Poets express viewpoints, share work

A small crowd gathered shortly after 9 p.m. Thursday night in the Indiana Memorial Union Gallery to read and listen to short works of personal creativity. The poetry slam began with a Union Board representative offering free coffee and cookies and opening the microphone to all in attendance, asking those interested to sign up on the clipboard. She then introduced the first poet on the list.\nHe began with a poem he titled "Dandelions." With his left hand in his pocket and his notebook in his right, he began to speak in metaphors and asked the question, "Can you really own love in the way you can own a cliché?" \nHe read a few more poems, adding in side notes such as, "That's a word I made up." He then left the small wooden platform, disguised as a stage, open for the next poet to be introduced.\nA somewhat jittery Ben James Derrick read his story "Man with the Glass Face" and followed up with his short poem "Lightning and Thunder." \nNext, a woman with glasses and a long, brown ponytail took the microphone and started off with her poem, "That Type of Love Sonnet," admitting "... I'm no good at sonnets," and later saying, "I'm a prose poetry junkie." She continued with three other poems, including "The Asylum," in which she explained her choice of 24-hour roadside diners for a night of pouring out her problems to a bartender. She brought the audience with her into the sticky-seated booths of the nearly empty restaurant she described. \nIt was obvious as the night continued in the audience and the poetry that life was being presented from many different perspectives. Compared to the rest of the crowd, a much older woman wearing a blue hat and a blue sweater that hung down a little past her knees spoke about memories and gave her perspective on education and economics, pointing out all education is important, not just the kind that will get you a fancy degree and a job paying a lot of money.\nA few were coming and a few were leaving as one performer announced, "This one is about drugs," and spoke about the morning after an acid trip and claiming things such as, "Not all writers are junkies, but all junkies are writers!" -- to which the crowd applauded. \nOne of the last to read was a man who has recently come to IU to study from Russia. He told the crowd about his flight and first impressions of America. He spoke about missing his wife and son. He read a total of three poems -- reading each in both English and Russian -- to meet the requests of the audience. Each time he read the Russian version, the crowd listened intently, although it was obvious most did not understand even a word.\nThe poetry slam was nearing an early end when the first poet on the list appeared on stage again claiming, "My poetry can be really terrible as long as I read it in a really exciting way." \nEveryone writes for different reasons. This slam gave everyone who read a chance to represent themselves through their own words. Although it was great as a forum of expression, toward the end, the same people came up to the mic and started to ramble. It wasn't as good as other slams I've been to, like a competitive one. Despite this, the slam allowed performers to express their own unique perspectives on life.