Thursday, November 13, 2008

Chocolate Affair - Poetry Night


It happened again!  I went on early in the show, and the room was half-filled.  As most people know, I can't stand performing to empty rooms.  Even though the room wasn't technically empty, I was just a little upset at the organization because the absence of others forced me to go on sooner than expected.  Important to note, those scheduled performers who were late, did infact go on - when the room was much fuller, I'd like to add.  Sounds a little selfish, doesn't it?  Whatever!  I'm not apologizing if I know I have something to say, and I want it to be heard.  I think a lot of these folks need to hear it.  Sounds arrogant, but not really, because there's just so much BS going on (especially in mainstream music), that I needed to get this out.  I specifically wrote this piece just for that, and it upsets me that it didn't get heard by more folks.  Hahaha I sound upset, don't I??  Please, if you are scheduled to perform, then show up!  So people like me can go on at their regularly scheduled time (conviently, in the middle) when most scragglers are walking in, and just before folks become bored and leave early.  Other than that, it was a good night :0)

I guess the best part of the night came when the crowds' response to a certain profane line in my poem confirmed my initial thoughts of the culture down here [Texas].  Was I surprised? Not at all, I knew I was entering into the beginning of the famed Bible Belt of America, where teenagers are open their religion, faith, and beliefs, so when I openly spewed a string of curse-words, I wasn't sure how it would be recieved.  The line went..."

"...spoken words WORDS....SPOKEN...evoking a pain being strummed by fingers// Lauryn Hill calls it "Killin' em Softly"// I call it FUCKING a muthafuckin' John McCAIN muthafucka up BADLY....but in a nice way!........"

And after that part, oh baby, you should've been in this room hahahaha. I don't think they've ever heard anything this simply.  I thought we were at a Spoken Word event, right?  Well, like I said, I went up 2nd or 3rd, and everyone after me, as I realized, had poems that were about the standard-default love situation, or something representing Jesus.  No problem there, I was just broadening their horizons to some Bay Area flava.  I could do those Jesus poems and talk about how much I love God and all, but why not offer up some alternatives, because judging from their responses, they need some alternatives. Nobody shoot me 8-)

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