Don’t miss this event if you’re in Sacramento. If you’re not in Sacramento, get to Sacramento.
Monthly Archives: February 2013
Poetry Reading on February 11, 2013 – Sacramento
Sean King, Anna Marie, Laura Cook, and Kelly Freeman
Sean King, Anna Marie, Laura Cook, and Kelly Freeman
Monday, Feb. 11 at 7:30 PM
Sacramento Poetry Center
1719 25th Street
Host: Emmanuel Sigauke
Sean King is a husband, a father, a writer, a published author, a spoken word artist, a computer geek, a community activist, a dreamer, and someone who loves life. He has performed on stages and in different venues across the country. He has three books of poetry (Through My Eyes I, Through My Eyes II, and Hypnogysms). He is mentor to numerous youth in the Northern California area. He is an extraordinary poet with a gift of word manipulation, splicing, wielding and other things outlawed by the U.N.
Anna Marie Sprowl has been writing and performing poetry for years. Her work ranges from the political to the domestic – her pieces provide both warmth and fire for the reader. Anna Marie’s poetry flows with a smooth style and grace; she fills both pages and stages with her life experiences. Never shy to self-expression, she seeks to see understanding in the eyes of her audience. Anna Marie has performed at The Show and Underground Books, as well as the Crocker Art Museum, The Guild Theater, and Jazz and Poetry 2010 and 2012 with the Brubeck Institute Jazz Quintet. She is the winner of the 2012 Super Love Jones Poetry Slam.
Laura Cook (immoBme) is the eldest daughter to Cynthia Robinson of “Sly and the Family Stone,” born in Sacramento, raised in Oak Park and possesses a few forgotten origins of MmaMmaAfrica. Her poetic tag “immoBme as.I.B.we” canopies much in journey, as she’s further sharin’ shaklez in homage to the goodness of God. She is one of Sacramento’s darlings.
Kelly Freeman is a Los Angeles native who began writing poetry at the age of 12. Her father was a poet and encouraged her to write and bought her first journal. She started performing on stage here in Sacramento ten years ago. She has also performed in Los Angeles, and the bay area. Kelly has been a featured artist at the Luna’s, The Guild Theater, Mahogany poetry series, Brown Sugar series, and the touring erotica show “The sweet spot”. She was recently featured at the Shine cafe and Pepperbellys and looks forward to performing more in the future. She is currently writing a book, but has put printing on hold so that she can add some of the works of her father whom she recently lost. It has always been her dream to share his poetry with the world.
Information Provided Courtesy of the Sacramento Poetry Center Site: http://www.sacramentopoetrycenter.com/
Long Live the King
You can not assassinate a spirit
You can only kill a man
You can not assassinate a spirit
You can only kill a man
The untimely end to an era
Hope shattered
Hearts broken
People left to deal with dreams deferred
Slain visions of freedom
Stretched out and lying on piss infested street corners
Previously desecrated on
By America’s king of exploitation
Capitalism
I have a dream
POW!
The towering civil rights leader
With a voice hot like an inferno
Slain
The man who had become known as Dr. King
Humbled to his knees
Forced to face the only fate
Life has guaranteed for us,
Death
With him the hopes and dreams
Of millions looking to him as their prodigy
Of millions looking to him as their prophet
Of millions looking to him as their leader
Of millions looking to him as their savior
One man who would take the cross
And give his life for humanity
One man who would mount the burden
Of millions of fearful souls
And will them to freedom
Or so they hoped
Or so they believed and prayed
When his heart quit thumping
Hope was lost
Time stopped
People were forced
To deal with the reality of trying to get somewhere
Without someone holding their hand and
Leading the way
Many gave up
Many quit trying
Figuring oppression was the destiny of life
But for some
The fight got stronger
The intensity of their spirit increased from the addition
Dr. King the man, was no more
But his spirit was forever
Determined to continue the fight
Against oppression
Determined to continue the fight
Against injustice
Determined to continue the fight
Against inequality
Determined to continue the fight
For freedom
It was a cold gloomy day
On April 4th, 1968 when a man
Oozing righteousness from his every pour
Was assassinated
Killed by a government intoxicated by the
False perception of playing God
But they failed
And to think,
They would attempt to assassinate the spirit of a man
With a man made tool of destruction
A ludicrous presumption to say the least
Yet they keep trying
And with each death I grow
Soon to become a figure so enormous
So colossal
That I will be able to tuck in a cannonball position
And roll to freedom
Crushing all opposition in my path
When they say Dr. King is dead
I hesitate
Then I laugh
Because I know his spirit
Lives vicariously through my soul
And if you look close enough
You can see the gleam of his eyes
Tucked carefully behind mine
They still do not understand
The only thing that can kill Dr. King is we
If we give up the fight for right and run
Fortunately we’ve just begun
And maybe this time they will understand
You can not assassinate a spirit
You can only kill a man
You can not assassinate a spirit
You can only kill a man
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