barbie and ken 101

wow. one of my kids introduced me to rafael casal today and my jaw is permanently dropped. my student j prefaced the piece of slam poetry with the fact that "its not school appropriate" which is usually my first question. he asked if it would still be okay to tell me about the poem. obvi i said yes. if something in the world of writing was moving my not-so-motivated, never engaged boy, then hell yes id take a listen. if youre not familiar, slam poetry is often considered a more urban look at poems. often the poetry bounces back and forth between structured form and free verse, bordering on a freestyle rap. slam poetry is incredibly popular in the internet world and hipster areas where coffee shops feature local slam poets as a kind of open-mic night. i am a huuuge fan of slam poetry, especially for my kids. their worlds change when i introduce them to this much more approachable version to the reality of poetry. and after multiple youtube vids and quite a long search for the transcript, i bring you the man who just may have gotten j to get involved and stay awake during language arts. thank you, mr. casal. youve made one more kid realize the power of words.

[barbie and ken 101 by rafael casal]

sometimes i feel like im sittin in the back row of barbie and ken 101,

a class we are all in but never seem to learn from.

some general ed requirement for students of american culture.

one that convinces even the brightest of young women 

that sex is survival of the thinnest.

and im sick of this education that doesnt serve our best interests.

my teacher has no face;

she is every revlon model women have ever chased.

her lectures come through magazines in beauty shops, ad campaigns.

shit, just turn on your tv. this just in!

a skewed perspective for todays youth:

yall ladies aint thin enough, fellas aint trim enough.

wana be sexy? yall dont go to the gym enough. 

cut to commercial.

come on, just come tune into our maintenance team,

convince you youre ugly 

then tell you how to fix it with maybelline.

perpetually started by these dolls marketed in the late 50s named

barbie and ken. 

hence the class im in. are you following? shit didnt end.

they keep moldin barbie to fit new trends.

maybe next theyll have club hoppin barbie

with thongs as accessories;

video hoe barbie, abusive boyfriend sold seperately;

underage barbie, kobe bryant included;

or 9/11 victim barbie and ken is proud to get recruited.

problem is all these teachings are womans decay and im startin

to worry cause my girl is up front and shes getting an a.

this is where i start getting pissed off, okay?

when the f did it become all about "tuckin in the gut,

i gotta get a bigger breast, shit i wana fit a little better in a dress,

so let me get a little skinny, gotta git into an itty bitty size slimmer

so i liven up the chest" please.

teacher, teacher i wana give my oral presentation

cause i have a problem with the class, and matter of fact,

i have a fat ass grudge with the whole administration.

youre the reason my girl wont eat in front of me in restaurants,

the reason she thinks that shes overweight in over ten spots.

less gut, less pudge, less lunch, less real.

more looks, more love, more barbie appeal?

f barbie and ken.

my future daughter will never play with them.

youre the reason bleedin fifteen year old girls arms are slit.

you made twelve year old girls think skinny was a compliment.

and now its too late.

i cant write my way through this bathroom door

so i raise my hand in class cause i cant stand it anymore.

teacher, teacher your lectures all backwards.

you got mothers and daughters forgetting what matters.

cause above tits, ass, lips, legs and uggs

the most attractive women are the ones who dont give a f.

so screw your teachings, your lessons and plans,

you skewed sick distant relative of the man,

your plan for brainwashing my baby? i reject.

im walkin out of this class and i will proudly take my f.