Spoken Word Interview: David A. Romero Professional Spoken Word Artist & Model

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By ink 2012 Staff, Dr. Michael M. Krop Senior High School, Miami, FL

ink: What is your idea of the perfect setting as inspiration to write?

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I imagine the perfect setting as somewhere out in nature: a secret beach, an unexplored cove, the foot of a roaring, crashing waterfall, etc. I have always been something of a transcendentalist and Dharma Bum in thought, if not in practice.

 

ink: What are the most important attributes to remaining sane as a writer?

 

The unwritten idea in the writer's mind is like an unfinished lobotomy. Every writer feels the sting in the back of their mind of the poem they haven't written yet. Failing to write that poem will drive you crazy. Write now!

 

ink: If you died and your spirit could go into any poet, who would you pick?

 

If I could possess any poet, it would be Edgar Allan Poe. I would play basketball in his body and take him to the court for pickup games. I would take him to a taco stand by the beach so he could look out on a sunny day with a cerveza in hand. Anything for him to realize that life isn't always so grave.

 

ink: What is an absolutely essential book of poetry you’d recommend for an aspiring poet?

 

The Dead Emcee Scrolls by Saul Williams. This book has it all. Williams merged hip hop culture with religious intensity and mythological mindtrips. This might be the only book of poetry that endures the contemporary spoken word era. Take note.

 

ink: If you could set a soundtrack to your work, what type of music would you choose and why?

 

Sketches of Spain by Miles Davis. It's a sprawling epic of jazz music that's mysterious, melancholic, triumphant, playful and braggodocious. In my wildest dreams, my poetry and my life conveys that grand sense of drama.  I dread, however, that my work would make a better match for the soundtrack of a Hallmark movie.

 

ink: What is your strangest habit?

 

There is a poem in my first book, Diamond Bars: The Street Version, that deals exclusively with this topic. It's called "Reassurances." Neurotic habits like constantly trimming my nose hair bring me great comfort and joy.

 

If you could marry any one of your pieces, which would it be and why?

 

I would marry "Cheese Enchiladas" so I could always be so witty, fiery, proud, confident and charming. Plus, I love my cheese enchiladas (so much I should marry them).

 

ink: If creative expression became illegal tomorrow would you still write? How?

 

I would continue writing on the walls of my cell. I would broadcast poems from my cell. I would be a political prisoner of poetry.

 

ink: If you were an insect would you rather have fast wings or good camouflage?

 

I kill insects on instinct. I guess I don't believe in reincarnation.

 

ink: We’re often told to write what we know. Do you agree or is there something to be said for imagination? 

 

Good writing is in the details. Details make the writer. Details reveal the writer. Details feel real. Details are something we connect with. The writer who can write pure fiction in vivid detail can be more compelling than the person writing about the most interesting true experiences. Write what works for you.

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