Say the word
In the beginning I misunderstood… But now I’ve got it, the word is good. ~ The Word by Lennon/McCartney
An hour before it was time to head out for Spoken Word Open Mic at the Café Del Sol in downtown Floyd, my husband reminded me that I was supposed to box up 20 of my books for Alan, his former counseling professor who uses the book in a grief and loss class and who was planning to attend the open mic.
I was up in the attic crawl space counting books when my bare foot collided with a piece of glass from a broken frame that held a poem I had long ago written for my eldest son when he was born (26 years ago). It was a pretty deep gash and oddly ironic, since I was planning to read my WVTF radio essay about knowing summer through my bare feet at the open mic. …I remember the dew drenched grass on my feet and then, because it was dark, stepping on something sharp. I probably screamed louder than I needed to, because howling at night somehow seemed normal.
The cut was an opportunity to test the healing power of cayenne to stop bleeding in its tracks. I expected it to sting when I sprinkled some on, but it didn’t. Not only that, it did what I had read it would do. I slapped on a band-aid, called my friend, Katherine (pictured), who would be riding to town with me, and told her I was running late.
Because I arrived at the Café late, I didn’t get a chance to order my customary beer. After delivering the box of books to Alan, meeting his girlfriend, greeting familiar faces, and acknowledging those that weren’t familiar with a nod or a smile, I plopped myself down on my favorite couch, the only one in the café, as though I had a claim to it.
There were two people already sitting there. As I squeezed myself in, I was reminded of watching TV with my eight siblings when I was a girl. We were all territorial about the best seats in our house, and if you scored a good one and then left it for a minute, you had to fight to get it back.
My couch companions were two high school-aged girls, one of whom was planning to read. She was nervous, she confessed; so we made a plan. “Look at me when you’re reading, I’ll wink and do something to make you laugh,” I instructed her. I was beginning to worry about my own nerves, considering that I didn’t have a beer to steady them.
It was a smaller crowd than last month’s full house, which probably had something to do with the fact that it was the night before Easter, the local newspaper had the wrong date published, and it was our first open mic since daylight savings. The thought of reading poetry in public in broad daylight might have scared-off some.
By the time Mara took to the stage, I was finally settled in and could receive the weight of her words. She read one of my favorite poems about remembering playing Monopoly with her husband who is now deceased …You were always the shoe…when we played we ate popcorn and drank coke…Sometimes we put a joint in free parking…and all the chance money went there too..
Mara also read an essay about the reactions people have had to her generously bumper-stickered car, which she thinks of as a poem with an engine. Her daughter, Kyla, who was present, figured in the piece. It was fun to watch her facial expressions as her mom read. At one point Kyla playfully banged her head against a nearby computer. After that she climbed under the table and hid her face. Did they rehearse that?
I began my reading with a reference to the date, April 15th… in spring I calculate poetry…the way others do their taxes…as though the world were overdue for a good accounting. My friend Katherine, an herbalist and ceremonialist, followed me with an essay titled, “All in A Day,” in which she reflected on performing a wedding ceremony in the morning and then preparing a friend’s mother’s body who had just passed away for a funeral service in the afternoon. I recall her speaking… Let it be… Let it be... like a chorus to the melody of her words.
One of the readers, a man name John (pictured) who came all the way from Blacksburg to read, did a poem that consisted entirely of the names of Beatles songs, which fed right into my longstanding fantasy (which I’m not obsessive enough to pull off) of spending a day saying everything I need to via Beatle lyrics.
I’m so grateful that we have local forum for writers to share their work. I’m looking forward to many more spoken word events and meeting the creative people willing to participate in them. We gather around the mic every 3rd Saturday from 7-9. Special thanks to our host, The Café Del Sol.
Post Note: My sister Kathy posted a beautiful photo and surprise Easter miracle story that happened to my sister Sherry this past Sunday. Check it out here.
April 17th, 2006 9:40 am
I wish I could go to open-mic night. It sounds like so much fun. Katherine looks good with her hair cut. xoxo
April 17th, 2006 10:47 am
I have never heard of putting cayenne pepper on a cut. Does it still hurt?
It always sounds like a fun night at the Cafe! Thank goodness you had room to sit on YOUR sofa….lol. I understand completely.
April 17th, 2006 1:32 pm
My cut is a little sore today. The ceyenne worked great. It immediatly caused the blood to stop and pool up and creat a big scab. All I can see of it now is the scab. I have used it before in a formula for my eyes…I have trouble with them at times becomming bloodshot and/or dry. I put a drop or two in with some eyebright (herb) and warm water in an eye cup and then flush. WOW. It’s a brings a blast of energy to the eye and gets the circulation going. It stings a little but in a good way. Although cayenne is HOT, it’s not abrasvie and so does not damage tissue. I’m not going to go anywhere with out ceyenne now. My son snorted (a tiny bit) when he had a chronic sinus infection. At first he acted like he was going to DIE…so yes, I guess it stung, but then it did the trick and he has since used it again. It’s also good to prevent heart attacks. I have a book on it but I’m sure you could learn a lot by doing a little internet research.
April 17th, 2006 2:40 pm
I did not know this about cayenne! I will remember and try it on a cut! The open mic night sounds most lovely. 🙂
Here from Michele’s!
April 17th, 2006 3:20 pm
Wow. I love cayenne pepper. I’ve never heard of these medicinal properties before though.
The open mic night sounds like a grand time.
April 17th, 2006 3:52 pm
Hi Col, Beautiful entry. Intimate and direct. Thanks for mentioning mine. I’ve changed the title to “Flowering Expression.”
Great to hear that the cayenne pepper worked so well. I’ve used it too for many things but not my eyes.
Thanks for the memory of getting the best seat at home. I can’t imagine it happening that way today, with TV’s in almost every room (not my house). It was fun to watch something as a family as I’m sure it is to participate in Open Mic.
April 17th, 2006 4:02 pm
funny…I was reading Julia Child’s posthumous book, My Life in France, when she mentioned montélimars (which I had to look up: nougat)…and the lyrics from Savoy Truffle popped into my head:
Creme tangerine and Montélimar
A ginger sling with a pineapple heart
A coffee dessert–yes you know it’s good news
But you’ll have to have them all pulled out
After the Savoy truffle.
The Beatles always had such interesting lyrics; I would’ve loved to have heard the man who made a poem out of the song titles!
April 17th, 2006 4:13 pm
Sounds like a wonderful evening; hope I can make the next one. I’ve been treating my sunburn with calendula oil and it has faded remarkably. I’ll remember the cayenne. Katherine does look good with her hair cut.
April 17th, 2006 9:27 pm
Well, I love that poem of yours on your sister’s blog…Beautiful and touching and so very positive, too… Mr. Tige sounds like a real closed-off jerk…what I really wanted to call him was an A**hole!!! OY!
And, your evening sounds like it was a very wonderful one, Colleen…How is your foot today? Is Cayenne supposed help things “heal” quicker, too?
btw: I have 100 things about me up today in honor of my 100th post! If you get a chance, stop by.
And, last but not least, Congrats on being the question of the day over at Michele’s…
April 17th, 2006 10:33 pm
These cafe readings must be great. Here in Sopranoland, there is no such thing. But a couple miles down the road is Montclair, which is Greenwich Village in New Jersey. Twelve miles furhter down the road is Greewich Village in New York City, so I have no excuse. Actually, I go sometimes. I have a friend, a journalist and poet, who reads in New York. You have to hear him read. Very old school in a good way. He looks like a cross between Christopher Walken and Ray Liota. He writes like a cross betwen them, too. Very effective combination. I read your sister’s post and your poem. Both were wonderful. I’ll be reading more by you soon!
April 17th, 2006 10:41 pm
Hi Rick, I’m a recovering public speaking phobic! Just the thought of reading in Greenwich Village NJ or NY makes me need to put on extra deodorant. I’m pretty much a small town girl. Of course if I want to get big city, I can read in Blacksburg or Roanoke, which I have done, but those aren’t really BIG cities. When we read at Cafe Del Sol…it’s a home game!
April 17th, 2006 10:50 pm
Sounds like a wonderful night even if it wasnt as full as the m onth before.. I hope your foot heals quickly!
April 18th, 2006 12:49 am
I read your last comment and thought … hmm, Roanoke, Big City… never quite thought of Roanoke as a big city.
I will have to look up the cayenne and see if any ideas for the sinus thing… maybe mix with sea salt in the Neti pot. I really hate the pine pollen…. it knocks me for a loop.
April 18th, 2006 7:46 am
Hi Colleen, thanks for dropping by my blog today.
Did you like the greeting script? Here’s the link if you’re interested to have one on your sidebar:
http://www.geobutton.com/GeoPhrase.htm?cid=53229&c=0#Templates
Wow, I’m learing something new here..cayenne pepper on a cut? Thanks for sharing.I like reading your post and I’m learning something new here. Will definitely come back:)
April 19th, 2006 8:00 am
A poem out of song titles … sounds vaguely familiar, though rhyming wasn’t my goal. 😉
I wish wish wish a thousand times over that I could visit this coffee house gathering of yours. It always sounds so inviting and refreshing!
Very interesting about the Cayenne pepper too … thanks for the tip!
April 22nd, 2006 1:33 pm
Sounds like a fun event. The Beatles poem must have been so much fun work for him to have done. Some where out there I’ve seen people answer memes exclusively with titles or lyrics of the Beatles.