"B" (If I Should Have a Daughter)

“‘B’ (If I Should Have a Daughter)” is part of the spoken-word poetry tradition. This movement began on the West Coast of the United States in the late 20th century. Related to slam poetry, this tradition refers generally to poetry that is intended to be performed, and although spoken-word poetry can be published in text format, its roots lie in oral tradition. This sort of poetry can include aspects of hip hop and theater as well as music, such as jazz and blues. To engage the audience, such poetry may pull from sound, dance, and other types of performance.

This poem is a part of spoken-word poetry as it was written to be performed and was done so by Kay at the 2011 TED Conference, for which she received a standing ovation. The spoken-word aspects of the poem can be seen in the placement of its line breaks, which alternate between enjambments and end-stopped lines, causing the words to mimic the rhythms of human speech. The intentional spacing and layout of the text also serve to emphasize each section of the poem so that, when read, each part lands with a resounding beat. B, published in 2011, is the first among Kay’s published books of poetry.