POETRY JAM
On Saturday, September 24, 2011, I attended the first hour of what is typically referred to as a “Poetry Jam,” sponsored and performed primarily by members of the Triad Poetry Meetup group.
Audience members and poets, alike, represented a broad cross-section of humanity in terms of gender, race, ethnicity and age, while the relaxed environment of the coffee house lent its informality to the intimacy of the program style and content. Clearly, the impact of the poetry could best be appreciated with active listening (print-outs of performed poems are not provided) and viewing because “spoken art” is both aural and visual, with each poet enacting the words, using her/his personal vocal style and emotive approach. I noted specific themes or lines from several poets’ performances as they resonated with me. The title of Alfred’s first poem, Crystal Ballerinas provides no initial hint of the poem’s anti-war theme. Bobby, exhibiting a rapper-like style of delivery, performed Glorious Poetry, a poem in which he celebrates the use of language, the history of words, freedom of personal expression, release of emotions and the quality of the poetic soul: “Poets are unique individuals” (Bobby, Sept. 24, 2011). Diane Engle, representing the “Writers of the Triad – Poetry Writers,” performed a poem titled Voice in the Night in which she advocates for social justice work, declaring that “change starts with the individual” (Engle, Sept. 24, 2011). A man identified as Ariel (uncertain of name/spelling) gave a strong performance of Mama Said, a poem in which he addresses the history of slavery and racism in America, the negative influence of the media over human minds and souls, and common child-rearing practices that condone violence (his mama taught him to hit back if someone hit him first). Amidst the cacophony of words, a particular line provoked clarity: “Let my poetry lay down love” (Ariel, Sept. 24, 2011). Later, Alfred performed another poem (I could not hear the title) in which he chides the U.S. educational system with the lines: “America, America, God shed his grace on thee, Sweet, sweet land of illiteracy” (Alfred, Sept. 24, 2011), calling for a resurrection of “the power of words.”
Before the advent of the printing press, poetry was typically recited aloud. Later, poetry took hold as a print medium. The Beat Generation of the 1950’s, including Allen Ginsburg, Jack Kerouac and William Burroughs, among others, brought spoken poetry back to its social orientation in New York City coffee houses, although the Beats primarily represented disaffected white males. The highly competitive “Poetry Slam” format arose in popularity in the 1980’s-1990’s. I see our local Poetry Jam as a grassroots initiative, extending an open invitation to all citizens, for the purpose of advancing social awareness/change and as a forum for self-expression and the exercise of democratic principles.
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