2nd Tuesday All-Genre Open Mic Out Of Bennington, May 13

Charlie Rossiter is our host, Zooming from his house in Bennington. He started us off with his open mic rant, the on to 2 rounds each.

I was up first with an old poem”44,000” from May of 2010 about the killings of peace activists at Kent State & Jackson State in May 1970. In the 2nd round I read a new poem inspired by burning Teslas, “Fire Elon.”

Mark O’Brien read 2 pieces from his ongoing project based on his perusal of old local newspapers, in the 1st round a sonnet based on news items about marriages & divorces in Sharon Springs, NY; then in the 2nd round a ghost story set in Greenbush from the 1746 Boston Evening Post. 

Julie Lomoe read in the 1st round a long, seemingly interminable piece, “House of Bewitching Beasts,” filled with cats, house-sitting for her daughter; in the 2nd round she read yet another, albeit shorter, piece about her daughter’s house, “Death by Blue Stone” recalling the outdoors art space Opus 40 in Saugeries & her subdural hematoma some years ago.

Bill Thwing brought out his guitar to sing “Homeless Kid,” recalling a church project working with a homeless shelter (rhyming “church” with “lurch”) & in round 2 another song, on partying in his youth. (The odd Zoom sound hookup making his guitar sound like a bird chirping in the background.)

Sherri Bedingfield read poems by high school students in Hartford, CT from a project titled Hartford Students Speak; in the 1st round a poem by a 10th grader, beginning “The trees are dying, the ocean is spoiling…,” then in the 2nd round a poem by an 11th grader titled “What Fairness & Equality Means.” 

Our host, Charlie Rossiter, read in his 1st round a poem titled “Rough Times” about making  times together tender as an antidote, then in the 2nd round a poem about work from his 2007 book The Night We Danced With the Raelettes (Foothills Publishing), “The Summer I Brought In the Yeast” (working for Budweiser).

Cheryl A. Rice in her 1st round read a bedtime meditation, “Turtle on My Back;” her 2nd round poem was titled “Deconstruction of the Omelet” which was what the title says, like running the projector backwards.

Sharon Smith read a poem about looking back from 60 years later to a slumber birthday party where she burned her hand, “16;” in her 2nd round, she read an older poem, “Samapatti,” about how words help us look back to moments of beauty, from her book reflection (2022).

Tom Nicotera read a new poem written for the dedication of the Hawk Ridge Trail, “Ode to a White Oak,” effusive as an ode should be; & in the 2nd round, he brought the open mic to a close with a poem abut nature sounds, “Twilight Prayer” (which it was).

This open mic is held on Zoom on the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 7:00PM Eastern time. If you would like to join it & are not already on Charlie’s list, send him an email at charliemrossiter@gmail.com & ask for the link.