When I first saw you,
I knew.
You were a soul I had to meet.
Your beauty caught my attention,
Your vibe gave me comfort
You filled me with wonder.
You had books on your shelf,
Organized by bartender recommendations.
There was local art,
hung on your walls.
Hand crafted cocktails,
and specialty pizzas.
It was clear to me,
This was the place to be.
As people arrived,
and the sign up sheet filled,
I thought I was going to throw up.
To share my thoughts and feelings on stage
Was a big deal.
As each poet went up,
and shared their inner most thoughts
I never imagined
how much it would fill my cup.
A poet was someone
I never considered myself to be.
You have to be good at writing,
You have to rhyme.
Make sure you take up just enough time.
The really good poets write poetry
that hurts your brain.
The kind that makes you go insane.
What I learned that day,
Was that none of it was true.
My perception was completely wrong,
On what a poet should be.
That’s when I realized,
there was a poet in me.
Each person that was there,
Had a heart filled with emotion.
Pain, Love, Anxiety, and Joy.
Self expression is their devotion.
The Atrium was a place,
where authenticity came alive.
A safe place for deep emotion,
A safe place for self expression to thrive.
Until now,
The last poem I read,
Was a poem
I could not bring myself to speak out loud.
Tonight was special.
Poetry at the Atrium
Took its last bow.
I will be forever grateful,
for the safety, acceptance and compassion
that was built inside your walls.
For all the beauty you gave us,
The love and pain that connected us all.
Thank you sweet Atrium,
Fellow poets, Booger, Ash
all the bartenders and cooks too!
For an experience I will never forget,
All my love and gratitude for you!