Peter Rosado moved to center stage. A stream of calming rhythm and blues music faded as he faced the audience in Gifford Auditorium. The lights from the screen behind him cast a dark shadow around his frame.

‘I told you I love you,’ said Rosado, a senior psychology major, passionately projecting his feelings of the risks of wanting to stay with his true love forever. The crowd became still, with only an occasional whisper heard.

He gestured emphatically, his voice straining as he projected words of hope and anguish to the audience without speaking through a microphone.When he finished, the audience gave a humbled applause.

The Love, Sex and Poetry Open Mic Night, hosted by Verbal Blend on Wednesday night, showcased Rosado and other poets expressing their emotions on topics revolving around love and sex. It was Verbal Blend’s first event of 2012 with a broad topic for students to vent in any way they chose to.

‘Obviously we’re gonna say some very fun things, some sexy things,’ said Rosado, the founding president of Verbal Blend. ‘But there’s also very solemn pieces.’

The poets thoroughly explored the world of love and sex. Pieces ranged from love letters never received, outright hatred of the damaging effects of love, women being seen as sexual objects and one-night stands.

One performance that struck a chord with the audience was by Debra Thach, an undecided freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences, andChris Whitehead, a sophomore political science major. The two acted out the poetic argument of a boy begging his girlfriend for forgiveness after cheating on her. Thach’s furious refusal to believe her boyfriend’s lust for love had the audience enthusiastically snapping their fingers. The crowd watched as Thach flipped off Whitehead and left him.

Thach was excited about how the performance was received, especially since it was her first time at an Open Mic Night. She said she found the atmosphere welcoming.

‘Verbal Blend always has a good crowd,’ she said. ‘Everyone’s always snapping, everyone’s always encouraging.’

While many new poets made their debuts, several experienced ones also presented. Michael Gaut, a recent University of Nigeria graduate, said he keeps up with Verbal Blend and attends the group’s open mic events whenever he can. He recited a lengthy poem about leaving the only woman he loves and returning to an empty life.

‘Welcome to the daily life of a poet who pours his heart out onstage,’ he said in a saddened voice, reading entirely from memory with wit and stirring emotion.

Cedric Bolton, coordinator of student engagement in the Office of Multicultural Affairs and founder of Verbal Blend, said the night was extremely successful. He hoped the Open Mic Night will help students make the transition from writing poetry to performing it. He said it provides a space for students to express their bottled-up emotions.

‘People were really portraying their experiences,’ Bolton said. ‘Whether it’s the poetry or the love.’

meantonu@syr.edu

Published on March 7, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Contact Max: meantonu@syr.edu