02/16/2010 - Feb. Contest - 17 readers

The night started off with a 'Collection of Fever Dreams'
by our recently relocated friend,
Ty Cummings, read by his younger brother Travis.

My favorite:
"The distance between us shattered like broken flower pots, &
we lay in the soil reaching for eachother."


We built along, both Q and Naja delivering powerful performances
after relating some Black History Month facts, as they have all month.

Spirit showed up with notebooks and conveyed a different side of himself,
lucid and somber in opposition to the freely erratic and emotional side
normally displayed by his improvisation.










As everyone should be aware, we held our Feb. Contest last week.

The 8 contestants:





John D Ellis









Dusty T






Priya












Cole Amick








M.K.







Scott Mayo











AlexB





John Ellis won
11 votes out of 22 with

"To Understand and To Be Understood, let's not get this confused."
-J.D.E. (2010)
kumbaya, my lord, kumbaya
kumbaya, my lord, kumbaya
kumbaya, my lord, kumbaya
o lord, kumbaya

we hold these truths to be self-evident,
that all men are created equal,
that they are endowed by their Creator
with certain unalienable duties,
that among these are to understand
and to be understood.

yes, to understand
and to be understood
these are the two inherent responsibilities
bequeathed to us by our fatherless forefathers

to understand
and to be understood,
these are the hopes and dreams
of man and man alike

to understand
and to be understood,
these are the debts that are owed
of the people, by the people, for the people

to understand
and to be understood
this is the burden placed upon us,
the children of maize, of tortoise's back, of clay and mud.

so, do not confuse this.
do not confuse this as
the rhetorical inbreeding of misguided attempts
to subjugate others by the good ol' boys that
were raised by the trailer park code of hammurabi
no, this is not "I for I" but "I owe you"

not to be confused with reparations,
for i never wished nothing bad on no one
and the only money I have,
has been invested in bonds;
bonds between my brothers and sisters
(can i get a) hallelujah, amen!

but do not mistake these bonds for chains,
for i would never trade my kin to become
freedom's whipping boy, no,
do not misunderstand me,
this message is not so black and white,
but i hope to understand and to be understood.

so kumbaya, and gather 'round
we shall beat a new drum,
a drum of revolution
beat the rodney king drums no longer
beat the reginald denny drums no longer
beat the tasha hill drums no longer
beat the james chaney, andrew goodman, and michael schwerner drums no longer
beat the drum of compassion
beat the drum of knowledge
beat the drum of liberation
beat the drum of truth
beat the drum of equality and virtue
beat the drum of your heart
beat the drum of your mind
beat the drum of art, of poetry
to understand and to be understood.