Word Artist Intriques Students

By KRISTINA DAHLINGER
Staff Writer

Spoken word poet, Bassey, arrived at the Anthony F. Ceddia Union Building multi-purpose room on Nov. 13 at 9 p.m. Dim lights and lit candles set the mood for the evening.

Bassey was born in Nigeria and raised in Oklahoma. She has also lived in both Washington, D.C., and Brooklyn.
The poet opened her performance with a few humorous words. “Everything I say is hilarious,” said Bassey. Her poems were daring, witty and funny.

Bassey opened with an intriguing poem, which drew in the audience. The poet spun words off of her tongue in a rap-like rhythm.

Bassey has a way of connecting to her audience with her poetry. Her second poem was about breaking up with a boyfriend. It was composed of thoughts such as, “Bruises of painful memories.” Thoughts such as these are ones which anyone can relate to, making Bassey’s words easy to connect to.

The third poem was written for Britney Spears. Bassey felt for Brittney being constantly attacked by the paparazzi, and wrote “This is What I Would Say if I Were Her.” The poem was about Britney being both broken and sad.

“A Love Poem to Myself,” was about Bassey’s opinion of herself. She told the audience that she wrote the poem during a time when she was experiencing writers’ block. Her friend told her to write a love poem to herself, and so she did. Throughout the poem she repeated, “This is a poem for you, girl.”

She wrote the poem, “When You Think it Helps,” when she saw a woman crying in a grocery store. She wanted to hug her, but knew that it would seem strange if she did. The poem was Bassey’s way of imagining what this woman could be upset about.

Being born in Nigeria and raised in Oklahoma, Bassey learned to speak English quickly, and forgot her native language. She wrote “Homeword,” to express the difficulty dealing with the language barrier between her and her grandmother.

Bassey’s performance brought about an abundance of laughter throughout the night. Many of her jokes were aimed toward a mature audience.

One of her poems, “What I Should Have Said: Part 2,” was about getting into an argument with someone and thinking about what she should have said, after the argument was over. Bassey spoke of all of her characteristics which could be seen as qualities or defaults to a man. This poem seemed to be an argument in itself.
Singer Phyllis Hyman committed suicide around 1995. Bassey found Hyman’s autobiography in Barnes and Noble and decided to read it while visiting the store.

The book inspired her to write the poem, “One Good Reason to Stay.” The poem was aimed toward celebrities who have difficulty dealing with their stress.

Bassey told the audience that she was recently diagnosed with depression. She wrote “Choices” because of her illness. The poem reflected her fear of the illness. She spoke of being lonely, scared and self-conscious.

Bassey was funny, friendly and personable. She was open with the audience about many of her opinions.
A true artist of words, Bassey read poems which were powerful and moving. A robust applause was given after each poem was read. Her words left the audience stunned.