I had the pleasure of hosting a lovely poet from Philadelphia this past weekend. She was passing through Chicago on her way home to Philly after attending a Poetry Conference in Iowa.
We spent our first day traveling to Pilsen to the Fiesta del Sol street fest. We felt a little out of place, as we appeared to be the only people there without children. After walking around and getting some authentic Mexican eats, there was not much left for us to do. I wanted to hit the awesome carnival rides, but that didn't sit too well with my surfer, as she has motion sickness (not a good combination). So we left and hit my favorite venue in Pilsen - Simone's. They make some of the best cocktails in town and the food is awesome as well.
On Sunday, we hit the Brown Elephant and I could not get her out of there. Who doesn't love the Brown Elephant though? The next stop was Hollywood Beach for some people watching and eye popping beach attire. We hit Iyanze for some delish African food, and then it was finally time for the Green Mill. What better way to show a poet a piece of Chicago than the Poetry Slam at the Green Mill?
The Slam was amazing! I have been before, but this night was exceptional. My surfer was fortunate enough to go up on stage to read one of her poems. She did a nice little tribute to me and Chicago, and did a great job reciting her poem. There were three well-known German poets in the audience, who also ended up performing and competing against the Chicago poets.
My surfer was an inspiration to me and I am sharing the poem she recited below. I wish her all the best in her pursuit of poetry and traveling!
As
We Could
When you are late again
drowning in a school of cars
screaming foreign phrases, your
bones question sanity, you pause.
Drivers interrupt you with beep,
beep. Their jerking hands
bleed for your patchwork home.
Even the skyscrapers are
staring, leaving you empty--
blue sky, heavy eyes,
empty tired of
being lost.
When the skyscrapers stare know
you and I loved one
another as purely as we
could. This is your city:
cracked pavement, foggy streetlights.
Focus the lens. The flash beats
steel walls, zoom. Your
skyscraping reasons.
Kate Filicky is originally from Pittsburgh, but she's
currently traveling around. For more information, visit katefilicky.com.
The poetry slam at the Green Mill was a night I'll never forget: the Chicago poets against the German's, a chance to read on stage, and the beautiful combination of words and smooth music. Other than that darn elephant drinking all the funds in my checking account earlier that day, my stay in Chicago was absolutely flawless. ;)