The Filipino are a special breed of people from the human race, bundled up in emotions that often times conflict with their conservative culture. These influences include the Catholic church, a communal society, and high pressure western influences that include materialism, consumerism and media that try to shape who they should try to be. For those without an outlet to self-express, the basement venue of Sev’s Cafe hosted by Words Anonymous provides a monthly open mic night for those who have the courage to feed an audience their own raw emotions.
The things you hide from your family are striped off in spoken word in the form of poetry. The girl you’ve pursued but since gone into the friend zone has left it’s scars. The LGBT closet you ran to becomes the audience you stand in front of. The deepest emotions the sadness, the fear, the love. Metaphors are given for what words and the human language can’t explain. An ear of a hundred strangers, the voice of one courageous soul, and the student, artistic, and intellectual atmosphere defines Sev’s. The strangers you cry in front of become acquaintances, the acquaintances become friends and they become refuge, your community.
Angel Cruz of Words Anonymous during her poems “Isosceles” and “Gypsy”
You’re not meant to be understood, you’re simply meant to be loved. So each month you check-in to Sev’s for a dose of medicine poured out in an open mic night. In the few hours I downed some Red Horses Camille and I sat there and saw women and men cry, pouring their hearts out in what might otherwise be frowned upon in this society. The notes I took came here follow as I originally wrote them.
* God’s energy in the big bang is loves creation
* The reason you hold her hand is because your palms feel empty* I only have limited gestures to show you I love you, but I try
* There are corners of my heart where I discover magic
* There’s more that you come back to than that you leave.
* I’m loved. I’ve never seen how much I am loved. Immensely.
* My wounds and emotions go deeper than the skin, the surface, and the heart that dwells.
There is a place for the misunderstood, there is a forum for our conversations to strive, and there is a community to love us.
Welcome to Sev’s Cafe Open Mic.
