POETRY - Sticks and Stones

Strawbs bar 08/03

By Danielle Sheridan

From vampires to peanut butter, doing the dishes to life’s disappointment, Sticks and Stones presented a night of profound poetic thinking, once again showing that poetry is something that speaks to our day and age, and about all issues imaginable. The unique words spoken resounded within the four walls of Strawbs bar and echoed determinedly.­­

The highlight of the evening was undoubtedly special guest Gerry Potter, one of the most respected performance poets in the UK. Growing up in “the roughest part of Liverpool,” Potter had to rely on humour to get him through the constant “twattings” he received from the local “dead ‘ard” bullies who picked on him as a “homosexual kid who had a thing for Doctor Who.” Poetry offered a form

of escapism. Having spent the past 15 years performing as Chloe Poet, which entailed cross-dressing for the character (highly believable when you see him), Potter has killed her off, adopting a poet that is truer to himself. His gritty Scouse accent captivates, his non-stop hilarity leaves little room to breath between laughter, and his thought-provoking poems about everyday issues make Potter utterly fantastic.

Some might be squeamish at the idea of a whole few hours of poetry, but this poetry is about as far removed from the dusty anthologies that we might remember from school. When broken down to its organic form, music (which I am confident in saying is an activity the majority of us partake in and enjoy doing so) is poetry: poetry is the spoken word of a song. From stand up poetry and intensely rhythmic slam poetry to poet of the page, this night offers a diverse exhibition of the medium.

Of course there were serious poems exploring issues of love etc etc, but with poems like Potter’s ‘Homage To The Dead ‘ard Scally Girl’ the lasting impression is of the hilarity of these stand up poets, some of whom deserve to be dually classified as both comedians and poets.

Still unsure? As one poet said, “leave your shoes at the door, along with your preconceptions.”