Sarah Kay performs "Hand Me Downs"

Sarah Kay performs spoken word poem Hand Me Downs at Urbana 10th Anniversary Celebration at the Bowery Poetry Club in New York City

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• sarah
• kay
• spoken
• word
• poem
• hand
• me
• downs
• urbana
• bowery
• poetry
• club

[TeamLondon1]

I swear I almost cried.

[GreatExpectationz]

thanks for doing what was said could not be done thanks for contributing all that you have.thanks, for in your works i see your hopes of a great generation inpiring something better than what exist today.

[dannidubs]

how good it looks on you the same way it looked on your dad and your grandad too, and on his dad before him and on his father before him but back then, back then there was only sand. until someone drew a line. someone built a wall. someone threw a stone.

[dannidubs]

the better it starts to fit until some of those stories are your own. maybe the holes in the sleeve are from the bullets you dodged yourself. so when it rips, snags on a barbed wire fence or someone else's family don't worry. cause your mother and your sister will help mend it; patch the holes, sew the tears, replace a button or two, help you back into it and tell you how proud they are of you.

[dannidubs]

the bathroom mirror tells you you look good in it, that it makes your fists look a lot more justified and when you dig your hands deep into the pockets you'll find stories he left there for you to hand out to the other boys like car bombs. and on days when everything else is slipping through your fingers, this you can wrap yourself inside of, this will keep you warm at night, help you drift off to sleep with a certainty that no matter what it will still be there when you wake up

[dannidubs]

i know.. you've taken to wearing around your father's hand me down anger, but i wish that you wouldn't. it's a few sizes too big and everyone can see it doesn't fit you, makes you look silly, hangs loose in all the wrong places, even if it does match your skin color. i know you think you'll grow into it, that your arms will beef up after all the fighting, and it will sit on your shoulders if only you pin it in the right places with well-placed conviction.

[bigboy817]

This had me in tears

[Alwick100]

she is amazing

[Tyrell4498]

you are amazing

[MaryanneRafka]

Come to Michigan! Perform here! I would love to see you & meet you! You inspire me so much. When you speak, it's like you're pouring your thoughts, hopes, and dreams into a cup and letting everybody take a sip just so they can have a glimpse of you. You are incredible!

[MenardSara]

wow!