Albany Poets Present, January 5

The first poetry event of 20-10 with AlbanyPoets.com at Valentine's & we got bumped upstairs due to a chick-punk band downstairs, & this time we had the big stage, sound & lights.

Murrow (Thom & Keith) performed Thom Francis' driving poem. I had just gotten my copy of the Chiron Review  Winter 2009, "Punk Poetry" issue & so read my 2 poems from the zine, "Tritina" (inspired by an assignment from RM Engelhardt right here in this club some years back -- too bad Rob wasn't there yet to hear it), & "Song of the Tallest Towers" which predicted the 2nd attack on the World Trade Center.

Murrow was back on again with Thom's "time to write the next chapter" poem. Chris, who had read at open mics at the UAG & the Lark Tavern said he was back in Albany again read a poem he said was the "ugly side of passion" & another called "Double Entendre," both simply lists of single, isolated words. Dominick Rizzo's poem was about God & Moses, "Don't Bullshit Me," then the lyrics from a Pink Floyd song. Murrow again with the leaving home poem.

A pleasant surprise was to see Mojavi back, handing out flyers for the upcoming "Uban Guerilla Theatre event & performed a love poem, "Don't You Miss it", then a poem of adoration to a stranger "What Everybody Wants But Doesn't Know What He Needs." About this time the punk music began to swell up through the floor & it got even louder as RM Engelhardt got to the mic. He did a mock news broadcast on the death of Slam & the old cliche, "And in this Corner..." Good thing he knows how to be loud. And Murrow finished out the night with Keith's favorite, "Female Pedestrian," sounding even better with punk below.

So, we try to do this the first Tuesday of every month at Valentines; sometimes it's poetry, sometimes it's just drinking at the bar, & sometimes you can't tell the difference.