I was excited. I was nervous. It felt like I had to poop 8 times… I actually pooped 13 and a half times. (Don't ask about the half poop please…) I lost sleep. I found courage. These are just a few of the emotions/actions that Iexperienced last week leading up to the Spokenword Showcase entitled "3 Times Dope". I was asked to be the host of the show and it was something I had never done before. Of course all of the negative thoughts decided to camp out in my head for awhile. "What if I'm not entertaining? What if I'm not funny? What is a stutter a lot? What if, what if, what if??" were the man thoughts that some how began to line up and parade from one temple across my brain to my other temple. Even though I wasn't the main course for the evening, I didn't want my side dish to suck. Have you ever went to a BBQ spot and had some awesome ribs but the side dishes just weren't that good? I knew the three featured poets would be nothing short of award winning ribs but I wanted the Mac and Cheese that I brought to the table to be consumed by everyone. I just prayed that no one was allergic to my flavor.
It was then that I began to get relaxed and realized that if I just add my own flavor I would be just fine. Sure I may not be everyones cup of tea but I have to be mature enough to understand that everyone doesn't like tea. Got it !! I went on the stage, grabbed the mic, and did what anyone else in my shoes would do… I force fed them some TEA !! lol… I MADE them like it kinda like my Grandmother did when I was a kid when she cooked sides that I didn't like. I had so many thoughts going through my head but the show kept getting easier and easier as the night went on. One of the biggest reasons why the show got easier was because of the poets. To call them AMAZING would almost be disrespectful to the word PERFECT because that is what they were that night. PERFECT. They are the only three poets in OKC collectively that I could refer to as amazing and it be an understatement. They all added their own element of legal dope and had the crowd feenin' for more. For one night, 3 law abiding citizens became pushers and began openly smuggling dope metaphors, grams of simile's, and KEYS of truth. II was able to feed off of their energy like I was a crack head with the munchies.
I gave that stage everything that I had. From swing dancing, to narratives, to comedy, to photos, to heartfelt stories, fashion, old school dances, and crowd interaction. To top it off, I stood naked in front of the crowd and gave them a poem of my own. I gave them everything that I had. I spit until my mouth was dry. It was crazy. All I can say is thank you to everyone that believed in me when I didn't even believe in myself. Although I don't have any aspirations of ever hosting another show, it felt good to add another line of experience to a resume of randomness. I had friends that did not get a chance to attend the show. When they asked me how everything went the next day, I looked them in the eyes, gave them a half smile, and said, "It was simply dope son… Simply dope…"
-J. Wiggins
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