Hi Cantab! Last Wednesday was a beautiful show. On a day when many people in our community woke up disappointed, shocked, and scared, we all still came together and put on a showcase of our art and voices. Many poems centered on the theme of community, which is now more important than ever. As we know, the basement of the Cantab Dive bar is more than just a place we get to perform and share and listen, it’s a place where we support each other.
This week, I’ve compiled a “Line of the Wednesday” from nearly everyone on the open mic list. If I missed you, I apologize (if you’re one of those people, or if I misquoted you, please dm us your poem last week on Instagram and I’ll pick a line and add it to this recap! I have reached out to those who I couldn’t quite get a line from in time.)
Edie: “We are at war with isolation”
Siraj: “I pooped today and it sucked”
March: “I wrote love letters to the ceiling until it became a sky”
Isaiah: “So I gather the pieces of my chair and shape them into a new skeleton / I take a seat.”
David F: “You know that death in dignity is a myth too far from true”
Shivank: “My death deserves a universal love language”
Cameron (covering Kai): “There is magic in this 2AM Walmart parking lot”
Kai: “I see love through the looking glass because I can’t see you otherwise”
Shawn (covering Kai): “Every world I’ve traveled to tried to kill me / living can no longer be called resilience”
Donovan: “So go on, burn bright / Let them know you’re here / And that you aren’t going anywhere”
Ilse: “It’s easier to be naked than it is to be honest”
Mary (covering Kai): “I need proof mutual love is real / Born not of cash value but of soul and too much time”
Kiana: “I wanted to tell her I was born in the states, but I didn’t know how to say it in English”
Allison: “I imagine men sometimes wonder what a deaf vagina feels like”
Decker: “A Pied Piper drawing / the sickness from our bones / unburying secrets in the backyard”
Ericka: “What is there to save / I’d rather be a victim of the house”
Sam O: “We dream again and we make it a reality somehow”
Sonya: “You inhale exhale and I can use my eyes again”
Otto: “Remember somehow hands are the gateway to all of this”
Charlie R: “I have hopes for this room without windows”
TJ (covering Kai): “Desire grows only when no one is watching the clock”
Jack: “Am I pulling teeth or a rabbit out of a hat”
Lillie: “Sex sells, yup” (takes off shirt)
Zach: “A mirror is one thing, reflections are too”
Chris: “You are not alone”
Ed: “The truth is there are a lot of things I never thought I’d die for”
Alex: “I don’t know how to make this beautiful”
Katya: “Introduce yourself to everyone you don’t know [in the Cantab Lounge]”
Aparna (covering Kai): “Staring down into the lunch cup my reflection becomes pink and orange, I am listening to a multitude of stories all at once.”
Briana (I pulled this line but the entire poem/rant is really one long bar): “What the fuck”
Myles: “My love is an abandoned building I’ve been squatting in for twenty years”
Thank you.
Our feature was Kenny Bradley of ProvSlam fame. A perfect feature for a night like this, Kenny’s raw, authentic, and captivating style took us on a journey. We begin with some name-poems as he led us through his own identity, from stoop kids to dragon ball Z to vivid childhood memories. He then read poems from his brand-new chapbook, Night Science, which combines his STEM-education and spotlights science concepts to a world that doesn’t always see you for who you truly are. It was a wonderful feature that everyone took something different away from.
Tonight! We have an OPEN SLAM! Try out for the 2025 Boston Poetry Slam team! Top two placements in each open slam are qualified for team selection next year. Standard slam rules apply: eight poets compete in three rounds with poems that are three minutes or less. No props, costumes, or musical accompaniment. Poems are scored by random members of the audience! Winner gets $50. Come compete among the best in the region this Wednesday.
See you then!
– Amy ✈️
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