Spoken Word at The Loft

I went to an event tonight at The Loft. Google Equilibrium: spoken word and go to the next event because it was awesome. If nothing else, go for the funny MC named Bao Phi, who's entertaining, says "and sh*t" a lot, and - his words - is a judgmental dick.

I wasn't sure I'd like it. It sounded like the exactly perfect type of thing that I'd like, but I didn't know what that meant. But I did like it, it was fascinating. So much power in words! Always incredible.

There were 5 poets that read, each with a distinct style and new worlds to share with the 200 or so person audience. Emmanuel Ortiz wore a shirt that read 'I <3 Brown People'. Nimo Farah had a wonderful piece titled Covered, I believe it was, about the hijab she and others wear. Don't bully with your gaze and stares, she said, but ask her what it means to her. She had a good smile. See More Perspective (that's what he's called) came up right off the bat, no small talk, and gave me something new to think about. My favorite line: I'm not religious / I'm spiritual. That gave me something delicious to nibble on.

Then the two features came up. Sham-e-Ali Nayeem was fantastic, my favorite of the night. She transitioned from one poem to the next with her own laughter, at one point laughing "I'm such a dork." Her poetry was poignant and emotional, personal stories of an outcast immigrant in love with words. I loved her voice, the sound of it, smooth and rich and warm. My favorite lines: I was born at sunset / the beginning of night / not the end of day. And: the sky dips low to kiss you. I wanted her to keep reading all night.

Lastly was Tomas Riley (I don't know how to type an accented a, but pretend its there). I didn't like him as much because he spoke so quickly, but I'm sure if I could have enjoyed each word more I would have found it nice. I expect that's more of what typical spoken poetry is, poetry that sounds like that. My first impression was that he sounded like MLK except speaking ten times faster. His hands shook as he held his books. But no worries, dude.

I have a new definition of poetry for you. I noticed the audience would shake the head in wonder and then nod their heads in understanding. So poetry is yes and no.

Some things I want to say: Keep your cell phones, pagers, and babies quiet please. Respect.

And the lady that sat in front of me had curly hair that clung to her scalp and she kept blocking my view. That's all.

Now some music: