Mmm, Ahh, Ooo: A Year Later

Ladies and gents, boys and girls, my poem Worlds (which has succeeded in being one of my most successful and memorable performance pieces) is now a little over a year old. It's a little bit weird to believe, but I'll take you through how it came to about soon. Before we jump into all that, I wanted to take the time to speak about the show I debuted it in.

If you've come to the Speakeasy at any point in the past few months, you've probably heard me make repeated mention of this, but if you've been absent, mark October 23rd on your calendars. Rhyme-n-Chatt, Chattanooga's interactive poetry group, will be putting on a show at Loose Cannon. I will be performing and I've just decided on what piece I want to do this year.

Tickets are $10 in advance and the price jumps up $5 on the day of the show. If you're unfamiliar with Rhyme-n-Chatt, or RNC, you can see they're about here www.rhymenchatt.org
We have been so fortunate at the Speakeasy to have several RNC members perform for us. The Poetic Diva aka Marsha Morton-Mills, has graced us a few times with her presence, and here's something to give you an idea of what you can expect from her and the Mmm, Ahh, Ooo show:

So, while we're on the topic of RNC's upcoming show, I remember last year's and how much fun it was. I had surgery on my foot in late August of 2008 (I had part of the bone chiseled down), and I spent the majority of September hobbling around on crutches. While I was down, I started writing what became Worlds in my head. It shaped up extraordinarily fast for me.

The RNC show in early October was the first time that I walked crutch-free, and I remember hoping that I didn't fall on the steps to the stage or while I was up there. Fortunately, I didn't take any spills.

The best part of performing the poem was (and, often, still is) the element of surprise. I knew that the opening line would evoke a shocking reception. I just didn't have any idea of how shocked everyone would be. As soon as I uttered the opening, there was a good 20 seconds at least of disbelief. People who were walking around stopped in their tracks. Oh, my God escaped several mouths. It was a moment that I hope to never forget. As an artist, things like that definitely affirm what you do.

Honestly, I cannot guarantee that the poem I've chosen to perform for this year's Mmm, Ahh, Ooo show will evoke that kind of response, and that's fine. I've definitely got some work to do to try to make it another memorable performance though, so we'll see what happens. I hope to see as many of you as possible out there! I can guarantee a good time, so go ahead and get your ticket now.

Blessings