The Poetry Jam held on Friday, Feb. 10, was definitely a success. This spectacular event was sponsored by the President’s Office, Vice President of Student Affairs, GLBT Services, BSU, IFC, IGC, Pan Hellenic, SAC, CGS, Office of Multicultural Affairs, Department of English, New Student Programs and Co-Curricular Programs. The show began with DJ Rekha spinning South Asian and Hip Hop hits. The first poet that entered the stage was Amalia Ortiz. She spoke of her San Antonio, Texas experiences with featured titles such as “Colors” and “Cat Calls”. The poem “Colors” was based on the urban ghettos in San Antonio and how their beautiful colors were being taken away from them. “Cat Calls” was about the names and various calls that a woman would get while walking the streets of San Antonio. The woman appreciated these calls and valued her worth based on them.
The crowd was then wowed by Ishle Park, a South Korean native, who spoke on her culture and her identity. Ishle was very personable and brought humor to the crowd. She spoke of her personal experiences with ex-boyfriends, including watching one of them go to war, which she called “a love poem tucked inside of a war poem.” Ishle was very diverse in her topics speaking of relationships, love, war and being horny on the trains of NYC. The poem entitled, “My Pussy,” excited the crowd so much that she was given a standing ovation.
Lemon, from New York, brought energy and enthusiasm to the stage. He spoke of Puerto Rican pride, the NYC boroughs and the joy and pain of love. Lemon gave a haiku, a Japanese form of poetry which consists of three short, non rhythmic lines focusing on visual imagery. His haiku was about 9/11. “Even though we lost -We lost our front teeth- Don’t forget to smile.”
Following Lemon was Bassey, who spoke on her childhood memories of life being so easy. Bassey was born in Nigeria and moved to Oklahoma when she was four. She gave a poem entitled “Homeland,” which was about visiting her Grandmother in Nigeria and not being able to communicate with her. One of my favorites was “It’s Only October”, which talked about her as an adult, moving back to live with her parents and the feelings she had after she moved there. Bassey also expressed her experience being depressed and was very passionate about the issue. She encouragd anyone who had any questions or concerns to visit her Web site, www.basseyworld.com so that they can get help.
She also introduced Christopher Cusumano, an 18-year-old from Stroudsburg, PA. Bassey spoke highly of him and his poetry. His poem was called, “Misheard”, in which he was confused about love. Cusumano was folloed by Black Ice. He is from North Philadelphia and a father of four. Black Ice was the first spoken word artist signed to Def Jam Records. He recently left the label and is now signed to Koch, an independent label. He spoke of the importance of one’s voice to urban areas.
Black Ice also covered the experiences he had trying to get signed, being broke and hungry for recognition. He said, “F* a record deal; God gives me what I’m worth.” After he spoke, the crowd stood and screamed in amazement.
Ultimately, this was a great show!