Thank Heavens I Took That American Poetry Class...

Monday night we attended the Boise individuals finals Poetry Slam competition at Neurolux Lounge...where I was spontaneously asked to be one of five judges! Imagine! The pressure! The honor! The applause! As the judge next to me said, "What am I, Paula Abdul?"

I was given a hand-held board with numbered flip cards, allowing me to offer, for the rest of the lounge patrons, a score -- sort of like they do for Olympic gymnasts...OK, back when gymnastic judging made sense, anyway.

Five competitors each presented 4 poems in 4 rounds, for judging on both the poem itself, and their presentation. I automatically gave extra points to those who had their poem memorized, and were not reading it from notes. Presentation is everything. The competition was tough, but my fave won, and will represent Boise at the individual nationals.

Later, the "draw," if you will, world champion slammer Mighty Mike McGee performed. Among his offering was his Soul Food, which weaves a tale of his participation in an eating competition with the devil...who sounds a lot like Sean Connery. Mike was not competing, but I'd have given him a 9.2. With an extra point, on principle, for his Mitch Hedberg T-shirt.