On Feb. 22 members of the Geneseo Spoken Word Poets put on a night of tantalizing art full of snaps and laughs at Spicy Songs and Sex Poems in Sturges Auditorium.
The night opened with a performance by Hips n’ Harmony and soloist senior Julia Masotti. The group performed John Mayer’s “Your Body is a Wonderland.” Masotti’s solo techniques took the stage with presence and embodied the mood of the song, but at times the ensemble’s harmonies were difficult to hear.
Freshman Jeremy Jackson recited an exciting poem about the importance of the hand in sex. Though Jackson’s poem alluded to many acts with the hand, he stressed the importance of a simple caress. Jackson performed the poem with expressive hand and body motions.
“The first time” was a running theme throughout three poems, and each poem discussed the different feelings that come with new sexual experiences.
Junior Emily Withers contrasted ideal first time experiences with more realistic ones. Her poem started off with sensual language - phrases like “get warm” and “heaven lasts an eternity.” Withers then transitioned into speaking of first-time awkwardness, describing moans of pain only and bluntly stating, “it sucked.”
For junior Christian Perfas, his first time poem was more of an inner monologue and pep talk. Perfas lead the audience on a comical journey from trying to hold his date’s hand to finding “a sexy way to take socks off” before having sex.
The last poem about the first time having sex, performed by freshman Maya Fischer, was more passionate than the others. At first Fischer used harsh and expressive language, giving off a feeling of anger, but toward the end it seemed that it was really the heat of the moment passion that made it worthwhile because she’s been “gasping ever since.”
A musical performance by junior Ariel Rodrick differed from the other poetic and musical performances with her opening speech. Rodrick performed Adele’s “Turning Tables” and said that she chose the song because “sometimes it’s just sexier to stick up for yourself … to get out of a sticky situation … before it’s too late.”
Senior Sean Leigh performed three songs, but the audience responded best to Leigh’s cover of “Butterfly” by Jason Mraz. The cover started off sultry but transitioned into intensity that evoked the passion the song described.
The evening ended with a performance by local band The Whale and the Warbler. The hype surrounding the band was disappointing because the instrumentalists overpowered the vocalist and it was difficult to see how the songs chosen related to the evening’s theme.
At the event attendees could purchase chapbooks with poems and a haiku written by a poet at the event. Donations from the event will help the Spoken Word Poets attend the College Unions Poetry Slam Invitational in April in New York City.