RAU Poets in the Street at the Putnam Shuck-off

RAU Poets in the Street at the Putnam Shuck-off

Emad, Maggie and myself, aided by Paul Gundy (B&W photos) & TJ LaFollette (color photos), attended the Putnam Shuck-off at the invitation of Carly (Silver Circle owner). We persevered through crowd fear and apathy and ignorance to get a few people to enjoy our wares, and Carly was happy with our effort. We read poetry on the corner, at the tables, in the crowd, in the covered alley, in the art gallery and on the sidewalk. We learned a few invaluable things about street performing, and we learned a few invaluable things about ourselves, as well. Sorry the rest of you couldn't be there, but we had a fantastic day, and a wonderful night reading/writing poetry to ourselves, a canine companion and a tomato-basil pizza.

Poets On The Street

People strolling about, vendor to vendor.
People clustered about, table to table.
People eating and drinking, beer to oysters.
People listening to many musics, jazz to pop.
People mill in two directions, west-east to east-west.
People babbling incessantly loud, blah-blah to blah-blah.

People in numbers too large for three poets
with word and song from heart and soul
to drown out the insanities
of the sane and tame

Wait! What's that?
The road is barricaded!
The police stand close by!
Poets on the street?
Are we sure of what they say?
Do they have wild thoughts?
Yes!
Wild with pain, love, comfort
and rebellion.

Dare I listen, dare I walk away, dare I scream?
"Poets on the street!"

Disheartened, the poets three re-grouped.
Unconquered, the poets three tried again.
Undaunted, the poets three were relentless.

But then, what matters in all of this,
our universe?
What matters?

Three we are and three we will be in all
of this,
so,
what matters?
We three went home to a home that was not home to two
. . .
until now.