Poetry is Alive in Portland!

“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen." -Winston Churchill

Recently, in an interview Anderson Cooper did with Dr. Maya Angelou around the remembrance of Dr. Martin Luther’s King’s “I HAVE A DREAM" speech, she said that change and peace will come when we have courage….all it takes is courage. She says, “I am a human being; nothing human can be alien to me”.

  

Last Sunday, I went to my first ever Rhythmic Cypher poetry night at Dobra Tea in Portland, and it was so awesome! If Maya Angelou was there, she would have witnessed courage so royal, so wide, and so unbelievably deep.  Courage does not mean absence of fear. When I am brave, it does not mean I am not fearful; in fact, it means I am fearful AND I am willing in the face of it. I am willing to the rise or fall, to the light or dark, to the win or to the defeat…to the holding or to the being held.

In the set up of this specific Rhythmic Cypher poetry night, there was a First Ever Improv Slam. The audience came up with topics, and the poets had to randomly pick them out of a hat. In one round, the poets would pick a topic and create a poem on the spot with literally no time to think before they hit the mic. In the other round, the poets would pick a topic and have a short (1-3 minutes) amount of time to write a poem from scratch. Wild, right? Our hosts for the evening Greg McKillop and Gaelle Robin took care of us all with their safe-space making, humor, cuteness, humility, and encouragement. 

For over 3 hours, I relaxed in the back of this tea house, on a comfy couch, shoulder to shoulder with people I just met, holding my round white tea cup that held warm steeped jasmine tea, and I, myself, was completely steeped in this courageous, creative, willing, openly human community, cleansed by the honesty in their poems, softened by the appreciation and support they all gave one another, and inspired by their free spirits. 

I was literally buzzing when I left…I was vibrating with beats, and words, and music still echoing in my head and heart. I was so full of love for yet another incredible community that exists in Portland. Art is alive and well here, my friends. Here is a taste of an off the cuff poem by T Love who randomly picked my topic: elephant.

Elephant Poem by T Love
I don't like circuses.
No. Matter of fact, I hate circuses.
Personally, I think they should be banned.
I love animals.
More than most humans actually.
I've heard elephants never forget.
I've heard they can hear sound vibrations through their feet.
I've heard they actually mourn their dead. I think I've been an elephant in a past life.
I think I've been an elephant in this life.
The tension in the room that holds air thick enough to turn razor wire feeble enough to snap.

Rhythmic Cypher. Poets in Residence at Dobra Tea

151 Middle Street Portland, ME 

Every Sunday

5:30 Tea Time 

6:00-10pm Writing, Performance, or Workshops