Last night KGNU and the Pan-African Arts Society brought Suheir Hammad, Brooklyn-based, Palestenian poet to the Ashbury Events Center here in Denver. Prior to reading her poems, we were graced by the presence of spoken word artist Rodzilla, who devestated the audience spitting out words and associations that blew us all way. Crysta Bell, Seattle based artist, was equally rivetting, giving a breakdown of how women should love their kootchies. Finally Hammad got up to speak and used words to find beauty in unrecognizably painful experiences. Her words incited a revolution of the soul, a desire to make change, and to settle for nothing less than peace, love, and compassion. Not in some hippy-dippy sense. In a revolutionary way. Her words gave me hope that revolution was not lost, that possibility exists, that love can transcend the body, the mind, the soul. Tears streamed down my face as she pronounced her love of criminals, demonstrating through her poetry that they were of the highest order of humanity. Hammad has a new book called Zaatar Diva, that is apparently sold out. It's a shame, cause I want to read her lines over and over and let them shake me up and wreck me.
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