Breakdancing 101 [and another poem]

So, yesterday I was leaving the SAC (for Non-Temple students- that's the area for students to eat), and there were these dudes break dancing downstairs. There were two groups dancing beside each other and I was with Hannah , she's a part of Babel (the poetry collective I'm in).. the girl who I inspired to write a poem. She used to dance til' she had a knee injury, and I'm just saying this to say that she was as impressed as I was with what they were doing.

The result? I stood/sat around for about 2hrs and some change watching them bug out. I even got the nerve to try and learn a thing or two. They tried, but their effort wasn't well invested, because I didn't get much. Hey, that's why I write poems. It is what it is. They even had the audacity to invite me to their practice tonight... silly rabbit. They said I was "down", but their practices are closed so don't bring no clowns. Whatever the case, here's a clip I shot of what they were doing-mind you, the dude in the white shirt really starts going off when I stop recording. My timing is horrible:

After a while, I was worn out as if I had actually done some real work, and Hannah just couldn't stop dancing. Meanwhile, I just wanted to write and I started seeing all their moves in a metaphor. Well, it's not really much of a metaphor because breakdancing is one of the 4 elements of hip-hop (if you don't know, the 4 elements are emcee'ing, DJ'ing, graffiti, and break dancing). Either way, I was so caught up in their movements, and I think I just felt at home with hip-hop, if that makes any sense. Like, I haven't been really in tune with the music like I used to be... yeah, she's been losing me. But seeing them dance allowed me to experience and appreciate it (hip-hop) in a different form.

With all that being said, I wrote a poem about it. I've been writing my life away lately... wish I could write some other things away, but whatever. I think I may try and do a poem a day for the next.. ugh.. month? I'm not saying they'll be great, but they'll be poems. It'll be a challenge for me, similar to the one Hannah did in February. Without further adieu, here's the poem (I think it's called A Different Element):

He breakdanced
And to me it just looked like poetry
Hip-hop at its finest
Instead of saying "yo"
He just did fancy footwork
And the punchlines came to form when he froze
I was watching him make hip-hop

I was watching him make hip-hop
Had been a while since I made her acquaintance
Guess she realized her words were no longer moving
So she took a stab at break dancing
And I was captivated
Sat there watching her for hours

See, she lead me to this poetry shit
But now she had me messing up my wrist
Trying to get into her element
Hip-hop, I just wanna be with you
And if I can't find you in words
I'm willing to meet you half way in body movements

Or maybe I should start tagging walls
Granted, I've already began to make my mark
I want the kind of poetry that bleeds
Whatever it takes to be a dope MC
A master of compassion

And in the same manner poets can get on the mic and lie
I'd never be the kind of dancer who faked the funk
So hip-hop
Maybe you could teach me how to move like you
Cause you've said more than enough
And I think it's about time we took this to another level

Still a Poet,
B