We had a lovely time upstairs at Bossa in April, with old friends and new faces (voices!). You know when you have one of those days and you don’t want to leave the house? Then you do and you’re so happy you did? The GPI open mic-ers picked me right up out of my funk and turned my frown upside down.

Some of the highlights from that night…

Damian painted a Rorschact picture, and Jess sang of One Entity.

Luis reminded us that we all drip the same liquid and to think about the things in life that really make us smile.

Jess said we’re going to get it, we are.

Damian is already planning for the ides of March, while Luis is marching on the path of righteousness.

Saman made her poetic footmark, saying you’re at the mountain top of your own expansion.

Damian spoke of ambition, ego, and tearing out all that anger.

Jess had an explosion of love. (no comment

Luis is always throwin’ accapella peace signs.

And fun was had by all.

See you at the next one!

So I’m passing through San Francisco this week, for a speaking engagement on Saturday at an American Constitution Society event, and figured I’d go check out the old scene at 16th & Mission that I helped launch with Miguel, James and Patrick nine years ago, in July 2003.

My companions at a nearby dinner party beforehand marveled at the thunder and lightning, which are apparently relatively uncommon here in SF. It was definitely raining, though not torrentially, and being exhausted after several days with only three hours of sleep, figured I might call it an early night.

Then my friend Ananda Sen called. He’d come down to the neighborhood from Noe Valley, where he just moved from LA, so of course I rolled over to 16th to meet him and his new friend Siraj. Another friend, Yusuf, joined us, though the entire scene was deserted on account of the rain. We chilled out for a while and shared a cigarette before I started badgering Ananda to sing for us, preferably something from Whitney Houston.

I finally coerced him to promise that he’d sing if I sang first, which is opportune since he’s a tough act to follow. I sang a few bars of “Wind Beneath my Wings” before dropping my new ballad, “Justice,” and he followed up with “Superstition.” His renditions are always phenomenal, and this time he attracted several passersby, including several guys who seemed to be homeless.

Cliff and Andre ended up singing the lights out. Cliff, after having…(a lot of) trouble recalling the precise song he wanted to sing, exhorted us to never use drugs. Then he rolled out “Heard it Through the Grapevine,” which I’d ironically considered singing just a few minutes before. Once he got going, he seemed inclined to keep going, so we let the cipher roll for about half an hour. Ananda & I beatboxed and alternated background vocals, making for some lovely a capella improvisation.

Nothing like coming back home….

We had a great time in March, with some of the usual suspects, an old friend, and a hot new poet making his GPI debut. Lovin’ Bossa as our home on third Tuesday nights, we are now doing the open mic upstairs, which has a cozy and intimate atmosphere, almost like the old days hanging at Laila and Fadi’s.

Here are some of the show’s highlights…

Damian was chill and feeling humble (?! ;); in the past he waited, but he’s no longer weighted–got a piece of peace, and, damn, he’s gonna keep it.

Shahid keeps takin’ the green out of the pipes of politicians and puttin’ it into the pockets of the people–he’s not hurting anybody.

Laurie revealed vagina early in the morning light–shocking!–and freedom is strong around that word now.

Luis made a transition towards the end, with art seemingly leaking straight down from his brain and out his mouth.

Jess pledged her loyalty to the Web of the Free and the Roam of the Brave.

Amy gave Split This Rock a shout-out.

And the beat went on:

Shahid sang, justice is hard to find in this world…

Damian said, Icharus was right…

Laurie shouted, we’re consuming, consuming!…

Luis warned, bystanders have come to lead us and we just eat everything they feed us…

And Jess found the words to spin..

Stop.
What’s the point?
Go.
No questions.

Every time I’m at GPI I get inspired all over again. Hope to see you out at the next one!

- Bubs McGee

In February, we changed gears a bit and had our lyrical ambush on the third Tuesday of the month. New faces came on the scene, and we also moved upstairs at Bossa, where we dug the vibe quite a bit. After our set, we boogied to Akoma drummers downstairs, and decided to make the move to third Tuesdays a permanent thing. Here are some highlights from February…

Jeff said well, fiddlesticks, and 911 dead the sleep and slumber turned to bloodshed.

Shahid can’t close a blind eye to the faults that we find, and he still has the Baghdad Blues.

Jessica tapped into her dreams to remember the words not quite perfected, though she continues to write rallying cries.

Damian performed surgery and had himself yellin and tellin, cuz he’s past the point of askin.

Jamie pledged his love to Oh my Anacostia, the river teeming no more, so how can we recall before.

Analysis gave us a bite of a delicious jubilee, and made us wonder if the people who picked it are free.

No words typed here do justice to the passion and rhythm behind them, when we are at Bossa listening to them come from poets’ mouths. Hope to see you next third Tuesdayof the month to share, listen, support, and maybe do some booty shakin after with us.

See you there!

January was an amazing open mic! Great way to start off the year. GPI was holdin’ it down, and we made some new friends along the way, who inspired us with their words, rhythms, and good vibes. Here are some highlights…

Jess tapped her dreams to find the words to spin into a romantic poem or undone perfection.

A smorgasbord of unfathomable might, Shahid warned that the courts say “trust us” while they blindfold you, strapped down to a table.

Damian’s got a great sense of smell–there’s bacon in the breeze, and they keep us in the basics.

J. Page found out that she is truly blessed–walked away and prayed for a hater; and she reminded us that what we wear, what drive keeps us preoccupied, while cancer-ridden mothers continue to die.

J. Quinn remembered Troy Davis, whose body dropped, tears fell, and the free world continued. His real poem begins here, at the point of anger.

Jay surprised us in over time to say It’s 2012, the year we learn our strength and find out Yes, We Can get on the same wave length.

Looking forward to February! See you there.

Thanks to all who came out to the last open mic of 2011 in December! Here are the highlights…

Always cool as the breeze, Damian applied his flawless knowledge to cause great expectations, ’cause he’s on some different shit.

Jess reminisced about el mar y lago.

Shahid is helping us find justice in this world because our rights got sold–you’re being watched by big brother right now!

Clara’s whole being vibrates, with sad melodies and happy songs, as she goes in search of a thousand houses in her absent mind.

Raj found out that love is like the wind, never to be held.

Farah knows the drive we humans have to survive, but we let things like oil cloud any judgement of what we must do to save each other–we need to learn to love to live.

Learn to love to live–aw yeah.

November’s open mic brought memories of freestyles fun and sometimes cold nights outside at Dupont Circle. Blast from the past Johanna brought her hand drum, and she sat in with poets to add some rhythmic flavor to the mix. Just like old times. Here are some other highlights…

Jeff was looking for greater wisdom towards peace in these difficult times.

Leana sang sweetly, make it sooner than later–you can move on and don’t need no one else.

Jess gave her the right to strut around here.

Shea can’t admit that you’ve been pre-trained–any proclamation that we’re all human.

Shahid asked, if not you, if not now, when?

Jay said even the watch dogs are asleep, so how soon can we make it stop?

Bring your words and rhythms, and see you next time!

October was an exciting month, as we saw and participated in actions as a collective for the first time in a long time. A few poets both old and new to GPI joined the folks from October2011.org down at Freedom Plaza in Washington, DC on their main stage. Here’s a link to that performance, ours is the second performance on this video. There were speakers, performers, campers, and marchers from all walks of life and generations there to share their hearts and minds with DC and the world, hoping to help stop corporate greed and the war machine that have taken over our society. GPI also had a presence in October at Occupy DC in McPherson Square, helping keep up the good fight against Wall Street.

GPI’s October open mic was an intimate gathering of familiar faces, who keep up the good words every second Tuesday night of the month in the spirit of socially conscious change. We’ll continue dropping those positive thoughts in the quest-for-a-better-world bucket, which seems to be coming to a tipping point lately. You can always come and ride the wave with us at Bossa every month, and add your voice to the movement.

See you there!

It was an intimate night of poetry and politics at Bossa during September’s open mic. Not only were some veteran poets hot to trot, but the audience got in the spirit too, sparking a lively debate about current events. Here are some highlights for inspiration…

Damian dreams in sepia and can’t think of one single thing he can bitch about.

Jessica was so sick of the everyday grind and the press, but she hopes we’re going to get it.

Jeff’s got leeches in his peaches, and the government’s his dog. He also invites you to protest against a white supremacist club with him on November 4th and 5th in Baltimore.

Lisa is a saint, an angel, a magician with tendonitis, and will be having a photography show at The Fridge in DC starting October 15th.

Lacy sang,
Where did all the taxes go
Long time passing
Where did all the taxes go
Long time ago
To CEO bank accounts one by one
When will they ever learn
I pay my money come tax time
But corporations don’t often pay a dime…

Damian’s perfectly decent but he ain’t real good.

Sheila returned after a long hiatus and retold an act by those who hate us: the halls were so quiet and when anything was said it was, the twins are dead.

The people and the poetry just keep coming out, making each month at the GPI a tasty treat. Hope to see you there next month!

- Jessica

We had a great time at Bossa in August! Here are some highlights from the open mic:

Shahid took the green out of the pockets of politicians and put it in the pockets of the peaceful.

Jess talked down to oppression.

Michael found his voice again, sharing with us his words in fours and inspired adaptability, after fighting and conquering his menace within.

Lisa reminded us that the stock market isn’t able to wrap arms around a fellow or float across a feeling–it’s not a person!

Damian: Lincoln Perry never gave much thought about what being that way would do to him.

Luis asked what is art? A mere account of existence? Art is perfection. Food for the heart, mind, body, and soul.

Laurie poured her heart out to Katrina’s 500,000 environmental refugees, seeing nothing but cracks in the nation…do you feel safe?

Lacy lamented the new liberal world: a glass world of pomp and double speak–each of her words another stone thrown.

Ashlee’s the ish, and her ish never gets old. Her red light only comes on for you.

Erin has a mission and food and love, and she has life, and it makes her smile everyday.

Other phrases from the night that may inspire you to write!…

welcome to the terror drome
i want to love you completely
i am simply incredible
might does not make right
are you wild like me
one day he’ll leave
shot the seed into the darkness
it’s too little too late
it’s bullets against rocks
congress and con-men both end up convicts

Join us out in September! We’re at Bossa every second Tuesday of the month.