Posted 10:11 PM by Bonnie

Open Mic Night at Drew's Blues Cafe: Wow!! That describes our open mic night! What quality poets we had grace us tonight. I wish the night could have gone on forever! There were familiar faces, new faces, and some faces we haven't seen in awhile!

Our featured poet, Hyacinth Kinley, was exceptional. I love her presentation and her poetry always tells a story. I knew I was going to get an entertainer, in Hyacinth! This woman not only writes great poetry but knows how to deliver it! And we ate it up!

Tom Rowe continued his epic poem, started last month. I am hoping when he completes the epic he will seriously consider getting it published. This is a magical journey through his imagination - or is it? Is it fantasy or reality? Is it our fantasy and his reality or the other way around? I love the journey he takes us on. As I said before it feels like we've followed Alice through the rabbit hole and you are on a continuing spiral down and up and down again until you're not sure which is up and which is down. You have to be there!

Tom's lovely wife, Linda, shared an translated poem she found on the internet. I forget from what language, but as usual it was beautiful and inspiring. Linda has a way of finding these gems and I am so glad she brings them to share with us.

I was so happy to see Karleigh Brunson return! I have missed this young woman and her insightful and honest poetry. Hopefully more of our younger poets will return now. Karleigh also helped me with a project that turned out really fun. Sometimes I pass around a paper and have the people write a poem with each person adding a line. Tonight we did it differently and it involved some work. I had everyone write a single line of poetry on a strip of paper, and in the end, someone had to put them together to form a poem. Thank goodness Karleigh wasn't afraid to try. I will put the poem we came up with at the end of this missive. Hopefully next month her dad will also perform. Either way it was great to see you two again!!

And dear sweet Marie (Lyric) Grady. This woman writes some of the most sensitive poetry I have ever heard. She can break your heart with her poems. Her delivery is so quiet and her words so strong. At times you feel she could break so easily and then you feel her strength in her words and know this woman has it together. It's always a treat when she shares her poetry with us.


And Colette Jones. Now you all know I adore this woman, and sometimes I guess I do go on and on about her a bit much. But you have to know her to understand the admiration I have for her. This woman not only serves our country, but is a single mother ( a long story there - as she said her ex is only alive today because of her poetry)... she is strong, she is out spoken, she is real! she is a friend who will care enough to be honest with you and her poetry reflects all these things - her strength, her hurt, at times her anger, her honesty, and her love.

Tonight we had a new face and a very welcome one. I met Beth Langley on the Sumter Thoughts Group and invited her to join us. Beth is a song writer, but as she said what is a song but a poem set to music. She shared two of her songs with us tonight, but the one that had the most impact on me was titled Trapped By Love. As she said while she reads it (or sings it) you form your own images and your own opinions based on your experiences. But she tells the story that inspired the song at the end, and it is about a young woman she knows who is raising an autistic child with little support from a work-a-holic husband. It was very moving and really held my attention. I do hope Beth will join us again and share more of her songs. Perhaps even bring her guitar and sing some (hint hint).

And, Victoria, you keep asking where the pictures are of me performing. So tonight Johnny Brunson, aka Karleigh's dad, took a pic for you. If anyone is interested in seeing my poems there is a link on this blog to my poetry page and the poems I did tonight will be added.




And here is the fun poem Karleigh put together from individual lines.

Late one night I was walking down a long dark alley,
When I came upon a girl named Sally.
I feel the deafening roar of her whisper,
I am what I am but so much more I am to be!
Why art thou so easily loved?
Because her eyes tell a tale of heartbreaks,
Let it snow, let it snow, in you I'll stay warm
Baby, this I know.
Done so little, lived so long,
Here reflecting my souls grandeur in local flesh,
Place pieces of my soul on display,
Breath your first breath, breath you last breath,
From life to death don't stop just let
Lyrics greedily absorb my psyche,
I must be damned.

I hope everyone else had as much fun as I did tonight! Next month is a special night because it's my birthday month. I'm looking forward to an interesting night!