Voices from everywhere

Last night, I attended the 9^th Annual Poetry Cafe organized by the Georgetown Lombardi Arts & Humanities Programme. A virtual event, and thank goodness for that. Otherwise it would have been a rather time consuming and costly commute from my humble abode in Scotland all the way to the USA.

I’m still relatively new to this whole ‘reading my poetry out loud’-malarkey. It’s one of those things that I really, really enjoy and that I want to do a lot more of in the future. It is, however, also one of those things that scares me every time, which is of course completely silly, because let’s face it: I’m not entering a lion’s den, not even poetry slams or competitions at this point. Nothing’s at stake here. I’m simply reading my pieces out loud to a friendly, supportive and exceedingly appreciative audience. Getting some mileage in. It’s going to be a long journey. A wiggly, windy road. Occasionally, a rollercoaster (FYO: not a fan of rollercoasters at all).

I am learning something new with every reading. Not just about my own performance. My own reading is the least important bit! It’s by observing others that I can learn the most.

Yesterday, for example, my personal highlight was a woman reading out her poetry from a public toilet in a hospital. Yes, you read that right. A public bathroom. I heard people chatting in the background, the sound of a tap. For lack of a better space, this poet crouched down, leaning against the white tiled wall underneath the paper towel dispenser and read, no, performed her piece with gusto. It was phenomenal! Undoubtedly the best, most captivating performance of the entire event.

Just goes to show that beauty can thrive everywhere – even in the bathroom, and that where there’s a will, there’s a way.

Happy Friday to you all, and I’ll see you here tomorrow, if you wish!

©️2024 Britta Benson. No unauthorized use permitted.