MELISSA ROSE

Spoken Word Artist

melissarosepoetry.com

BIO

Melissa Rose is an internationally recognized poet from the San Francisco Bay Area currently residing in Eugene, Oregon. Since 2001 Melissa had made her mark on the spoken word community, performing at dozens of regional and national poetry competitions. She has been a member of 5 National Poetry Slam Teams including the Palo Alto Slam team which placed 5th in the Group Piece Finals at The National poetry Slam in Oakland, California.

Melissa has performed in over 30 cities in Germany and Austria. In 2010 she was a featured poet at the German National Poetry Slam held in Bochum, Germany.

Melissa shares poems that speak on the topics of mental illness, sexual assault, addiction and the resiliency of human beings, combining both powerfully detailed visceral imagery with raw emotion that inspires audiences to heal through pain and share their own stories of finding light in dark times.

melissa@thesirens.org

POEMS

"When the afternoon finds you passed out on the couch I still put my head to your chest just to remember what the world sounds like when played to your rhythm.

I want to bring the beach home, gather shells from the sand and hold them to your ear so you can listen for the sound of the strength it takes to admit that your imperfections are what make you whole

and beautiful.

And bottles are what made you empty."

Excerpt from "Empty"

"When you were a farmer you slaughtered me and lay my body out on your dinner table. So when you were a daisy my chubby fingers snapped your frail body in half. I was the cloud that inspired you to dream. You were the spider that sucked out my insides. I was the undertow that devoured you. So in this lifetime Thank. God. All we did was smile

as we passed one another."

Excerpt from "Timeline"

"I was to believe that somewhere we all live the lives we wanted. One version residing in Europe. Another version shaking the right hands at the right time. Another version able to let go completely. A version that played sports in high school. A version that died too young. I want to make this timeline one my children never want to run from..."

Excerpt from "Quantum"

"What do you see when you look at me? Can you tell me what I am supposed to do? I am 27 years old, and I have never felt more lost. I am here, always in transit. Always moving, but standing so still. Always running, but never going anywhere. What would happen if I stopped running long enough to see what I am running away from. Am I too scared to see all of the darkness I have bestowed upon my own life? The queen of my own mess, I have created a kingdom of disappointment and told myself this was the best I was ever going to get..."

Excerpt from "Baggage"