2nd Tuesday: Bennington Spoken Word, December 8

An interesting thing about this Zoom open mic, hosted by Charlie Rossiter in Bennington, VT, & also one of the characteristics of Zoom readings, is that most of the participants were not from Vermont at all, but from other states being New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania & Illinois. While I look forward to going back to in-person open mics, particularly the one I ran on the third Thursday at the Social Justice Center in Albany, NY, I do enjoy seeing & hearing these other poets from elsewhere.

As he likes to do, Charlie had us read 1 poem, then go around again for a 2nd poem.

I began with a holiday theme, “Christmas Eve 1945,” then in the 2nd round another of my imitations inspired by Chinese poets, “Swordsman.”

Mark W. O’Brien, also beaming in from upstate New York, read a funny piece about dreaming that he was Charlie Brown, & later read his “Lenten Confession” (“Spontaneous Poem 31”). 

Barbara Sarvis was the one who inspired Mark to read his confession poem in the 2nd round because in the 1st round she read a confession poem that she described as little things that she has stuck together; in her 2nd round she read the satirical mockery “You’ll Burn.”

Kenn Ash began with a short poem about leaving some things behind to wish us a merry Xmas, & played a short version of Thelonious Monk’s “Straight No Chaser” on his pocket trumpet; the 2nd time around he read a personal manifesto proclaiming “I stand with the oppressed.”

Tom Nicotera read about seeing “The Great Horn (Owl) in the Backyard” (in Connecticut) while he was doing the dishes; later returned with the Emily Dickinson poem “I Taste a Liquor Never Brewed” (her birthday coming on December 10).

Bill Thwing, joining us from Pennsylvania, read a haiku series in 6 parts about losing power; back around again he brought out his guitar to play/sing a Thanksgiving Poem of sorts, “Everything Comes from the Ground” [& as poet Gerrit Lansing famously wrote, “Everything goes underground with glee…”].

Our host, Charlie Rossiter, in his first round read a road poem about going to the beach in the Fall, “The Last Swim;” like Bill before him, on his 2nd he round sang a song, “Stuff It Xmas Style,” accompanied on guitar by Jack Rossiter-Munley, a holiday tune about big box stores & Santa Claus. 

Laura Elzey, one of the Vermonters here, read a poem about poetry & feelings “Where Did This Come From?” then next time around read a bilingual piece in Spanish & English “I’m Going to Knit” about how peaceful she feels knitting.  

While this was Sally Rhoades’ 1st time Zooming in here, she had made the trip over from Guilderland, NY on occasion to read when the readings were being held at the Tap House in Bennington; tonight she read an angry letter to President Trump about the election “Sour Grapes;” later she read a pensive poem about her womanhood “I Carry the Heavy Burden.” 

Jim Madigan was the poet from Illinois & he read a letter he had to sent to his congressman “A Wish for Leonard” (to free the native activist Leonard Peltier); he finished up with a road poem about going to Sandy’s Cafe for breakfast “Marango.” 

If this sounds like fun (& it was!), you can email Charlie for the Zoom link for the next 2nd Tuesday Open Mic out of Bennington at charliemrossiter@gmail.com — tell him “Dan sent me.”