Slam poets opine, with a BU spin

Some people workout to relieve stress, while others clean their rooms obsessively or play music. But Hakim Walker writes poetry – specifically about how Greenpeace members need to peace out of Commonwealth Avenue.
‘I do not have a second for the environment,’ the Speak for Yourself Co-President and College of Arts and Sciences senior said to applause at a poetry event over the weekend.
More than 200 people attended ‘Tsai of Relief’ in the George Sherman Union Friday as Speak for Yourself members performed alongside poet Kelly Tsai, who is of no relation to the late BU Trustee Gerald Tsai, Jr.
SFY, BU’s only spoken word poetry club, allows its members to act out and recite original works in spoken word form, member Jessica Kontchou said.
‘You can say anything you want, any way you want to, without censorship,’ Kontchou, a College of Arts and Sciences sophomore, said.
SFY took the stage for the first half of the performance, as 11 members performed and SFY Co-President Hakim Walker and member Andrew Jones emceed.
Member Antonia Lassar performed her take on the ‘race poem.’ As a Jewish suburbanite from Newton, she said that her troubles with writing a credible race poem were rooted in the fact that she had never seen a real gang fight.
‘The biggest fight I ever saw was over Harry Potter,’ Lassar, a College of Fine Arts freshman, said.
After a short intermission, Kelly Tsai finally took the stage at 9 p.m., roughly the projected ending time of the show, due to a 40-minute bus delay. Despite her late arrival, Tsai performed 13 original pieces.
As a proud Taiwanese-American, Tsai opened the show by calling Barack Obama the ‘closest to an Asian-American candidate as we’re likely to see.’ Her first poem was a plea to the presidential candidates about the state of Asian-Americans in politics.
‘We are not black, white, whatever,’ she said. ‘Believe me, this girl is yellow.’
The topics of Tsai’s poems ranged from politics to communism to cunnilingus to her love of Grey’s Anatomy. Throughout her performance, Tsai endorsed a resurgence of what she referred to as the oldest art form, spoken word.
‘Poetry is that secret activity,’ she said. ‘Everyone has a secret poem.’
Tsai finished her show with her video, ‘By-Standing: The Beginning of an American Lifetime,’ about American’s indifference to the war.
Member Alex Greenberg, who performed his piece, ‘A Musical Release,’ said he likes spoken word and SFY because it lets him express himself however he wants.
‘Speak for Yourself is true to its name,’ Greenberg, a CAS sophomore, said. ‘They’ll let you perform even if you suck.’
‘The show was inspiring,’ Boston Latin School student Jennifer Wong said. Wong said that as an Asian-American, she was moved and encouraged by Tsai’s performance and achievements as an Asian-American.
Walker said after the show that he was surprised but happy by the number of people who attended.
‘Spoken word is a great part of life,’ he said. ‘People take whatever they want. That’s the beauty of it.’