Four-Part ‘Def Poetry’ Unleashes the Power of the Spoken Word

“I want to hear a poem where ideas kiss similes so deeply that metaphors get jealous, where the subject matters so much that adjectives start holding pro-noun rallies at city hall,” says Steve Coleman. “I want to hear a poem, I want to feel a poem, I want to taste a poem. Give me your spot on the mike if you want to waste a poem.”

So begins HBO’s new four-part series, “Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry,” a giddy and provocative celebration of the power of the spoken word (airing Fridays at midnight). Simmons is the multimedia impresario whose Def Jam Records has launched such stars as LL Cool J and Public Enemy.

Taped at New York City’s Supper Club, each half-hour show features seven or eight performers. Host Mos Def, the affable rapper whose love of language sets the tone, also recites a few of his favorite verses from Langston Hughes, William Shakespeare and other “def poets.”

In tonight’s debut, actor Benjamin Bratt reads the late Miguel Pinero’s plea to “scatter my ashes through the Lower East Side”; Black Ice rails against “players” too busy to be fathers; and Suheir Hammad laments “sky where once was steel, smoke where once was flesh” but urges, “Affirm life.” In the shadow of Sept. 11, the show serves as a testament to New York’s enduring vitality.

Next week’s highlights include Taylor Mali’s clever anthem for unsung teachers, Sonia Sanchez’s jarring account of a crackhead who abandons her daughter and Flow Mentalz’s hilarious, scattershot diatribe punctuated by the chorus, “They ... call ... me ... drama.”

This series offers diverse rants from upstarts, seasoned poets, even celebrities trying their hands. What you won’t see is anybody wasting a spot on the mike.