Brass Tacks, October 1

which is short for “getting down to brass tacks,” & I was surprised to find a nearly full bar for what has been in recent months an intimate, shall I say, gathering of word-addicted regulars, some of us coming for the beer. There was a boudoir of (poetry) virgins, to coin a phrase, from a class at the College of St. Rose. Our host, as usual was el presidente of AlbanyPoets.com Thom Francis.

Avery, who word has it is not a (poetry) virgin, made a rare appearance here with “OM” one of his signature pressured-speech pieces, this on the nature of Reality (whatever the fuck that is). He was followed by another self-professed non (poetry) virgin, Jackie Kirkpatrick, who was responsible for bringing the students here; she described her informal writing group who had developed a genre of “Fuck You poems,” & read 2, “Fuck You 25” (on gaining weight), & “Fuck You Amber’s Fear” (on breathing).

Julie was the first of many (poetry) virgins with a poem about the refugees. Hannah’s poem “Aware” was about being aware of the people around you. Carly turned a letter from her father into a poem. Reed, a regular here did a free-flowing commentary on Disney movies he likes.

Erica read a breakup poem (the first of the many relationship poems) beginning “If words could speak…” Mariel’s poem was about his feelings. I didn’t know where to sign up so Thom put me in here, a happy place among (poetry) virgins, & I read a poem about long ago, “At McSorley’s” in which the poet Paul Blackburn makes an appearance, then “To the Consternation…” for the MFA grads in the room.

Olivia’s poem was about a relationship, continuing the theme by both young & old poets. Samson, who gets paid to deliver letters of another type than that of which poems are made, read a poem titled “National Forest” then a more urban piece about a man falling onto the subway tracks — & surviving. Laurel read another of the night’s relationship poems, this on the theme “I’m sick of you.”

Conner stayed on that relationship theme with a take on Bob Dylan “Positively Ontario Street.” Still another breakup poem was “Some Narcissistic Man” which was the name the poet signed up with. Vanessa’s poem “Ashley, McKenzie & Laura” was a complaint about, well, Ashley, McKenzie & Laura.

The final poet for the night was the aforementioned Amber (see above, Jackie’s poem), who read a couple of her “Fuck You” poems, including one of the Ur-poems of the series, “Fuck You Every Ex Including Kevin Peterson.”

Brass Tacks is an open mic — mostly — that takes place at The Low Beat, 335 Central Ave., Albany, NY, each 1st & 3rd Tuesday at 7:30PM — check out albanypoets.com for details.