The Poets Speak Loud open mic series returns to McGeary’s, after last month’s fantastic Roast of Mary Panza, on Monday, October 26, with featured poet Tim Verhaegen.
Tim Verhaegen grew up on Long Island. He has lived in the Capital District thirty seven years. Tim writes poetry and prose. He belongs to several writing groups and he has read at every poetry open mic within a fifty mile radius and recently dabbles in slam poetry. Tim’s poetry often targets the intimate stories of his own life and the stories of the people closest to him. Uniquely personal and often humorous, his readings are always engaging and entertaining. He loves collecting antiques, toy cars, lamps, and people.
She Sang to me One Night When I Was Eleven
when it comes right down to it,
we’re really all alone,
unless we want someone to own,
and run the life we live.
and I thought thats true!
I’ve always known that’s true.
even though I never thought about it.
I never heard anyone say it like that until then.
I thought someone is finally telling me the truth.
After hearing someone else say what I thought,
I didn’t feel lonely like I felt lonely before.
and peace came over me.
so I rode my bike alone so I could be alone.
I walked on the beach so I could be alone.
I sat in my backyard so I could be alone.
and I wasn’t lonely.
I wasn’t afraid.
I’m always afraid when I’m with other people.
I wondered if any of the other kids knew and I realized,
I knew before the other kids knew.
because I watched kids need to follow other kids so they wouldn’t be alone.
and I watched kids need to lead other kids so they wouldn’t be alone.
and bullies bully other kids so they wouldn’t be alone
and some kids hang with the bullies bullying them so they wouldn’t be alone
then I felt confused, and I wondered.
and the people I did see alone didn’t seem happy to be alone.
people said those people were strange because they were alone.
people said to stay away from those people because they’re always alone.
you better behave yourself or you’ll end up old and alone.
as if there’s a choice.
and I watched the adults marry so they wouldn’t be alone
they had children so they’d never be alone.
they had a second child so the first child wouldn’t be alone.
everybody making sure they’re not alone, not even for a second.
and now people won’t let their children do their homework alone,
they won’t let their children walk to school alone
or play outside alone, not even for a second
I wondered how come I want to be alone, at least sometimes
not so much wanting to be alone, but ok alone.
and I wondered
can you love someone without them owning you or you owning them?
is the ownership mutual?
I mostly see one person owning and the other person owned.
do people like owning?
do people like being owned?
can you teach yourself to like it?
is it ok as long as you’re a good owner?
seems to me the one that loves more is owned.
the one that loves less is the owner.
Poets Speak Loud is Albany Poets’ long-running monthly open mic for poetry and spoken word with a featured poet hosted by local poet Mary Panza at McGeary’s (4 Clinton Square) in downtown Albany on the last Monday of each and every month.
Sign-up for the open mic is 7:00pm, we start around 8pm.
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