slam-bo

I went to the Van Slam last night. It's been such a long time since I competed there, that I decided to be in it. I performed my ice cream flavours poem which is a very hard one to remember and I did lose it partway through but it was okay. I got lots of appreciation, but low scores. That's okay. It's not a slam poem really, but I really wanted to see if I could do it, having forgotten my way with the same poem at the Summer Dreams Reading festival (for which I originally wrote it). Now I think I can put it back in the freezer for a while. Although it did make me feel kind of hungry.

It was a fun night at the slam. Brendan McLeod featured. He is so smart and talented and funny. I wished the feature slot was longer. I could have listened to another song and another poem easily. We also had a bit of a surprise for our beloved slam host, RC Weslowski, who everyone thought had decided to quit slam. So, headed up by famous poet and good friend Sean McGarrgle, a few of us cooked up this lovely/absurd and moderately profane 10 minute group piece tribute to RC. He seemed to enjoy it, then he told us at the end that he was still going to slam, just not try out for the team again. Oh. Well, I think it was a good thing anyway. My friend Irene says that you should never think a compliment and let it go unsaid. If you do, it's wasted. So expressing sincere affection, even if we got the motivation a bit wrong is always a good thing to do. It felt good to be part of that.

In the morning I felt surprising un-tired. At work I bored through many more layers of budget, and started up a cooking program for Grades 1-3 children, which was fun. Tonight I'm going to the ugly school closure meeting. Perhaps someone will stand up on the stage and initiate a group piece tribute to one of the school trustees, but I doubt it. I think it's guaranteed grimness and sorrow for at least 3 hours. Cathy and me, we're bringing lawn chairs and hot tea and seating ourselves strategically so we can leave when the time is right.

Next week I'll go to the new slam at the Cottage Bistro. It's on Tuesday the 27th. Sean and co-host Trevor Spilchen have invited me to be one of the competing poets. Then the week after that it's the CBC Poetry Face Off. I am still juggling poem-bits thinking about that one. Getting back in the game with 2 slams before it should help me feel good going in. And spending more time playing with the nourishing community that is Van Slam and VanPoHouse are definitely good for my soul.

I must go now to eat supper, boil tea and find the lawn chair. Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Nope, not now. It's time for politics.

question: what's your favourite ice cream?

mompoet - a little scattered but mostly coherent