Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer
Joseph Current, who progresses to the finals of the ongoing 'poetry slam' competition being held at Weekenz, Constant Spring Road, St. Andrew. - CARLINGTON WILMOT/FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER
AFTER THREE poets had put their verses forward three times at Weekenz, Constant Spring Road, St. Andrew, on Tuesday night, two progressed to the finals of the ongoing 'slam' competition.
The finals are also at Weekenz on Tuesday, September 27.
With selected members of the audience doing the judging and Jah Shanti as the 'sacrificial goat', whose poetry was used to calibrate the night's standard, Joseph Current, African Pride and Donovan Broderick utilised their three minutes per round, or parts thereof, going in that order at first.
Current was in a society cleaning mood, as he started by declaring "me come fi sweep out de house right now". "We need a house of honour/we need a house of truth/we need a house of love," he said.
Broderick uttered an 'aah!' from off-stage, setting the tone for a forceful delivery, stepping on to do 'Why I Cry'. "I cry because I am poor," he began, continuing with "I am willing to work/but nobody will give me a job/I am left with no alternative but to kill and rob."
'POVERTY'
African Pride, the woman of the trio, started out with 'Poverty', a state in which 'cynicism was the order of the day/and sympathy a drop in the ocean". "Poverty cling to them like a husband to his wife," she said of the poor, concluding that "I am no longer an onlooker/I am among the poor/I am among the begging crowd."
The Per-Verse Poetry night's host, Nadia Styles, reminded all of the parameters under which the poets slammed, including no music, no props, no crowd participation and the three minute time limit.
With 26.5 points, African Pride led the round, followed by Joseph Current with 21.5 and Donovan Broderick with 19. The round leader Pride, went first, going with 'Emancipation'. As in the first round she was forceful throughout the lengthy poem, in which she urged "We must know ourselves/understand ourselves/embrace ourselves", ending with an extended cry of "freedom!"
Joseph Current delivered 'Mister Gunner Man', in which he asked a would-be killer "tink before yu pull the trigger/a really me yu wan fi murda?" "I am facing the same things as you," he continued, "me cyaan afford de phone cyard/me fed up wid de cellie/sometime me waan scream". Current went into a deeper tone to give the reply of the gunman, who said "from me a murda people yute/a de firs' time me gun stick".
'FUTURE JAMAICA'
Broderick briefly described a 'Future Jamaica', "the island that accept all races/and put smiles on their faces".
With 25.75 to African Pride's 25 and Donovan Broderick's 20, Joseph Current led the round and went first for the third and final go-round. He dealt with the topic of 'Joe Grind' and their habit of not taking care of their children, warning "put the children's needs firs'/an' not Caymanas Park/put the children's need firs'/an not de col' beer/when yu drop offa rum tree/who gwine bring yu rocking chair?"
African Pride went into an extended discussion of 'Bad Min' and Broderick lived up to his pre-poem statement of "short and precise" when he came up for the last time.
African Pride topped the night's slam, winning membership at Go Active.
Along with Joseph Current, she will compete in the grand slam.
DJ Soursop sang and Jah Shanti returned with poetry to finish Tuesday night's performances.
