The Return of a Natural Poet
Often in the literary world, there are times when the production of commercial works seep beyond the boundaries of authentic endeavors. The accomplishments of skilled writers go unnoticed by readers at large and are overshadowed by a wave of half-crafted or shamelessly imitated artistic expressions. The public’s attention is shifted toward manufactured fool’s gold for the brief excitement that swindling brings. This is true of poetry nowadays. The antique genre that has hailed some of the greatest manifestations of human wit known to any society on this planet is known today as a bargain-basement form that cut-rate writers use to keep their egos fed. Poetry has lost its economy and sits shoddy on the shelves of bookstores, libraries, and hipster coffee houses. This is due in part to the pool of marginal-weekend-commonplace writers that have reduced the arena into a game of thrones. Thrones that have very little real majesty in the real world of stately readers. Those who would spend their modest time in the humble pursuit of quiet probing, hoping to discover a poet that speaks to the depths of their essences. Kool B is such a writer. Fashioned from the nature of his thoughtful disposition, he’s an artist that transcends the customary image of modern wordsmiths. His angle of vision and narrative voice is unmatched by many. He writes from a space that has little to do with personal appetite and more to do with paradoxism. He aims to express counter-time, as it relates to the metrics of his pieces, and to introduce a counter-sense into the language that his works are constructed from. B argues that Houston’s writing scene is controlled and manipulate by a small group of individuals that force talent to submit to their idea of what a decent verse should be. The publication of imprudent, brazen, or cheeky work is frowned upon. “If you are not from one of the local university’s writing programs, or in some way tied to it, you are bound to struggle to get space.” He asserts passionately. The poem-phenomenon, for him, is a mute protest against the social-political reality of the genre. B suggests that poetry has a lucrative path; it’s just that the wrong people have their hands on it, like a lot of worthy things . . . with Judgement as their tool of power . . . unlocking doors for the “talkers” and counterfeits. It is through this lens that kool B’s social disappearing acts can be understood. He doesn’t like the trickery. He says the masses should return to natural poets. Those like him who are never careless with the word or a line. Those that can unravel mysteries and intent . . . paint a picture of the world as it is . . . show us how meaning and non-meaning can co-exist in harmony with one another. “All is possible when it comes to poetry,” he points out, “even the impossible.” This truth can be heard in the recordings that are a part of the “Wordville” canon. Kool B has a clever way of utilizing music to enhance his work and get it off the paper, out of the books. The tunes cover themes that whirl around love, suffering, heroism, deception, coming of age, power and corruption, Individual vs society, survival, judgment, and identity. They come from the countless challenges that have arisen over his long writing career. The upside downness of love, poverty, and racial tension penetrate the sound to give an emotional contact that overwhelms the listener. The symbolism tucked away in each delivery shows how he feels about the world around him . . . flexing between light and dark metaphors . . . it is quite clear that his passions are governed by a power that makes his brand of poetry exceptional. Rarely will we ever see such impeccable syntax plotted in a way that articulates the dominance of such a gifted writer. We are truly blessed to witness one of the best that has ever done it. Naturally he poets! Kool B . . . Houston’s own.