Venturing out into Atlanta nightlife has officially become an exercise in introspection. I'm not sure if its on account of me or the city itself or a combination thereof. Perhaps my going out at night always was a journey into myself. In any case, I've taken note and I believe this tango with self-awareness is the impetus for my hunt for open-mic poetry. I guess I want to hear the inner dialogue of others in technicolor, dolby digital and all that. I've got a thing for words. Thus I visited two different open mic nights this week. The first was on Wednesday night at Rev Coffee on Spring Street in Smyrna. The second was on Thursday night at Hodge Podge on Moreland Avenue in Atlanta. Rev Coffee
This place was a pleasant mix of suburbia with distinct notes of metropolis. Just about everyone on the mic was an aspiring folk singer with the exception of a Bach-playing cellist and an improvising actress. What I enjoyed most about the joint was the clear energy of acceptance; a comfort in the newness of what a brave guitar-strumming expressionist may present. An appreciation for baring one's naked soul while being shrouded in song. I fed off of the energy of the youth there. Oh, they are so hopeful and confident in their ignorance. I wanted to protect them from their future selves. I found myself time-travelling back to my own college days of angry poetry and experimentation in love poetry and wondering about the world poetry. I was inspired to write in my little black notebook. I think I'll make this place a regular Wednesday night treat. I like how the place looks like a coffee-loving collegiate dorm room on steroids. Also, Rev Coffee's pineapple smoothies are the bomb.
Hodge Podge
The vibe of Hodge Podge truly invites people to gather and spend a little time, make new acquaintances and come again soon. I found students surfing the web at cafe tables in one section, young ladies gathered in a knitting circle in another section, and the open mic DJ setting up his sound system in the largest room/area. The open mic program itself was in its initial stages of development with only two brave souls singing covers of popular songs. Maybe I should have brought my poetry and spit a little something. I ended up having this eye-opening conversation with two other ladies about myriad topics including the pros and cons of Atlanta life, love and marriage and past encounters with interesting strangers. After eating a heavenly triple-chocolate cupcake and drinking a Mandarin Orange Jarritos, I felt even more confident that I would return on the second Thursday of next month to perform. Goodness, I haven't done a poem out loud in public since I lived in Los Angeles. However, this place just inspired conversation...connection. It had the energy of being on the brink of an explosion. Anything was possible around me, within me.
*****
So, as I return to school in the fall to take this writing addiction to the next level, there is something awakening in me. Beckoning me back to the roots of my words, the well from which I draw what makes me want to go crazy with a pen and a notebook or rather a laptop. I like it. I feel like I'm being reborn. Not to say I won't go to crazy parties and sip on dirty martinis. I admittedly need the wildness of nightlife as continued inspiration for my story-telling. I am, however, enjoying the peace of the present while getting hyped about my future. I liken it to the feeling one gets just before uttering their first word in front of a live microphone at some quaint little coffeeshop.....
No comments:
Post a Comment