Mayhem Poetry Wednesday

Who are the Mayhem Poets? At Lafayette, we read biographies, creating colorful biography banners and informative wax museum projects.  Today, Poetry on Parade celebrates Mayhem Wednesday with short biographies of the three artists who call themselves the Mayhem Poets:

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Kyle Rapps grew up in New Jersey; he studied Spanish at Rutgers University. His hip-hop style has earned him victories in many poetry slams-- judged competitions where poets recite original work and perform for a numeric score.  Kyle has made hip-hop singles and has been recording his first album in New York, Los Angeles, and Ghana, Africa. He  has conducted writing and performance workshops around the world and dedicates his artistic pursuits to the memory of his mother. 

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Scott Raven has always loved writing and theater.  As a teenager, he performed and participated in public speaking events in his community.  He studied Theater and Journalism at Rutgers University and co-created the Mayhem Poets.  Scott has authored two plays, a television commercial, and two independent films.  He is currently working on a novel based on his touring experiences in elementary and middle schools.

Originally from Willingboro, New Jersey, Mason Granger earned excellent grades in school and and was especially talented in math.  At Rutgers University,  he pursued his love of poetry.  Mason hosted open-microphone events on campus and worked hard on writing and performance poetry, creating "a style that both Einstein and Emerson would admire" (meaning famous physicist Albert Einstein and famous poet Ralph Waldo Emerson)!

Our Performance Poem of the Day is a rap poem by Carol Diggory Shields that's perfect for celebrating Mayhem Wednesday and, as luck would have it, National Panic Day. How's that for a bizarre holiday?

School Daze Rap 

Woke up at eight-- oh no, I overslept!

I ran for the bus, but the bus had left.

I raced to school, I really, really buzzed,

But then I forgot where my classroom was.

Finally found it, opened the door--

My teacher turned into a dinosaur!

The dinosaur roared, "Sit down at your desk!

Pick up your pencil, 'cause we're having a test!"

All the kids were staring, sitting in their rows,

I looked down and saw I'd forgotten my clothes.

The dinosaur frowned and started to shake me,

Turned into my mom, who was trying to wake me.

"Hey, sleepyhead, Tommy's here to play.

Why aren't you up?  It's Saturday."

Take a deep breath and try to stay calm today, Poetry Paraders.  It might be a good idea to celebrate Mayhem Wednesday and Panic Day with a rap poem or two!