It's a little after 7pm and the clouds are pouring heavily. Yet, my friends and I make our way to Union Bistro and Jazz where we assumed an open mic would be held. WRONG! The bistro was closed for the night and the open mic session was moved to the 3rd Street Diner. A simple, cozy three-floored diner.

Along with its cozy interior, the diner had a very nice waitress working the third floor, which is where the session was held. At the back of the room, a sort of sky door led to a balcony overlooking downtown. We sat down at a table in the back and waited for more people to show up.

The longer I waited, the longer my nerves crept up. Slowly and slowly. But alas, I had moral support with me - two friends to document and cheer me on. We sat through the previous performances of the night. There was a lot of singing going on, but they were all great singers.

Then came my turn. With my nerves rocking back and forth like a small wooden boat rolling on the ocean, I made my way to the front of the room. I found comfort in the friendliness of everyone there and reading my poem out loud to a room of strangers became second nature. I am alive when I am on stage. What felt even better than being up there was what came afterwards. The intense emotion that I brought to everyone in the crowd. The mood I had helped shaped. It felt wonderful to be in a room full of artistic, like-minded people.

Below you will find the video of me reciting my poetry. My friend wasn't able to catch the first couple seconds but she did an amazing job making sure this moment was caught on camera. I cannot wait until next Thursday to read again.