A rose by any other name is but a word without intent

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It is a single theme, an element, that is further passed down and expanded upon throughout the generations. It can be as long and complex as a story, and as small and blunt as a note card—the spoken word is an artform that has long been used and performed throughout various cultures and geological regions. Names such as Shakespeare may come up when addressing his sonnet forms which hold specific patterns involving syllables within a phrase. Others may be considering Haikus—a form of poetry that relies on a set pattern-syllable structure.

“rippling waves

with the wind scent

beat together”

—Matsuo Basho

Yes—the spoken word, with an emphasis on pattern and phrase structure, has a means of reaching human thoughts and emotions. For it does not only rely on writing and grammatical style, but also tone, accents, inarticulate sounds and, my personal favorite, silence. All of such techniques are used to promote a style or translate a message.  

On Thursday night, Nov. 9 at 7 p.m., MUSES Art and Literary Magazine sponsored an event in Cafe Frais. Located on Liberty Street, the event served as a means to both promote the business as well as support the artform that is ‘open mic.’ Students of various beginnings and reasons presented themselves to each other, for each other, as a means of pure expression and truth. Stories, said or implied, were rhythmic and rhymed over tea and coffee—it was truly a night of inspiration. An instance, a moment, of simply existing for the sake of one’s story and passion. I myself felt enthralled by the setting as a whole.

You walk in to warm yourself against the cold, the barista smiles to your right while rows of chairs and tables on your left lead you to the tiny stage in the corner.  With a microphone set, people were free to go up if they wanted to. Those who wished to listen would listen, and those who didn’t politely held their conversations to themselves, sitting a ways away from the stage-corner. It was a calming place that emphasized patience and understanding. Comedy and tragedy, love and heartbreak, cries of anarchy and hopes for change were shared and distributed throughout the night. I felt like both a witness as well as a collector; as figures walked up to their enshrined stage to share and express their writings and sounds, I listened and further catalogued them as part of my own truth and understanding.

 

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