I ended up first on the sign-up sheet (how does that happen?) & read 2 poems from my chapbook Poeming the Prompt (A.P.D., 2011), "Looking for Cougars" & "The Lesson."
Our host, Jackie Kirkpatrick, read 2 untitled pieces, the first a list poem that she said is her email "away message," the second poem was dedicated to the bees who swarmed her when she was younger & put her hand through their nest. Sadie Hickman read a cluster of poems from her tablet, the first was addressed to her fears & horror movies, then "Centralia, PA," "I Blame Prometheus," & the funny, sexy "How to Survive Laundry Day." Cayla Zaluki had one untitled poem in rhyme, "uncovering truths of a wasted youth" (or was that the title?)
Sarah Sherman began with a poem analyzing dream symbols ("Incubus"), then a tender piece, "Visiting Hours," falling asleep thinking of those dying; her poem "History of Violence" was not a dream poem she insisted, while "Math" was a portrait of an old professor (her father?) playing with numbers. Sampson Dikeman read from a bar napkin "The Kinder Gentler Charles Manson." Monica Mitsaka's poem "Decadent Reminders" exhumed bones, while "2004" was memory & speculation of another kind, as was the hymn to her youth, "Yeah, We Were So Punk Rock."
Juliet waving her magic wand. |
Juliet Barney began with a poem using words from the Seneca language, recognizing her the culture, then to the skate-boarder poem "Fakey;" for her last poem ("a Harry Potter poem" she said) she pulled a magic wand from her boot & read "My Sister the Half-Blood Princess," waved her wand & turned the entire audience into toads. Kevin Peterson quickly found his human form & read "Simultaneous Events" about dart & trivia night in a bar, then "Nature Hike" & the list poem from a college lit mag "Chicago Musings."
Jackie was back briefly with another poem "On Being Gregory's Lover" -- I do believe she meant Corso. Dalla Trombley ended the night with observing "The Cracks Between the Deck Boards," then an unkind portrait of a girl in New Paltz, ending with a funny rhyme on Xmas (alas, 'tis the season).
This open mic expects to continue each month at Ben & Jerry's (they like poetry there) on First Friday. Watch for it.
1 comment:
I would have been there, but we had a death in the family.
Carol
Post a Comment