Slam Poetry

I wanted to make a slam poem about war and its affects since that seems to be a topic that is also in the news. I tried to make a poem but i didn't know how to poetically show my views on war. I wanted to view over another persons slam poem about war since it was how i wanted my poem to sound.

WHAT I WILL

by Suheir Hammad

I will not
dance to your war
drum. I will
not lend my soul nor
my bones to your war
drum. I will
not dance to your
beating. I know that beat.
It is lifeless. I know
intimately that skin
you are hitting. It
was alive once
hunted stolen
stretched. I will
not dance to your drummed
up war. I will not pop
spin break for you. I
will not hate for you or
even hate you. I will
not kill for you. Especially
I will not die
for you. I will not mourn
the dead with murder nor
suicide. I will not side
with you nor dance to bombs
because everyone else is
dancing. Everyone can be
wrong. Life is a right not
collateral or casual. I
will not forget where
I come from. I
will craft my own drum. Gather my beloved
near and our chanting
will be dancing. Our
humming will be drumming. I
will not be played. I
will not lend my name
nor my rhythm to your
beat. I will dance
and resist and dance and
persist and dance. This heart

beat is louder than
death. Your war drum ain’t
louder than this breath.

This poem starts off by talking about "i will not dance to your drum" which basically means that they person doesn't want to be ordered around like how soldiers are. This poem talks about doing what they want to do and not following/dancing to others drum. It also talks about hating for you and murdering for you, which is basically what they soldiers in the army are doing, they are killing and hating the enemy even though the conflict is between the two leaders of the countries. This is what i wanted my poem to reflect when read by others and this poem by Suheir Hammand reflects that.