“Oh… I’m so sorry,” the 20-something year old girl on stage stammered as she fumbled through the words in the middle of her poem. The audience proceeded to cheer her on, and snap their fingers as she picked up where she left off.

On Jan. 19, I attended the Wednesday Night Slam Open Mic at the Nuyorican Poets Café. Prior to attending the show, I was cautious and uncertain about whether I would enjoy my time. After all, I consider nothing scarier than a crowd full of hipsters boasting about their lifestyle and trendy clothing.

My expectations were off the mark completely. The crowd was diverse, boisterous, eclectic and urban. I slipped into the Café, and immediately felt welcome and comfortable.

To start the night, there were two “sacrificial poets” – or spoken word poets that had been performing for a while, and happened to be in attendance that evening. The two sacrificial poets were moving, eloquent and impressive.

The first poet of the night performed a poem that was written to his 15-year-old brother who wanted to be in the Air Force. He warned him against joining a war effort that should have nothing to do with him. His thoughts were so well-put and rhythmic that the crowd shouted, clapped and cheered at points of the poem.

The night continued in a similar fashion. There were times where I was so moved by the poetry that my jaw dropped or my hand covered my mouth or I smiled the largest smile ever or I laughed so hard my friends were worried.

Either way, the evening got me thinking. I have always loved poetry and I have always loved performances, but why have I never attended a poetry café before or attempted to perform at one myself? I’ve been writing poetry since I was a little girl, and it never crossed my mind to try my hand at performing it.

As individuals, I think we put ourselves in these categorical boxes, and begin to think that we cannot do certain things because we might not be good at it or we might not fit the bill. However, this stunts our growth, and keeps us from discovering things we might truly enjoy.

I may be a sometimes awkward, sometimes outrageous and incredibly over-worked 20-year-old, but that does not mean that I cannot broaden my horizons to include something new and potentially exciting.

Now I am thinking that spoken word poetry is something I should give a shot. Performing something so personal will probably be the most exhilarating experience of my life – more exhilarating than being the lead-off batter in a championship softball game.

Napoleon Bonaparte is quoted as saying, “The torment of precautions often exceeds the dangers to be avoided. It is better to abandon one’s self to destiny.”

It is my opinion that a new semester is the perfect time to put this wisdom into action. So here are my proposals for the new year. I challenge myself, and I also challenge anybody else feeling pressured and overworked to take some time and try to follow them.

Do something for yourself at least 3 times a week: whether it be read a book for pleasure, go to the spa, or just lie around listening to music.

Let go of preconceived notions, and try to see things from a different perspective. It may just open your eyes to a whole new world of possibilities.

Do something you are afraid of: whether it be performing a poem, or allowing yourself to fall in love.

Be positive – the more you smile, the happier you are. Be that positive force for yourself and others around you

Stay healthy – believe it or not, but eating right and exercising can improve your mood and your whole outlook on reality.

Set goals and stick to them – the best way to gauge how you’re doing is to set a goal and accomplish it within a given time frame. You’ll be amazed by how much you can actually accomplish.

And finally, try new things as often as possible. Whether it is spending time with a new friend, trying a new restaurant or playing a new game, keep up the variety in your life.

Here is where I tell you that doing all these things can potentially improve your life and make you happy, but the fact is that I have no clue whether it will or not. Sometimes you just have to keep your head up, keep the smile on, and hope for the best.

As my wise friend shared with me, “The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself.”

 

To contact The Ionian’s Heather Nannery, e-mail her at [email protected].