Alchemy

Just got back from Alchemy, my once a month poetry reading.  It’s always a mixed offering, some good stuff, some crap, a lot of poetry that doesn’t rhyme, and that’s it for another month.

It’s what keeps me writing.

The always original, relatively inimitable Ken Nash

Got there a little bit late tonight and the featured performer (Stephen Howarth) had already started but I noticed something different about him right away – he rhymed.  Also, there was a bit of humor to his poetry.  The poem he wrote to the girl who broke into his flat and stole his computer was quite brilliant, and the fact that he posted it on her facebook page made it a great story as well as a great poem.

So, we were off to a good start.  I did notice, though, that the line up for the open mike segment (I do not like the spelling mic even though it seems it’s becoming the standard. The word rhymes with spike and bike and like and dike and pike and take a hike.  It does not rhyme with Bic and Pic and Flic) was really long.

Worse, my wife had agreed to come out to lend me some support, which almost never happens, but the kids are off on a ski trip, so it was possible.  She doesn’t really like the poetry readings much.  Even for most native speakers, it can get a bit dry at times, and she is not a native speaker.

But, it all went well.  There were more good poets than bad ones, but it was the musical acts that stood out (Ken, whose birthday it was, sang a very funny song called “Shit Happens” and a new girl named Theresa sang a couple of really  pretty songs.  Hope she becomes a regular.)

By the time I got up on stage, though, it was late. I cut a few of the longer poems I’d considered reading and it was probably a good thing.  People prefer my poems short and sweet.