Riding the Wave
It is a great time to be living in Columbus. I guess it could just be me because it seems like everyday I’m here someone says that they are bored. Life as a community organizer however has been high pace and the high octane people I am constantly in the company of keeps me motivated and in good spirits. The summer officially began on Monday and Columbus is feeling the heat. So I guess it is fair to say that when it comes to organizing if you can’t take the heat then stay out of the summer time!
Poetry and progressive thinking tends to go hand and hand. I got introduced to my mentor Ha2tim at a poetry spot and it was him who introduced me to C J and the LYVEF. Since the day I enter a spoken word poetry show for the first time, I have experienced an entirely new side of life, and poetry has been there every step of the way. I have heard, written or performed what seems like a poem for possible human emotion but I am always inspired by the art form and people’s ability to articulate their inner environment.
Recently I was asked to host a local poetry set. I have hosted before, but this time is unique in a lot of ways. For one, I get to be part of the creation of something that is being started from scratch. It is being held at a place called the Drexel Radio Café which is attached to a small, independent movie theater which is one of the corner stones of its community. Bexley Ohio is one of the wealthiest and best managed communities in central Ohio and it is the home of the Drexel Theater and the Drexel Radio Café. Although Bexley is surrounded on all sides by Columbus, it is a city of its own with a distinctive culture. Outside of delivering high quality poetry every week, we will also enjoy the opportunity to be able to blend the culture of Bexley with the cultures of the surrounding communities using spoken word as the comfortable medium.
We are riding a major wave of momentum in the city of Columbus. I am fortunate enough to have been introduced into this way of life at a point in time when there was already a significant amount of movement already taking place. Now I have been placed in a position where I am responsible for being one of the individuals guiding the momentum. I must admit, it has been a very humbling realization. It is also a responsibility I feel compelled to accept because I am both aware and able to assist in the struggle for equality. A monumental wave is about to reach land and I get to be along for the ride. I have been looking forward to this moment my entire life and now its here. I finally get to test out my sea legs!
