Direct Orders by Anis Mojgani
Rock out like the streets are empty except for you, your bicycle and your headphones.
Rock out like you get paid to disturb the peace. Rock out like music is all that you got.
Rock out like somebody’s got a barrel pointed at your temple saying ‘Rock out like your life depended on it, fool,‘ because it does.
Rock out like your eyes are fading, but you still got your ears.
Rock out like you got nothing to do, but everything.
Rock out like your dancing is all that you have to know who you are.
Rock out like your dead grandfather just came back to take a drive with you in your new car.
Rock out like the walls won’t fall but, dammit, you’re going to die trying to make them.
Rock out like the stereo’s volume knob is the figure 8 of infinity instead of merely numbers.
Rock out like it’s raining outside and you’ve got a girl to run through it with. Rock out like you throwing your window open on your honeymoon because you want the whole world to know what love is.
Rock out like you just went to your high school reunion to find everyone, even the women, are all overweight and bald, except for the former homecoming queen, who you just found out, got divorced from her impotent husband and only has eyes for.. YOU!
Rock out like a shadow man passes behind you, drops you to your knees. You’re buckling in sweat, cold metal’s pushed to your forehead, the trigger’s pulled and the gun jams.
Rock out like you got an empty appointment book, and a full tank of gas.
Rock out like this was the last weekend, like these were the last words, like you don’t ever want to forget how.”
Anis Mojgani is a wonderful slam poet. If you don’t know what slam poetry is, please educate yourself. He is Persian but was born in Texas, raised in Louisiana and then went to school in Georgia. He slams with amazing emotion and he has won the National Individual Poetry Slam 2 times, place 2nd in the Individual World Poetry Slam, and has several other amazing achievements to date. He won his first National Individual Poetry Slam because of a technical error, a blackout in the middle of his performance added drama and intensity.
This poem is amazing because it makes you want to get up and do something with yourself. You can’t be content with a mediocre life if someone is telling you get up and rock out like you were made to disturb the peace. You have to do something and to make yourself heard. This is why I’m not pleased with staying silent and lovely, I’d rather be loud and annoying if it means that I can make someone FEEL SOMETHING.
Nakia Sorensen 