Mindy TuckerEight students flashed their poetic license on Tuesday, Nov. 28 to support Phi Beta Sigma’s Poetry Jam, a part of Sigma Week 2K6. The event took place on the steps of the Plant Hall veranda just before 8:30 p.m., though the venue was supposed to be in the Rathskellar at 8p.m. The shaky start was no fault of the student coordinators. Michael Williams, a member of the fraternity explained, “We had confirmation for the room, security did not.” They improvised and worked with what they had, leading to a successful evening. Guests took a seat on the steps while performers stepped up to a microphone positioned on the sidewalk.
The event presented an array of topics, ranging from scandalous love affairs to more serious social issues. Tazia Rutherford performed her previously untitled poem “Mackin'” in which she describes a series of twists and turns while balancing relationships, sometimes with more than one lover. She ends it with the two rules of mackin’, “don’t say the wrong name; don’t get caught in the game.”
A guest performer from USF recited from memory his poem “What Are You Fighting For?” He poignantly posed the question “What are you fighting for?” to street gangs, explaining that violence over a street corner which cannot be owned is futile. He ends with a turn of the question, “What are you dying for?” The poem was insightful and the performance was dramatic, each word coming from the heart.
Other poets, including Melissa Wadley, read pieces that were equally contemplative, such as her work on the ability or difficulty to define oneself by a mere statement or sentence.
Jamal Wilburg lightened the mood some with his reading of “Have You Ever Had Good Sex.” He instructed the ladies to sit back, close their eyes and relax. “Guys,” he said, “keep yours eyes open.” The descriptive poem was enough to get anyone’s cheeks hot, not to mention a few bursts of laughter from the audience.
At the end of the event, Williams encouraged audience members who had pieces of the own to step forward. However, no one took on the challenge.
With eight performers and a crowd of viewers, the sudden improvisation of location proved to be no damper on the evening.