Slam Poetry: Daniel José Custódio

Dear Daniel José Custódio,
I just wanted to let you know how strongly and passionately your performance at Pitzer College affected me. I had no idea what to expect when I came to see your performance because I had never seen a slam poetry presentation before. To be honest, I came for a literature assignment. I sat there with my notebook open, prepared to take notes, when I found that I simply could not. The power of your words and the emotions behind them had me, to say the least, mesmerized.

I admired how easily you let every audience member enter into you memories of sadness and love. Your openness was beautiful and your candid behavior had my attention, well, hooked.
Though I could not relate to all of your subject matter (I grew up in Hawaii, far from the baseball hat wearing Yankee types) your messages were so clearly understandable and resonating to my age group. Know yourself, be yourself, know your name. Growing up in Hawaii, many Hawaiian names and traditions have been dumb-ed down simply for convenience’s sake. I thought of my own upbringing and feeling in your introduction about your name. The sadness I have experienced is different from yours, but it follows a similar message.

Your poem “Hooked” could mean so many things, but what it meant to me was something completely unique. Knowing that some things are going to be difficult and painful to achieve, those are ideas that a college student can understand. Being taken advantage of and allowing your self to love someone, those are definitely subjects a college student can understand.

Your poetry is beautiful, what you are doing for your community is amazing, and your talents appear to be endless. I just wanted to let you know that I have been thinking about your performance over and over again these past few days and no words can describe how I felt and how I was moved.

Yours sincerely, 

your fan Jordan Everett, Scripps College 2012