Over 50 students, teachers, mentors, and parents came out to Black on Black Rhyme ATL's first official event in over a year! "The Poetry Club", a monthly city-wide open mike for middle schoolers couldn't have started on a better note. Student representatives from King, Parks, Price, and Sylvan Hills Middle School were excited when they stepped in the door of The Coffee Loft in downtown Atlanta.
Somewhat unaware of what an open mike is, students began to get their bearings straight after the first few poets. Students spoke on many issues with flows that could challenge some college poets. One student from Sylvan Hills performed "Boxes", a dope conceptual piece in which the poet challenged people to think outside of perceptions. Another student from Parks Middle, compared herself to dances. (I didn't even know what a fox trot was until she read her poem!) Yet another middle-schooler did an original piece called "The X Variable", a piece that touched on the unknown. Others spoke on domestic violence, acceptance, peer pressure, and many more relevant topics.
Paul D kept the focus on the students by offering the crowd with bio background info. How refreshing it was to hear students aspiring to be pediatricians, lawyers, and even one girl who hopes to become future President of the United States. Shadow, aka DJ Right Click, kept the tunes going on the Zune with songs from Arrested Development, Donny Hathaway, Stevie Wonder and more.
After the intermission, three high schoolers from Osborne High School in Cobb County, Georgia, murdered the mike as the night's features. One students performed a Pablo Neruda-esque joint complete with memorable lines referring to the cosmos. Two other students, one male and one female, performed a conceptual group piece in which the male student was speaking an internal monologue while the love interest sat in the background while reading a book.
The night ended with a $50 giveaway to one random participant of the open mike. From the looks on the students' faces, it was obvious that they were enriched and linguistically nourished from a night totally dedicated to them. Stay tuned to our next middle-school open mike on April 16, 2009. Special thanks to Hands-On Atlanta, Communities in Schools, and the many mentors and teachers that went above and beyond to make this event possible.
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