Denice Frohman - Accents

Live at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe. All rights reserved. © 2013 Denice Frohman.
Debut Album, "Feels Like Home" Available Now: denicefrohman.com/store
Follow: Facebook.com/denicefrohman or Twitter (@denicefrohman)
Videographer: Frank Lopez

[@77jesusislord]

And just like that, a crush is formed.

[@yahairab.3630]

I feelz yuu. Aha.

[@johanavrba7430]

Olivia Hemmings yup..... here too...

[@poojapipaliya3658]

ikr!!!

[@leephillips5380]

s a m e

[@jackleneveren8664]

Olivia Hemmings very true

[@minkyanna4251]

Her smirk could kill a man

[@ziad491]

Minky Anna it has i assure you

[@aesthetic3521]

Minky Anna omg True

[@dianemarvel7886]

Forget men, I'm a dead....

[@moonlineslover]

I'm a girl and that killed me too😂😍

[@charlesjoseph1031]

Her smirk killed me

[@MrChucky421]

"Her accent is a stubborn compass, always pointing her towards home"

[@angelicavences9357]

love that line

[@ilyem999]

God the way her eyes shine when she smiles

[@3nadi2001]

That's the light's reflection.....

[@paymytuitionplz]

Alanoud AlThani Your obviouslynot noticing how they are pointing out how bright her face AND eyes shine up when she's smiling. Sure there's a light right up above her but that doesn't take away the fact that she has soooooo much fun being up on stage, reading out her poetry. When she smiles, her eyes light up (metaphorically).

[@3nadi2001]

ghostfacer_01 I see.

[@3nadi2001]

ghostfacer_01 I thought it was a "he" not a "she". I'm so shocked and embarrassed right now.

[@humbleyourself2241]

Yes!

[@laneycason8495]

"English be too neat for her kind of wonderful" favorite line

[@sammythefox7114]

mine too

[@keishatorres1567]

"So strawberry becomes estrawberry" GOD YES

[@wendyfer735]

Keisha Torres YEEESSSS

[@Sir_Bob]

𝔼𝕊𝕋ℝ𝔸𝕎𝔹𝔼ℝℝ𝔼𝔼𝔼𝔼𝔼𝔼𝔼𝔼𝔼𝔼

[@annushankar3032]

I wanna like this comment but it’s at 665 and I don’t wanna make it 666

[@NotANoob27x7]

Some people are just so freaking cool

[@middjun]

they came to perform on our campus not too long ago, sister outsider was really rude when off stage, esp. her partner, was on the phone the whole time... nice performance though

[@tamirajackson5980]

+i2tofu what did she do

[@wendyfer735]

Sato Saotome Yes. Dude

[@itschris013]

@@middjun she looks like a trump hater we all know how rude and low they can get

[@Veronica-ow5lk]

ikr

[@LizziexParty]

talk about girl crush holy shit

[@KeifGoblin]

She's fucking amazing

[@sadieperkins910]

LizzieParty YES :)

[@riyaparmar5151]

Oh my. I'm in love with her.

[@SarahPolancoA]

Girl, your voice gives me shivers.

[@ajlovesstarfish_1131]

Sarah Polanco A. same

[@MissMadison97]

She fine,woke,and artistic. I need me one like this.

[@jae3004]

Same tbh 👌

[@ajlovesstarfish_1131]

L.A Madison I have one like this.

[@DaOwlMonstar]

As a Linguistics major I find this fascinating. As a person I find this beautiful. This is such a wonderfully poetic spin on the subject of accents. Society, thanks to stereotype and stigma, has taken such an offense against those who don't "suit" the English tongue. They seem to forget that we all carry accents in some shape or fashion. They're nothing to be ashamed of. If anything, one should take pride in the tune of their motherland being carried on the notes of their speech. It's something wholly your own, something that tells others a piece of your story without ever having to be explained.

[@devinlacy4914]

so basically we have to get married

[@wendyfer735]

Devin Lacy Lol Yaaasssss

[@LatinChickWithMedley]

Thank you so much for this. I'm tearing up as we speak. When I was a stupid teenager around 14-15, I was embarrassed by my mother's accent. We live in a spanish speaking country but when we traveled and she had to speak English, I hated it. Now I love it and respect it because her accent represents our culture. I don't have a strong accent when I speak English but when people hear her speak, they know where I'm coming from.

[@kimberlyortiz3913]

*_ACCENTS_* my mom holds her accent like a shot gun with two good hands; her tongue all brass knuckle slipping in between her lips. her hips are all laughter and wind-clap. she speaks of sanchoco; of spanish and engilsh pushing up and against one another in rapid fires. see, there is no telling my momma to be quiet, my mama don't know, _"quiet."_ her voice is one size better fit _all_ . and you best not tell her to hush, she waited too many years for her voice to arrive to be told it needed housekeeping. see, english sits in her mouth remixed. so strawberry becomes: _el strawberry_ and cookie becomes: _el cookie_ and kitchen, key chain, and chicken all sound the same... my mother doesn't say yes, she says: *_aha!_* and suddenly the sky in her mouth becomes a Hector Lavoe song. her tongue can't lay itself down enough for the english language. it got too much hip, too much bone, too much conga, too much cuatro to two step; got too many piano keys in between her teeth, it got much clave, too much hand claps, got too much salsa to sit still. it's being an anxious child, wanting to make play-dough out of concrete. english be too neat for her kind of wonderful. her words spill in conversation between women who's hands are all they got; sometimes our hands are all we've got. and accents that remind us that we are still bomba, suplena; you say: *wepa!* *_wepa!_* you say: *wepa!* *_wepa!_* _and a stranger becomes your hermano_ you say: *dale!* *_dale!_* and a crowd becomes a family reunion. my mother's tongue is a telegram from her mother decorated with the coqui's of el campo so even when her lips can barely stress themselves around english _her accent is a stubborn compass_ _always pointing her towards home_

[@meditationsfromtheprayerro9753]

okkim Jo

[@jenifermontgomery593]

@@meditationsfromtheprayerro9753 Thank you SO much, this is awesome! :)

[@ozzy9120]

Hi thank you for this but after bomba is supposed to say plena

[@Sir_Bob]

Thank you. I'm two years late, but thanks.

[@sivgreyson]

Needed to hear this. I dropped my Xhosa (south african "native" language) accent for an English one because of how people treated my Xhosa accent. But I'm bringing it back. I DESERVE.

[@sxx9275]

Ich Bin Siv YES YOU BETTER!!!

[@starlitte]

Ich Bin Siv Yes, you do, do not let the touch of you language fade on your tongue. We have 11 official languages and so many that are not. Be damn proud of your heritage.

[@nothingstraight1]

Bring it back! Accents are sexy as hell! Don’t let anyone make you feel less than.

[@rebeccapyles3825]

I really liked this poem. I used to get so much shit for being strange. I guess the Midwest had no clue what to make of an Asian with a western accent. But I did just as mentioned. I held my accent like a shotgun taking down all my enemies whenever I opened my mouth. XD

[@summerreed3688]

You go boo, work that accent!! Grace and peace ❤️

[@MusicFreakii97]

this poem is beautiful, and the way her eyes shine and sparkle when she smiles is simply gorgeous.

[@WarriorOfMyClan]

I have never been so attracted to someone because of her voice, her pride, its intoxicating.

[@bubblesbubbleton2747]

My mom isn't Spanish, but she never finished school so her vocabulary includes a lot of slang and simple words. But she always speaks with pride and strength even when she stutters. It can be weird when I bring friends over because they are so used to my clean, mature speech that they are thrown for a loop when they meet my mom. I could never be embarrassed of her though and I'm glad other people other people think the same way. Love you guys 💖💖💖💖💖💖

[@realitydream]

+Bubbles Bubbleton - LOVE THIS COMMENT

[@kit9148]

I absolutely love this. Such an amazing poet. Nothing sexier than intelligence.

[@megan-im2ny]

she is such an alluringintruigingaddictingmesmerizingcharismaticcan'tfinditdon'twanttofinditanywhere else performer, can't put into words how much i love her.

[@christieavila2806]

bcnjj+#+&3+838##&#&$&$+92+§§>§§§§|°§§>§>§>

[@rueberrypi1494]

When she talked about keychain and kitchen and chicken all sounding the same I remembered my own mom.

[@Erin-wp3vs]

I need this woman to date me like hooooly crap

[@lovesyou2infinity]

This poem is gold. So beautiful. Nothing could've described the Puerto Rican accent so beautifully! So talented I fell in love with this poem made my skin get goose bumps!

[@amgooder]

I just framed it😂

[@katjatezak5816]

I've rarely seen so much love for a mother tongue captured in speech!!! RESPECT!

[@soniaesparza2617]

Dang, you're beautiful. From the words that beautifully flow from your mouth, to the curl on your lips when you wanna smile. Those cheekbones so round when your passion within so profound shines through every sound that comes out. Did I mention the light in your eyes is so bright it blows and enlightens my mind.Your poem is as sweet as a lullaby. Let me know the next time you're on stage so I can be the first in line !

[@katherinerusso2102]

your pride in your family is something everybody could learn from.

[@TovaCharlesCharli1984]

This is my friend and I love her.

[@taylorsee9036]

I think I'm secretly in love with this woman. Such talent. Wow.

[@ANGIEHINA]

I hope my daughter is like her.

[@jennycrowl384]

I loved this so much. I think your mother is very lucky to have a daughter like you…and you are very lucky to have a mother like her. May blessings follow you both through out your lives.

[@gladstonekatoa917]

When my friends came to meet my mother and my father: My father: "Hello, Emmett's friends!" My mother: "Hai portato amici sopra conoscendo la casa era ancora sporco?!" ("Did you bring friends over knowing the house was still dirty?!") Me: "Si, ma a loro non importa, Mama." ("Yes, but they do not care, Mama.") (This is where I went wrong...) Mother: **smacks me dead in the face** "Ottenere il culo al lavoro! Adesso!" ("Get your ass to work! Now!") Me: **rubbing my cheek** "Va bene... Mi dispiace..." ("Okay... I'm sorry....") My friends didn't come over for months after that because they were scared of her Italian wrath...

[@ajlovesstarfish_1131]

Emmett Elwood Your mom sounds like a badass!

[@gladstonekatoa917]

Oh, she is! Trust me. Lol

[@emmaschirru2709]

Hyun Ryu man, don't wanna sound rude but you made a couple mistakes in Italian, probably because it's not your first language. Just wanted to let you know

[@gladstonekatoa917]

emma schirru Oh, crap, really? I've never been good at it, even though my mom tried really hard to teach me, lol. Thanks for letting me know, friend! c:

[@nessalight6818]

Italian wrath? Non l' avevo mai pensata, in questo modo. È più una questione di educazione, verso i tuoi genitori, permettere ai tuoi amici, di vedere la casa in quello stato, potrebbe dargli la sbagliata impressione della tua famiglia. La gente sparla, ed "i panni sporchi" di una famiglia restano in famiglia. Il tuo italiano, non è per niente male ma attenta/o alla grammatica.

[@justsomeloser]

I have a crush on this woman.....

[@laurencrisp9904]

Denice, you never fail to make me wish that I had met my grandfather's family. He died while my father was young and as a result my family lost all our Latina heritage. My white grandmother never learned Spanish and my father got enough genes from her side that most people assume he is white. He chose to go pretend that he was and left what little of the culture he know behind. When I watch your poetry I am reminded that I never got to connect to the language my family forgot.

[@CHOLITACHULA]

I love this. My daughter showed me this video I don't remember when, but touched my heart.....thank you. It was hard to find you again....but I am so persistent.... God bless you

[@ilovepiedoyou2]

whilst watching this i was thinking about how cute she is and then i scroll down to the comments and everyone is saying the same thing lol

[@samthetileman9579]

I can't stop crying, this was wonderfully touching, and it filled me with pride.

[@Dan_The_Dude]

The joy and love in her voice is so beautiful

[@maia3977]

Spanish is my mother tongue. I learned English at school. After school I migrated to Germany on my own. I learned German and it has almost completely taken over me. But I have an accent. Just as I have an accent when I speak English. Because I read and hear it all the time but I don't speak it anymore. In Spanish I forget the words. I don't speak it too often. So I am all accent. Accent has been for many years now, the obvious sign that there's no language I really own. And I have felt so inadequate in that place; not owning any of these languages; not moving invisibly and smoothly in them. It bothers me to be this visible. It touches me deeply (I'm bawling right now) how much love for your mom and her accent you show in this poem and in your performance. Your love for her and her accent makes me notice how much pain I feel because of my accent. It makes me realize that maybe the people in my life love my accent in ways I am not able to. This mixture of love and self-hate make it all really weird. I hope I am not all over the place here. I guess you just touched something really complex for me. Thank you.

[@hildabeauty]

Thank you!! You have made my day! I really hope that my daughter, who is now 10, grows up to feel the same way about me, as you feel about your mother.. As of now, she feels the pressure to hide her heritage at school, because of the community in which we live; I try my best to teach her pride, and to highlight so many amazing Hispanic female role models that we have around us; I am EXPECTING ALL MY TEACHINGS TO SOON SINK IN TO HE LITTLE BRAIN.

[@gtlendarivera5634]

Absolutely Beautiful 🌺 Compass Always Pointed Home 🕊️

[@zebrasforlunch]

So beautiful. She has such a special voice, it's addictive. I hope she never stops writing, and performing.

[@cassiehawley7083]

This woman is one of the best slam poets u have ever heard!!!!!!! I wish I could tell her how amazing she is and how much shes inspired me!

[@FatAssAdventures]

you are amazing please share more poetry this is so amazing I cried many people deny there ethnic background or ashamed but it's actually a beautiful treasure

[@jemalynn]

She is beautiful and talented!

[@JarodCoyer]

"a stubborn compass always pointing her home."

[@AnabelGranados]

Just beautiful! Thank you for this. This is a wonderful reminder of the beauty of my heritage.

[@kaylameyers4269]

It is a damn shame this poem isn't being passed around like wild fire. It's so good!

[@greyreynyn]

Damn dude. Perfect pace. Perfect emoting. Body language facial expression shit 10/10 imma hit replay

[@KazzyluvzBieber]

she is so damn fine and woke 😍😍😍

[@irispalomarez3251]

This is everything. So many years later I still think of this peom. My sister and I love your art!

[@roseboateng6216]

I've watched this 7 times and I still can't wrap my head around how beautiful you are and how amazing your voice is

[@unicorn6110]

Her poem and face and smile are gorgeous, and the love she has for her mom is so passionately displayed.

[@thecampercook]

One of my favorite spoken word artists! I love ALL the poems I've heard. She does lots of work for the people with these necessary words.

[@zulrosado]

Denice, this poem is beautiful, inspirational and powerful. Thank you!

[@lasalchichamasfea]

No idea how i ended up watching this, but it was beautiful for a Spanish native speaker like me ♡

[@rominaps111]

I have watched this so many times and can't stop the happiness and pride of my accent!!! I love this poem!!!

[@lovebugalwaysnd4ever]

This video no matter how many times I've watched will always give me goosebumps. Reminds so much of grandmothers that came from Puerto Rico. ❤

[@khamsengbohagi2597]

my mind turned around ever since your poetry came to my life. I feel more awake, alert and alive. I thought words were already jumping around like ADHD letters in my head, but your voice, your poetry and your presence just made me realize that i can be more awake. you have the power to awaken me. Thank you.

[@tenderindigo]

there’s no words for how beautiful this was, only tears.

[@laayaahgoodwin14]

❤️❤️❤️ I’ve watched this so many times and it gets better each time 😍

[@luvaddictXO]

So much love for Denice and her writing and spoken word. She just killed it!

[@SummerJones]

She is truly one of my favorite spoken poets.

[@heavenharris9196]

I love her poems, the way she speaks is amazing and the topics she talks about are amazing.

[@streetcornerpreacher7957]

This always brings me home. Thank you for your words..

[@fluffypuppy0]

It’s been years and I’m still coming back to this amazing poem. The human spirit shines in this poem. I’m Jamaican yet I’m drawn to this. I want to write like this

[@sageycakes22]

Oml that smile warms my heart and the sparkle in her eyes!

[@lizgarcia215]

I LOVE THIS SO MUCH. I need to appreciate my culture and heritage a lot more. Seeing her perform this with the amount of belief of each word is beautiful. 💘

[@mojiuuu]

every time I play your poems tears of joy seem to slip away from me... leaving me more than thankful for humans like you in the world....

[@limaryrodriguez7100]

Ya olvide cuantas veces he visto esto. 😭😭

[@Katnappe13]

I cried. This made me miss home so much. You're so talented.

[@selenametz9482]

she is such an amazing poet. and she is sooo pretty! I kind of have a girl crush on her. haha! ive been watching her poems on youtube for hours, just incredible!

[@gusscharr]

Denice, I am sitting here pleasantly stunned at the kaleidoscope of emotions this poem has gotten out of me. I am sitting, laughing in amazement as tears of joy and swelling Latino pride take over my heart with every syllable uttered by your incredibly talented soul. I am now a subscriber. All I can say is, "GRACIAS" You moved me...you moved me so.

[@MrLin900]

Aplauso! Im puertorrican, born and raised. Today a cooworker said hey, i want you to listen to a poem from my favorite poem writer. It is called accent. (im puertorrican and my english has an accent and i love it bc its like my presentation card it let everybody know where im from) so i start listening and when i heard the aja!, the wepa!, the dale!, the plena, salsa, bomba, el cuatro, i said is she puertorrican? So i kept listening and as soon as i heard my beloved Coquí that i miss so much i said yeap she is puertorrican, no doubts. This poem gives me the chills and makes my eyes watery. I appreciate you writing this. A mi esposa le encanto tambien. Muchas gracias! Saludos.

[@aortiz9121]

This was funny yet so powerful. It gave me the chills and reminded me of when I lovingly poke fun of my mama for her accent♥️ Thank you for the beautiful poetry Denice.

[@popstargriffin15]

I'm in love with you, you gorgeous being.

[@doglover299]

I love this so much, I love that crowd so much. Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous

[@pukkafishcrisps]

Love it! It's refreshing and just wonderful.

[@simonwoods7112]

Think I may be in love with this woman. So much humor, charisma, winking charm, cultural and personal insight. Simply beautiful.

[@carikevos6330]

You can feel the love and respect she has for her mother. It's beautiful.

[@terriyoung7136]

Oh my gosh this is the best! She is really talented. That was great.

[@lpberhcplover]

This is beautiful and so are you.

[@sonjahamilton3956]

Her words, the target; her delivery the arrow. Perfection!

[@clauperezm]

This is just amazing!. :). I love her!

[@_chinmoku]

❤ Deep, Beautiful & Comedic all in the right places!! Loved it! 🔥

[@anviviru]

I loved this piece! Thank you!

[@lifelogos4966]

I cannot say how much i love this. It was absolutely hilarious and so true

[@nothingstraight1]

Watching this again after 6 years and I am still so in love with her.

[@maliathegoddess2582]

that was so charming, makes you fall in love with her, and her mother. perfect in delivery. clap snap snap.

[@MaylinCardenas]

Truly useful for my pronunciation classes and when my Spanish speakers feel ashamed of their accents. I love your video. Thanks for this wonderful poem of your mama.

[@gabypolo3193]

I always get chills when I watch this. As an immigrant Latina with immigrant parents, my mom’s accent is thick and beautiful

[@pololee-james8347]

Mmmm her passion is powerful, the way she speaks makes you want to listen and this poem is beautiful!

[@jonesymayo8689]

“My mother doesn’t say yes, she says, AHA!” I love it sm

[@ellathepan4836]

THis is so amazing and beautiful! I have a friend that just moved here from Puerto Rico and her accent is very thick but she is so sweet that she just doesn't let it get in the way of her fun, but it really says something if I can admit to being jealous of her accent when i don't have one and our mothers are from the same place.

[@ghanim8472]

I can't stop listening to this. This is beautiful. Latin, Arab, anything. If this doesn't make you think of mom and tear up, nothing will.

[@MamiMonguita]

Beautiful performance and poem. If I were an English teacher I'd add this to the curriculum. One of my new favorite poems!

[@queencupcake09]

I just wanted to say that this made me think of my mom. I'm not Hispanic. I'm white. I don't speak any Spanish. I only speak English. I felt the love in this for your mom that I feel for my mom. I love it. Even though we are not the same I appreciate it. I understand you.

[@mazitate4350]

"her kind of wonderful" my favorite part

[@user-bo2wn6mh5h]

I've seen this enough time to remember the whole poem.