In retrospect by request
During the Roam there have been some events and other miscellaneous happenings that I didn’t think were blog worthy. I guess that aspiring to be a writer/poet I tend to write about tings that inspire me to or I think are somehow significant for one reason or another. With all of that said I have had some requests for blogs about some of these events from others (one in particular being the queen of pragmatism Tiah) and so here is the first in retrospect by request.
Request 1. From Naturally Alise also filed in the Goals and Dreams section.
Bury Me @ Midnight is a poem that I was inspired to write, as many poets are, by several muses. One of those inspirations was Miguel Pinero one of the founders and premier poets of the Nuyorican Poetry Café. Pinero’s poem “Spread My Ashes on The Lower East Side” is one of the most inspired pieces I have ever read. But I’m strange like that. This poem along with the chorus from the Biggie and Pac song Runnin one particular line “I wonder if they’ll laugh when I am dead” and a combination of mythology, religious doctrine, personal preferences and poetic wishes combined to form this poem. I wanted desperately to perform it at the Nuyorican, the Mecca of spoken word poetry, more than that I wanted to slam it. On a Wednesday night we slammed. Me and 19 other incredible poets at the Nuyorican. The format for a Wednesday slam there is 2 poems per poet. All 20 poets slam in the first round and are scored by 3 judges in a range of 0 – 10.0. The café itself is nothing special, as it shouldn’t be; poetry is the reason people line up around the block to get in not the Nuyorican. Bar to the right as you enter bathrooms to the left wood floors and exposed brick walls in many places. Stairs to the left next to the sound booth lead upstairs to the balcony. Mobile stage was in the rear of the club that is moved as necessary and chairs lined on 2 sides leaving an aisle to the stage. The chairs were full of poets and spectators. The first round was long and full of fire. Poets spit fire and ice. Love and hate. Discussed tender touches and brutal. When the round was over the 3 judges had selected 4 poets to continue. The poet who won the final round would have the chance to compete for a coveted spot on the Nuyorican Slam Team the coming Friday. 3 of the 4 poets, S.L.A.P., Tongo and me were within a point of each other. And all happily nervous. I had the highest score after the first round so I went scheduled to go last. The first poet spit and received an incredible score but not high enough to overtake the rest of us. Then Tongo went and spit a poem with of fire and excitement that sent the crown into a frenzy. His score reflected their enthusiasm. 29.4 he now had the lead. S.L.A.P. (something like a poet) another NC poet in NYC took the stage and was in rare form. Her poem built on the energy Tongo had evoked in the crowd and her poem was magnificent in content and performance. Again the crowd went wild. 29.6 S.L.A.P. had just taken the highest score of the night. I had to follow her. I was told by a the coach of the Bull City Slam Team which poem I should perform in this situation. The one that had received my highest score in the past. Not necessarily my best poem but the best received. That poem is entitled Pictures and is one of my favorite pieces on social commentary. It is my best received and highest scoring piece. I performed Bury Me @ Midnight.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlLjd3ck3Dw I tried to remember the feeling I had when I wrote it. I tried to recall inspiration. I closed my eyes and swallowed the lump in my throat. It immediately turned into butterflies in my stomach. I moved back from the mic, remembered to breath then fulfilled a dream, which I believed was mine but in all likelihood belonged to the poem. I spoke the lines…
“even though I said you couldn’t.
Please lay my legs in Brooklyn
that’s where I learned my stride
And even though they shouldn’t.
Every now and then they’ll walk in…
Pinero’s ashes spread on the lower east side”
…and felt a chill, connection and completion of a personal quest. The judges liked it. They gave it a perfect score of 30. It’s not about the points it’s about the poetry and I was blessed to grace the stage with true poets, incredible poets. I am glad that this poem was well received. Oh by the way I went on to slam that Friday to compete for the chance to compete for a spot on their slam team. I was the lowest scoring poet of the night. Fail! LOL but as I said earlier it’s not about the points it’s about the poetry and the request for this blog and the fulfilling of a dream.
So tell me, no matter how small or big it seems and with no reservations, what dreams have you fulfilled. Think hard sometimes after we fulfill them we forget that they once were dreams.
During the Roam there have been some events and other miscellaneous happenings that I didn’t think were blog worthy. I guess that aspiring to be a writer/poet I tend to write about tings that inspire me to or I think are somehow significant for one reason or another. With all of that said I have had some requests for blogs about some of these events from others (one in particular being the queen of pragmatism Tiah) and so here is the first in retrospect by request.
Request 1. From Naturally Alise also filed in the Goals and Dreams section.
Bury Me @ Midnight is a poem that I was inspired to write, as many poets are, by several muses. One of those inspirations was Miguel Pinero one of the founders and premier poets of the Nuyorican Poetry Café. Pinero’s poem “Spread My Ashes on The Lower East Side” is one of the most inspired pieces I have ever read. But I’m strange like that. This poem along with the chorus from the Biggie and Pac song Runnin one particular line “I wonder if they’ll laugh when I am dead” and a combination of mythology, religious doctrine, personal preferences and poetic wishes combined to form this poem. I wanted desperately to perform it at the Nuyorican, the Mecca of spoken word poetry, more than that I wanted to slam it. On a Wednesday night we slammed. Me and 19 other incredible poets at the Nuyorican. The format for a Wednesday slam there is 2 poems per poet. All 20 poets slam in the first round and are scored by 3 judges in a range of 0 – 10.0. The café itself is nothing special, as it shouldn’t be; poetry is the reason people line up around the block to get in not the Nuyorican. Bar to the right as you enter bathrooms to the left wood floors and exposed brick walls in many places. Stairs to the left next to the sound booth lead upstairs to the balcony. Mobile stage was in the rear of the club that is moved as necessary and chairs lined on 2 sides leaving an aisle to the stage. The chairs were full of poets and spectators. The first round was long and full of fire. Poets spit fire and ice. Love and hate. Discussed tender touches and brutal. When the round was over the 3 judges had selected 4 poets to continue. The poet who won the final round would have the chance to compete for a coveted spot on the Nuyorican Slam Team the coming Friday. 3 of the 4 poets, S.L.A.P., Tongo and me were within a point of each other. And all happily nervous. I had the highest score after the first round so I went scheduled to go last. The first poet spit and received an incredible score but not high enough to overtake the rest of us. Then Tongo went and spit a poem with of fire and excitement that sent the crown into a frenzy. His score reflected their enthusiasm. 29.4 he now had the lead. S.L.A.P. (something like a poet) another NC poet in NYC took the stage and was in rare form. Her poem built on the energy Tongo had evoked in the crowd and her poem was magnificent in content and performance. Again the crowd went wild. 29.6 S.L.A.P. had just taken the highest score of the night. I had to follow her. I was told by a the coach of the Bull City Slam Team which poem I should perform in this situation. The one that had received my highest score in the past. Not necessarily my best poem but the best received. That poem is entitled Pictures and is one of my favorite pieces on social commentary. It is my best received and highest scoring piece. I performed Bury Me @ Midnight.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlLjd3ck3Dw I tried to remember the feeling I had when I wrote it. I tried to recall inspiration. I closed my eyes and swallowed the lump in my throat. It immediately turned into butterflies in my stomach. I moved back from the mic, remembered to breath then fulfilled a dream, which I believed was mine but in all likelihood belonged to the poem. I spoke the lines…
“even though I said you couldn’t.
Please lay my legs in Brooklyn
that’s where I learned my stride
And even though they shouldn’t.
Every now and then they’ll walk in…
Pinero’s ashes spread on the lower east side”
…and felt a chill, connection and completion of a personal quest. The judges liked it. They gave it a perfect score of 30. It’s not about the points it’s about the poetry and I was blessed to grace the stage with true poets, incredible poets. I am glad that this poem was well received. Oh by the way I went on to slam that Friday to compete for the chance to compete for a spot on their slam team. I was the lowest scoring poet of the night. Fail! LOL but as I said earlier it’s not about the points it’s about the poetry and the request for this blog and the fulfilling of a dream.
So tell me, no matter how small or big it seems and with no reservations, what dreams have you fulfilled. Think hard sometimes after we fulfill them we forget that they once were dreams.
No comments:
Post a Comment