Capuccinos and Poetry

One of my favorite things about University life is all the creative outlets I am allowed. On Friday, I participated from a collaborative poetry reading combining poets from both my private university and the larger state university at a bohemian style coffeehouse downtown.

I read two of my own poems, following a sort of free verse personification of myself into a fish in the first poem, and a bird in the second. A friend of mine filmed by performance of my bird poem, for those of you who are interested in hearing it.

(Please excuse the watermark on the video; I didn't want to pay for the software to remove it.)

Canadian Ladies

Earlier this semester I was fortunate to see one of my favorite groups perform in concert. Heather Masse, Nicky Mehta and Ruth Moody make up Canadian folk trio, The Wailin' Jennys. I've been a fan of folk music since my days in junior high. The Jennys offer their own blend of sounds with meaningful and heartfelt lyrics The multifaceted talent of these women (and their fiddler and mandolinist, Jeremy Penner) is displayed through a wide range of vocals (alto Heather, mezzo Nicky and soprano Ruth) as well as the guitar, harmonica, accordion, among other instruments.

The timelessness of the Jennys' music is evidenced in the words to their angelic music:

"Got a heart that opens clear in this cool September dark /It rests on treetop leaves /And bursts its little sparks /And sometimes it sings its songs /And it lets its secrets out /Except for one that sears inside /That it cannot live without /But if I tell you will you take it /Will you shine it up to me /Can you be strong to let me go on /And set this freedom free"

-"Ten Mile Stilts" from 40 Days

The Wailin' Jennys are true artists with a deep insight into the beauty of life.