OPEN MICROPHONE - THE BATTLEFIELD OF THE HEART


on being heard

It’s not so easy, this being heard. It takes effort to polish off your voice and give it permission to speak your heart. And then, just as you are about to speak, someone butts in with the dumb question,  ‘does the world need another voice, another song, another poem, another point of view?’

The answer is of course, ‘Yes!’ It needs to hear you. And this month, if not the world, then at least Golden Bay can hear you at one of our courageous open microphone evenings.

We kick off our monthly events this Thursday 1 September at MAD Cafe in Collingwood. Then again at the Mussel Inn on Thursday 22 September. Our weekly events take place at The Dangerous Kitchen every Wednesday at 5.30 pm. And coming up in October we have the Nelson Regional Poetry Slam competition and another Nice Time At The Barn gathering. Details as they are known on the following pages.

Want to hear you at one of these magnificent microphone evenings.

Peace
Mark Raffills
Golden Bay Live Poets Society



The poet

If the poet does not speak,
if the prophet is silent
and the musician does not play,
then how will the word be heard
and how will the warning come
and how will the song be known.

and if the word
and the warning
and the song
are not heard
then how will they know?

 

And if they do not know,
how will they understand?
For if they do not understand,
they will slumber
in the bed of their ignorance,
they will be as lambs to the slaughter
and their life will be taken from them
while they sleep.