By Jake Rogers
A handful of young poets circled around a table in the WSC Traditions Lounge Wednesday and spent an hour sharing words, feelings and nonsense in an open forum known as ?Poetry Pocket.?
?It?s a way to express yourself and your internal feelings,? said Sara Vranes, a psychology major from San Francisco. ?My mom is an English teacher, so I?ve been surrounded by books and poetry. I like to show my appreciation for poetry and poets. More people should come and experience this.?
The small crowd created a relaxed mood, which led to an open expression of ideas and thoughts, both absurd and sincere. Participants shared whatever style of poetry came most naturally to them.
?I spend my day thinking analytically,? said Peter Bradford, a law student from Washington, D.C. ?I need something to sort of awaken my soul, and then I see what I?ve been missing.?
In addition to games of improvisational poetry, Wednesday night?s poetic experience included the reading of famous poems and original compositions. Participants also discussed what poetry meant to them. Bradford?s wife Michelle, who spent the evening listening to the poems and tending her young son, said it was time well spent.
?I like feeling like I?ve expanded my horizons a little bit,? she said.
One student who shared some improvisational poetry said English wasn?t even her native tongue.
?I like poetry because it takes you anywhere you want to go,? said Jessica Lucas, a sociocultural anthropology major from San Juan, Argentina.
Another student remarked that her experience with the world of poetry has been an exciting discovery.
?When you read it, it seems magical how all these brilliant minds can put things into words,? said Elise Tateoka, an English teaching major from Hazelton, Idaho. ?There are these moments of direct connection. I think the small crowd tonight made people comfortable sharing things that were sort of simple and raw, but beautiful.?
By the end of the hour-long forum, almost everyone in attendance had shared something. Bradford commented that the night?s experiences in poetry had left him with the desire to further pursue his poetic whims.
?I?ve made a few furtive attempts,? he said before leaving the lounge. ?But I feel inspired tonight that I can really do this. I?d like to play around with it some more.
