internet"

    RIves makes his second appearance on the top 20 by relating the idea of controlling the internet much like people of the past have discussed ruling the world. His words and puns make you think about the use of the internet and his witty humor gives some comedic relief.

  • 8. Buddy Wakefield "Convenience Stores"

    Wakefield invites you into his wisdom of lyrical mastery in this piece, as he uses odd comparisons and intellecutual ideas to compare the emotions of his life.

  • 7. Kati Rokowski "How to Cure a Feminist"

    This aggressive show of a poem attacks the anti-feminist individuals of the world, and Rokowski uses her body language to express her absolute disgust for such types of thoughts.

  • 6. Rachel Wiley "10 Honest Thoughts on Being Loved by a Skinny Boy"

    Wiley gets right to the heart of love with this beautiful spoken word poem. She dogs those who pick on overweight individuals, and digs deep to help you understand what it truly means to love someone from the inside.

  • 5. Mike Rosen "When God happens"

    Rosen, with this 9/11 themed poem, is an explosion waiting to happen. His body language is rarely topped, and the words are as powerful as any.

  • 4. Jared Singer "A Letter to Sarah"

    Singer, in this emotional poem, hits hard on the problem of teen suicide. These gut wrenching poem tells the story of the ones who are left behind.

  • 3. Janani "Trans/National"

    This poem by Janani gives a whole new meaning of what it means to be the minority. His passion rages from his lips as he hits many different topics and issues revolving around people with similar issues.

  • 2. Sarah Kay "If I Should have a Daughter"

    This fun and playful poem is one of Kay's most popular pieces. She dives into the idea of having a child and all of the emotions and battles that she will one day have. Her teachings are life long lessons that can be used and related to any family. Kay's words are humorous at times, but very analytical in the same token.

  • 1. Malcom London "High School Training Ground"

    I still remember the first time I heard this poem. It ws so powerful to me that it really made me think about my own class and how I run it. London forces his listener to think about what school really is, and how the "training ground" atmosphere is only meant to make some people struggle and even fail. He discusses life outside of school, and how the tests and homework doesn't even come close to the stresses of life beyond the bricks of the classroom.