The Oprah Winfrey Network recently aired the documentary, “Louder Than a Bomb”. I was so excited about this film and feared that I was working it up to be so much more than it was. However, it was far more than I could have even imagined. In this documentary “Louder Than A Bomb”, viewers explored the story of four Chicago high school poetry teams as they prepared to compete in the world’s largest youth slam. The film itself captured the “turbulent lives of these unforgettable kids, exploring the ways writing shapes their world, and vice versa”.
I am FULLY aware that I am no poet. Yet I felt writing a poem was the best way to pay homage to the film and its impact on me. So please accept my apologizies in advance for the substandard prose and I only hope you give me a few kudos for the gesture.
So Much Louder Than a Bomb
Sitting back in life,
Just another day of observation.
Smiling unfamiliar faces with rhytmic tones.
As the players cross the screen,
My body begins to lean forward.
The sirens calling me to wake me and be present.
Awed by the piercing depth of their words.
The pain, the want, the hope are delicately woven with each syllable.
Completely captivated by the words which have been weighed down by the truth.
Their truth.
THIS is our history.
Amongst the words of those who are not afraid to speak.
THIS is our history.
And I fear not enough of it is being captured.
As the film closed and the bombs quieted
I sank back into my sofa. Into my world.
Releasing the energy within the moment.
But something held me and tugged.
I had been changed.
What I had seen was so much louder than a bomb.
What I had seen was LOUDER than life.
Yeah, I told you I wasn’t a poet. However, the poets you are about to hear will astonish you and leave you speechless. The clips below are poems from the film…from the poets featured in the film. These poems were all part of the documentary. So…find a quiet place, sit back and get ready to be both inspired and totally WOW’d.
Kidnapped: Dante Sr. Jamison, father of 4 and husband of Toya
Kidnappers: Sons Dante, age 13, Demani, age 10, Demarius, age 9 & daughter Laila, age 4
Commutes are always rough…especially ones that are an hour and a half each way. However, that isn’t the only distance between Dante and his family each day. Once the dad who coached his kid’s team, Dante was barely present. Practically a single mother, Toya shared “what’s providing for my family is also destroying my family…and that’s Dante’s job.” Dante admitted he felt he needed to give work 100% of his time although his family would like to see him more often. Feeling as if their father doesn’t care about them and with Toya ready to leave, it was clear that a kidnapping was needed.
After working out the details with Dante’s boss, the kids put the plan in motion with Disneyland as their destination. Sitting down to write a letter to their father, they tried to express how they felt about him not being present in their lives. Dante Jr. simply stated “I want my dad to learn….me.” Once they packed their bags, they quickly followed after their father hoping to ambush him at work. His children read their letters that expressed their need for him in their lives, as Dante sat quietly. When his wife began to read her letter, she couldn’t help but cry with Laila helping to wipe her tears. After confiscating their dad’s phone and laptop, they headed off to Disneyland.
Enjoying every moment of their dad acting like a kid again, the trip was off to a great start. However when dad tried to get Laila dressed the next day, Dante couldn’t help but get frustrated and he pulled out the go-to parent trick…he was calling her mom…or at least pretended to. [read more…]
Kidnapped: Shannon Peters, mother of 2 ½ , and wife of Frank
Kidnappers: son, John, age 16, and daughter, Skye age 7
Opening a new business is hard on any family, but for Shannon’s kids it has been devastating. With “bQute Boutique” up and running for a year, you would think their mom could make a little time to relax with the family. Working 7 days a week for up to 15 hours a day, Shannon shared her priorities…first herself, then her career followed by her kids. With her third child on the way, the Peters family seemed desperate. Luckily her husband works with her and he gets to catch a glimpse of her now and then.
The kids were missing their mother. Although Frank did his best, the looks on John and Skye’s face said it all. “I think my mom loves work more than my family” John told the producers. 16 is such an important age and he was at a pivotal point. He needed her in his life. Then Skye shared “I spend time with my mom never” as her eyes dropped to the floor. It didn’t take much to see these kids felt unloved and hopeless.
To help, Shannon and Frank talked Frank’s mother, Yvette (aka TeTe), into moving to Palmdale so she could help with the kids. “I consider Yvette more of a mother figure in my life than my mom.” As for John, he was responsible for making sure his little sister was taken care of. With his mom absent from his daily life…for most of his life…John has lost trust in her being there for him. “I feel like she just doesn’t want to spend time with me.” Frank is concerned about losing him. Not to the streets, but he fears John will give up and just want to leave. [read more…]
Kidnapped: Jon Lucero, step-father of 3 girls and husband of Stacy Pyle
Kidnappers: Daughters Shaylin, age 14, Alyssa, age 11, & Taylor, age 9
As his former high school’s new recruitment coordinator, Jon Lucero seemed to be feeling pressure all the time. Enrollment is important for any school and Jon was doing his best to fill the classrooms…but at a price. However, Jon felt obligated to be there for his former school. When he was young his father passed away from stomach cancer and his school stepped up to be there for him. Sadly, this same school was taking Jon away from his own kids…no longer allowing him the time to be the goofy, fun-loving dad. His job doesn’t ask it of him, he just felt passionate about giving back.
As the family sits at the table set for four (there doesn’t even seem to be a chair for him anymore), Jon headed out the door. Coming from a close family, I know that when someone is missing from the table…it is felt. Clearly this was the norm for the Pyle Lucero family being that Jon was working 12 hour days, 7 days a week. Sadly, the more time Jon continued to give to his job, the less time he had for his family. This was causing a huge problem for his family and marriage. The kids hoped that by kidnapping their dad they would be able to glue their family back together….preventing it from falling apart. The plan? Take dad to the Santa Monica Pier where there is a trapeze school. They just had to get working to put their kidnapping in motion.[read more…]
Kidnapped: Owen Keenan, father of 4 girls and husband of Bridget
Kidnappers: Step- Daughters Hannah, age 16, Molly, age 13, Caroline age 9, & Bridget Jr., age 7
Room and board is what Owen Keenan’s home appears to be for him. No one can argue that his schedule isn’t crazy. Dividing his time between teaching high school math, coaching the junior varsity basketball team, and vegging at the computer, not much else can be squeezed out of Owen. He admits that “I see my students more than I see my children”. Making a commitment to the basketball team, Owen is pulled away for practices and games Monday through Saturday. Making a difference in so many children’s lives but his own. His wife, Bridget, does everything she can to manage her kids schedules and be present for them. And although Owen knows the importance of education, he has yet to attend one of his own kid’s parent-teacher conference, not to mention recitals or anything having to do with his own kids. He has no real interest in even seeing the pictures. Understandably, all of his girls are feeling rejected. [read more…]
