Can you think of a better way to hide from a windy, cold November night, and forget the mid-term blues by listening to a troupe of wordsmiths articulating their thoughts, the profound and the close to the heart? If you can, you clearly didn’t come to the Poetry Open Mic on the twentieth of November. Even before the event began, the buzz raised in the air like a little pocket of summer around the microphone; words sparked as-you-wait!
Many new faces and insights came forwards that night, with a marked proportion signing up on the spot. Whether it was curiosity, or bullying (certainly wasn’t me!), they prised open their locked books and exposed to us some exquisite and surprising poetry; a ponder upon the influence of bruising upon ones character, to the richness of a goddess stalking the night like a wildcat, to the insipidity of some people (cue lots of sighs and tutting). It was truly marvellous to have new voices leading new faces into our open mic night. Familiar faces provide guaranteed entertainment, but sometimes they need to be challenged by new arrivals with fresh ideas and outlooks.
That said, we must not forget our regular faithfuls who in some cases raised a reaction from the crowd just by their name being announced. They do say that the mark of a good entertainer is one that entertains just by existing. Very few people achieve this. What is often more achievable, however, is the sense of overinflating an ego somewhat…
From plodding through History in the most novel way since Back to the Future to mesmerising music, not only did the faithfuls welcome the newcomers to the fold, they showed signs of developing as poets.
And to crown the (k)night so he became King, in the words of the Poetry Society President Jenn Hart, “Ben Lawrence graced the stage and lulled his audience with bitter-sweet verses and romantic comedy. His genuine take on everyday life stitched together with lessons on growing up, girls in libraries and fruit and veg shops. Punched with puns and hilarious metaphors, the crowd lapped up his smooth deliverance and urged for more as the night came to a close.”
What, as everyone began to leave for the night, did everyone take home from the evening? Apart from a jolly mood from the beautiful words and the open bar next to the open mic (well, poets are very liberal!), a sense of a spiritual inspiration settled amongst the crowd. Perhaps one should not take everything at face value. Perhaps in the rush that is university life, we should sit down and just observe. Take time to describe what you see, hear and feel.
Even if you are Ben Lawrence and spying on a girl in the library.
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