On October 31st, I attended the Fall Poetry Revel at the Newman Vertical Campus of Baruch College. The event was planned to be a free for all poetry exhibition, looking to give young poets an opportunity to share their work or perform resonating works of others. I arrived early for the event and was slightly disappointed by the lack of audience. I had a preconceived idea that people may not want to show up to a poetry event. However, as time passed, the flow of people increased and eventually the room was full of students and professors, intermingling, laughing and enjoying each other’s company. I realized that my preconceived ideas were based on my reluctance and lack of interest towards poetry. The lively and jubilant atmosphere made me realize that many people were excited about the idea of sharing their work while also appreciating works of others. As the event began, professor Kelly of the english department performed a six-part poem on zombie love. This unique and slightly unsettling poem set the foundation for the event. As much of the audience shuddered at the gruesome details of the poem, many also began to relax and felt more comfortable to share their poems. Once professor Kelly concluded her poem, she offered the floor to a new poet. At this point, the room went slightly silent, contrasting the jubilant claps at the conclusion of professor Kelly’s poem. A student from the back of the room braved the silence and walked to the front of the room.

The student who walked to the front of the room was a young girl named Kalani. As she introduced herself, she visibly tense and took several very audible breaths. Her demeanor displayed her desperation to draw any sort of confidence that she could. Kalani announced that she would be performing the poem “Daddy’s Little Girl”. She did not mention whether this was her own work or whether she was performing some poem which resonated with her. However, I soon came to the realization that Kalani was performing her own work. As she began reciting her poem, Kalani appeared to be trying very hard not to glance at the crowd which showed her shyness and anxiety in result of standing in front of a crowd. I assumed that was case however, I was quite wrong. As I listened to Kalani’s poem, I realized why she was uncomfortable. The poem was extremely emotional and personal. It was from Kalani’s account, talking to her father and telling him how she wished she could make him proud. Her poem poured out her inner thoughts and feelings which she could not possibly formulate into speech. As she continued reciting her poem, Kalani visibly became teary eyed and her voice began to crack. Her reluctance had turned into a very sad emotion as she continued to take audibly deep breaths in order to hold back her tears. By the end of her performance, Kalani’s entire demeanor had changed as she appeared moved and touched by her own poem and the audience mirrored the same feelings. As she walked back to the back of the room, the entire room broke into resounding applause.

After listening to several poets perform their poems, I found a stark difference between listening to someone else perform and reading silently to myself. Listening to others reciting their poems allowed me a look into the meaning behind their poems thanks to their emotions and body language. In contrast, had I read those poems on my own, I would not have understood the emotional stories and the feelings behind them. This also allowed me to understand the need for a true feeling and emotion behind every piece of writing. I witnessed how true feelings and emotions transformed the poems.

Overall, the Poetry Revel was a very interesting experience. I understood the importance of watching someone perform poetry and the different emotions and feelings such performances add to the overall message and interpretation of the poem.