Poets take the Mic
View(s):
Hoping for a quiet evening at the Coffee Bean last Sunday with a few metres of free verse thrown in – we were pleasantly surprised. The newly renovated upstairs area is packed, so much so that we struggle to find seating and eventually find a vacant corner at the back. This choice is almost immediately regretted; for the crowd only continues to grow and by the time the poetry bit begins we’ve lost our view and can only hear.
What we do hear however is refreshing. There are all sorts of poets in here; the heartbroken, the lonely, the energetic, the reflective, the philosophical. They speak about love, hate, anger, abandonment, feminism, war, religion. But what matters here is what is being read out, and the pleasing rhythms of words chosen with care and strung together to make poetry.
The audience is as much a part of the experience. They clap, stamp their feet and declare ‘preach’ at disconcertingly frequent intervals when they hear something they like. Twenty two poets performed that night with the audience, perhaps a bit too chatty on occasion maintained a mostly respectful silence for the recitals. Compere Chase Dee charmed, and performers for the night Nikhil D’Almeida, Reihan Stephen with Digayu, Kanishka and Mike provided entertainment during the mini breaks.
Poetry Open Mic was organised by Colombo Poets and Mishal Mazin, responsible for getting the event off the ground says “it’s exhilarating for the first timer and even for the amateur, a beautiful experience.” The event was in partnership with CanHope Sri Lanka, which hopes to organize recitals for children afflicted with cancer so keep posted for more on this, and future Open Mic events on https://www.facebook.com/colombopoets
