Poet - Michael James Parker

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100%

We few,  we happy few, we band of brothers and sisters,
We riskers of life and limb, or, at the very last, of our pockets,
Our wallets or our popular social standing, for all that we believe in, 
We stand together.


We believers, in time of unbelieving,
We grievers, making safe spaces for grieving,
We, authentic, in a world of slick deceiving,
We, holding integrity, not exploiting, not thieving, 
We stand together.


We asking questions in a land of the unquestioning, 
We, questing, while laurelled heads are resting,

We, hosting, as freely as guesting,
We teaching when we´ve been instructed to be testing,
We, pointing out the ridiculous, not just pointless jesting,
We switching off the TV, doing something more interesting,
We, deeply, communally, sustainably investing, 
We recognising, honouring, counting and owning

Our own and each other´s blessings, 
We stand together.


We few, we happy few, we band of brothers and sisters,
We resisters of manipulation, and facilitation assisters,
We men, women and children of action,
Just getting on with our own revolution,
Which will not be televised
Will not be captured on I-phones,
Will not be set lose on you-tube.
This is it happening here, We are it.
We stand together.

We, the music makers and we, the dreamers of dreams,
We, the Hopers, Komedians, and Jubilee Librarians,
We, free-rangers, forest rangers, lone rangers, power rangers,
We mentors, mentees, mentally healing, meant-to-bes,
We sun-kissed, clench-fist, anarchist activists,
We cyclers, recyclers, menstrual cyclers, post-menstrual cyclers,
We tree-huggers, ear-muggers, levellers and diggers
And all of society´s constructors, deconstructors and reconstructors,
Lover, warrior, magician and our own blessed majesties,
We stand together.

We few, we happy few, we band of brothers and sisters,
We poets and masters of these amazing ceremonies,
Who heard, in a furious flash, the message,
And knew, in that moment, that we had a message to share,
We stand together

We, separated painfully at birth from the planet
And, sometime in childhood, cut off from humanity
And, as soon as we thought we had it,
Split off from ourselves,
Half dreaming of heaven, half walking in hell,
Or three-quarters woman and one-quarter man,
Or 7 parts coping and 3 parts mad,
While 8 out of 10 cats don´t give a damn about the other 2,
We cats do!

We are the 99%
And, what´s more, we remember that story about the one lost sheep.
We´re looking out for you.
We stand together.

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As a big performance poet Michael has written alot of poems, alongside the poem I have chosen for my Fiction Adaptation unit, "100%". He describes himself as a performer, host, poet, and mentor. 

"I set out on adventures into the Wild. I believe I will find the Special Place, the Wondrous Thing," - M.J.P, Adventure Poetry
He has been a part of the poets team in the Brighton poets v MCs Slam from the first one in 2004. Also he as since 2009 been host of Hammer and Tongue Brighton and have additionally for the last three years hosted at the Hammer and Tongue Natinoal slam Final in London. Apart from hosting events Michael has also been running poetry workshops for young people in Brighton, Sussex and around the UK since 2003.

In newer times, such as in 2013 and 2014, Michael has also been lead Artist at spoke´n´Word project, running young people´s poetry workshops and events in Kent. And last but not least the project Michael himself is the most proud of, - running BITE: the Brighton and Hove Youth Poets v MCs Project as Project Manager, Poet coach and host of the big event for the last three years.


         

Here is a video from YouTube that I found through Michaels website, of a live performance of the poem "100%". Which has helped me in the sense of understanding the pacing, pronouncing, rythm, and type of expression he wants to put across to an audience. This has been very useful in the sense of prepering for the filming and editing of the adaptation.

I teach, I coach, I train. I train the teachers, the coaches and the trainers.  I know how I do what I do. It works and I love it. I've got a rucksack full of ideas.Where do you want to go?   
M.J.P, Adventure Poetry


Looking at the other videos of Michael perform on his website has been interesting and also aiding me in the process of learning more about him. Learning about his creative sides, see how hw uses pace and rythm as a tool to reach out and connect to an audience. Show me how his written work is adapted and performed live. See the words mean something different or completley the same as they did on paper, as well as it helps me to easier conclude with wheter or not I want to adapt the poem in the same direction as he takes his written work, do the complete oposite or create some form of mixture and find a path of creating something in between.


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