Ronald Taylor walked steadily to the slightly raised stage, through the crowd settled casually in armchairs and small tables at the Jabberwocky Cafe. In the bright, buzzing room, it seemed he was about to converse with friends rather than deliver a performance.

As he settled in front of the microphone, Taylor, a freshman policy studies and African American studies dual major, closed his eyes. He then opened his mouth to recite his fast-paced, passionate poem about his grandfather’s life and death. The audience watched his hands flying in the air, gesturing to an imaginary person. Like many of the poets at this open mic, he painted a scene that drew the room together.

The Open Mic for Hope and Remembrance, hosted by Verbal Blend and the Remembrance Scholars as a part of Remembrance Week, took place Tuesday evening. The event honored the 35 Syracuse University students who died on board Pan Am Flight 103 and allowed the SU community to connect to them through spoken word poetry.

The open mic was one of many events organized as a part of Remembrance Week. The week commemorates the students who died in the 1988 terrorist bombing. Thirty-five seniors are chosen annually to honor and represent the memory of these victims. Margot Manasevit, a Remembrance Scholar and senior Latino-Latin American studies and Spanish language, literature and culture dual major, believes the open mic achieved one of the main goals of Remembrance Week.

‘It’s easy to say that this happened in 1988. That’s a long time ago. I think that by handing the microphone over to people on campus, it turns this into something relevant,’ Manasevit said. ‘It’s important for people to be able to reflect out loud and keep it relevant in a personal way.’

Inspiration for the poetry, an emotive art form shaped differently by each individual, came from a variety of sources. Poems were written by current students, victims before the Pan Am bombing, families of the victims, professors and some came from past memorial services. One performance included a cover of Death Cab for Cutie’s song ‘I Will Follow You into the Dark.’

The presentation of the poetry also differed. Some readers stood in a powerful stance with their feet apart and hands clasped, and their voices on the verge of shouting. Others were more sentimental in their expression, with furrowed brows and eyes on a notebook, sometimes coming close to tears.

Cedric Bolton, coordinator of student engagement in the Office of Multicultural Affairs and founder of Verbal Blend, said the topics of remembrance and hope would resonate differently with each student. ‘The poets come with their various styles to touch upon the themes, those that come close to their hearts, to share within that space,’ he said.

The themes of loss, acceptance and hope that flowed from the words of the writers touched the audience. In the intimate room, heads nodded dreamily along with the lines of the poems, and hands flew up at the conclusion of each piece, snapping fingers to express approval.

Olivia Rhinehart, a Remembrance Scholar and senior English and textual studies, education and Spanish triple major, read an original poem addressing the Pan Am victim that she identifies with: Sarah S. B. Philipps.

‘Sarah, I’ll never understand death in the physical sense,’ she read. ‘But we hold you here still. And we will remember you, too.’

Rhinehart said reading her poem was a cathartic experience, one in which she could release the strong emotions she feels for Sarah. ‘That experience and connectivity, it was beautiful,’ Rhinehart said. ‘I think that reading to the whole crowd, seeing their faces and making eye contact as I was expressing the words I felt, was really such a community builder for me.’

ggriccar@syr.edu

Published on November 8, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Gabriela: ggriccar@syr.edu