Poetic Vibe, March 18

Although this exciting venue happens every Monday at the Troy Kitchen, I don’t make it there as much as I would like, so I was glad to there this night for the diverse open mic poets, & for the night’s featured poet, Nancy Klepsch. The host & organizer is the energetic D. Colin. She got us off on the correct poetic foot with a couple of poems, her playground poem (with the wonderful line “we be the best part of the playground”) & some “new shit” about a middle school crush & discovering the poetry of Ntozake Shange. Then on to the open mic.

I was up first & recited Bob Kaufman’s poem/prayer “Believe, Believe,” then my poem/essay in appreciation, with the same title. The poet who signs up as “Slay the Dragon” began with a poem titled “Hi, My Name is Gregg & I’m Addicted to Poetry” a clever, funny piece using terms from addictions & referencing poets, then, on a related note, a poem written New Years Day about Sid Vicious from the Sex Pistols “Vicious Ending.”

Poetik began with “Confessions of a Fat Black Girl” from her 2017 book Labyrinth of a Melaninated Being, then on to new shit “Babble from an Emotional Laborer” a rant about being used. Cass read a poem titled “Fragile” about a heart “fragile like a bomb,” then a poem like Poetik’s “Emotional Laborer” with a somewhat preachy message of positive advice, & another of the same ilk on “community.” Hannah Rose brought her young daughter Sage on stage to sing a song about being a Mom.  Allie’s poem was about introspection & responding to others’ negative comments. D. Colin was back with her wonderfully assertive poem about her hair.  

Liv also brought her baby, Levi, on stage & sang “Levi’s Lullaby.” Reality was the final open mic poet with a poem titled “Tender.” To cap off the open mic D. Colin returned with what she calls her “take-aways” from the open mic, lines & phrases that she wrote down from each of the performers.

Nancy Klepsch & I co-host the 2nd Sunday @ 2 Open Mic for Poetry + Prose at the Arts Center in Troy & tonight she was the feature poet here. She began with the humorous poem of love & sex “Hey Siri,” then on to one inspired by poems of Warsan Shire “Come to Me,” & one titled “Home from the War.” “Before You Know Gratitude” was a food poem & Nancy dedicated it to the late Chef Jackie Baldwin, which is from her book God Must Be a Boogie Man (recto y verso editions, 2017); also from the book she read “Kvetch,” “Queer Folk,” & “Things that Are Worth $10,000.” Nancy also included a couple of Haibun, “Learning Targets” on school lock-downs, & “Driving in Cars While Black & White.” She ended with “Invocation” for the City of Troy where she is a proud resident.

During the evening Danielle had passed around a clipboard for folks to participate in a group poem/exquisite corpse & at the end of the night she read what we had written, or at least as much of it as she could decipher from folks' handwriting.

Poetic Vibe happens every Monday at the Troy Kitchen on Congress St., Troy, NY, at 7:30PM, with an open mic & a featured reader — & the exquisite corpse — for a donation.