There are no dimmed lights, no muted jazz playing, no microphone, no stage. Tonight there is only the dim light of my computer screen, the sound of friendly voices, and the mics in our computers. Yet, even without its stereotypical trappings, there's something special about an open mic.
LBCC's annual "Word Mob," like so many other events, has been moved online. This spoken word and poetry open mic, hosted by Poetry Club, takes place over Zoom. It's March 5, at 7 p.m. -- a Friday night -- and here we are at an online community college poetry event. Why be anywhere else?
It's an intimate group -- 13 people, most of whom don't show their faces. With not even a small crowd to judge, this feels more like a gathering of friends. Many know each other from classes and the club. The tone is conversational, like chatter around a dinner table. Then they begin to read, volunteering or being volunteered one at a time.
Topics are as varied as one might hope for. A few pieces pay solemn homage to the toll of the pandemic. One is taken from the label of a poet's medication, one a pondering meditation on the Christian crucifixion. Most are universal. All are personal.
Everyone seems comfortable here. Every poem is met with warm support, every poet equally so. Scattered applause can be seen and heard at every break. The word "beautiful" is heard here perhaps more often than usual. But then, so is beauty.
The words, the verses, slip across the night, channeled to each speaker in each listener's computer. Some rhyme. Some don't. Some are polished. Some aren't. Each draws equally eager ears.
Beautiful.
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