We Are More by Shane Koyczan

This poem was the best part of the opening ceremonies. It truly defines what it is to be Canadian. This isn't a clip from the actual ceremonies, but it's the same poem.

It took quite a while to download but that was nice Elena. Worth the wait. It makes you wish we were all Canadians.

We Are More by Shane Koyczan----transcript of the poem from the olympics

"Define Canada

You might say the home of the Rocket

Or The Great One

Who inspired little No. 9s and little No. 99s

But we're more than just hockey and fishing lines

Off of the rocky coast of the Maritimes

And some say what defines us

Is something as simple as 'please' and 'thank you'

And as for 'your welcome,' well, we say that, too

But we are more than genteel or civilized

We are an idea in the process of being realized

We are young, we are cultures strung together then woven into a tapestry

And the design is what makes us more than the sum totals of our history

We are an experiment going right for a change

With influences that range from A to Zed

And yes, we say 'Zed' instead of 'Zee'

We are the brightness of Chinatown and the laughter of Little Italy

We dream so big that there are those

Who would call our ambition an industry

We reforest what we clear

Because we believe in generations beyond our own

Knowing now that so many of us

Have grown past what we used to be

We can stand here today

Filled with all the hope people have

When they say things like 'someday'

Because we are more

Than a laundry list of things to do and places to see

More than hills to ski

Or countryside ponds to skate

We are the abandoned hesitation of all those who can't wait

We are first-rate greasy spoon diners and healthy living cafes

A country that is all the ways you choose to live

A nation that can give you variety

Because we are choices

We are millions upon millions of voices

Shouting, keep exploring

We are more

We are the surprise the world has in store for you, it's true

Canada is the 'what' in 'what's new'

So don't let your luggage define your travels

Each life unravels differently

And experiences are what make up

The colours of our tapestry

We are the true North

Strong and free

And what's more

Is that we didn't just say it

We made it be"

Thanks Elena for the posts. I did listen to it on the U tube link, but invariably like to listen to it with the voice in my head, as I read - it was better that way.

Yes, thanks, I agree. I always like doing it for myself best. His hands got a little distracting on the tape and the whole thing seemed to go so fast. I like reading slow so I can absorb.

That's the whole style of slam. Shane is actually one of the best in the world, and has won many awards doing it, but its something that takes a bit of getting used to because of the speed and cadence. If I remember correctly it was a style borne in Chicago in what at one time were the speakeasies of the prohibition days. The hands and the rhythm are all part and parcel of the delivery, and I have to say, its something I don't think I would be able to manage myself.

I screwed it up then, like Kerr, I slowed it wayyy down and used my own mental rhythm.

in the competitions, they are timed, usually having to finish within three minutes, although they do have some 1-2-3 contests where, in the first round you have to delivery the poem in 1 minute, the second round in two minutes and the third round in three minutes. My problem listening to them is that they all sort of blend together when delivered like this. There are some, though, who dance while speaking, some who deliver in a monotone to help prove their point, some who even do acrobatics while delivering their poem. I find it tiring and hard to follow. maybe the ability to listen to it is an age thing, but i prefer to think its a practice thing... and i don't have a lot of time or occasion to practice.

his words were nice, and he gave one heck of a plug to poets around the world -- both good things.

Slam eh? I've been seeing that word and wondering what it meant. Now that you explain, Manda, it sounds like the Canadian version (if that's where it began,) of American rap, which to me has been much like a contagious disease. But this makes me think that it was probably just me growing old and closing my ears to youth, and this their latest way to reinvent language in order to be heard.

LOL. close. It was created in the US, in chicago, and then moved to Ireland, but yes, it is based on hip/hop rap sort of thing and is often meant to be a themed/protest sort of thing.

I do think the boom-boxes and giant car speakers were the last straw that closed my ears. That was back when my oldest daughter painted one with her special Tasmanian devil tattoo design and put it into the hatchback of her Escort so she could shake the house when ever she came home, unless it was too late. LOL Since, I've had little appetite for teen-style bitching about what kind of silver platters their free world is served up on. To me, the best part of this Slam business (Or is it just Shane Koyczan's poem?) is that someone thought of a way to turn Rap back in a positive direction.