Third Thursday Poetry Night, November 21

Another stellar night of poetry at the Social Justice Center, including some new voices/faces, & our featured poet Lucyna Prostko. But first I invoked our night’s Muse the gone poet Lucie Brock-Broido (1956 - 2018) by reading her poem “Father, In Drawer."  Then on to the open mic.

I had seen Rakeem Carter perform just Tuesday night, & also 2 weeks ago, at The Low Beat & tonight he continued his re-mix of Edgar Allen Poe & the musical The Streets of Soul Train, mixing in celebrity names & movie titles. As soon as he read he was out the door. D. Alexander Holiday updated us on his DNA status, then read from Wole Soyinka’s anthology Poems from Black Africa, a poem for Yao.

Lance LeGrys was here for the first time & read a poem about a boy rescued from a fire-tower near where he lived “The Top of the Tour,” the clue-less adventures of youth. Bryan Whittle was also here for the first time & did a musical, metrical piece about his credentials to be a poet as a middle-class white guy doing what he should, who wants to play the blues.

Our featured poet Lucyna Prostko began with poems from her book Infinite Beginnings (Bright Hill Press, 2009) the opening poem “Homecoming,” then “This Bread” about her grandfather in a concentration camp, then one for her husband “Ode to Provider,” & “The Metaphor” with a quote from Virginia Woolf’s diary. Then on to some newer poems “Layers of the Dream” about her immigrant history, calling forth her ancestors, & a poem about a story her mother told her “My Mother the Thief,” & “In the Cellar,” & one about watching a family of “Grouse” crossing her yard thinking of the story of her life. The poem “My Father the Sculptor” mixed images of him in his last years with missing him, then ending with another bird poem “Flight” (an osprey) or perhaps an ars poetica. Her poems are built on images pulled from the things of life, what she sees, remembers, vivid & thoughtful.

After the break I read one of my 2 poems inspired by Lucie Brock-Broido, “Reading by Candlelight.” This was followed by Don Levy who read about getting older & “A Call from the Doctor.” Sarah Giragosian is a former-feature here & tonight read a new poem titled “To the Source,” an eco-poem. Bob Sharkey was the night’s final reader & read a poem titled “Our Beloved Neighbors” about the change in the demographics in East Latham & a herd of elephants moving in, another eco-poem of sorts.

The Third Thursday Poetry Night is a monthly open mic with a featured poet at the Social Justice Center in Albany, NY, 7:30PM — your donation helps to pay the featured reader, support poetry events in the area, & the work of the SJC. Bring a poem & sign up.