March 28, 2024

In light of Valentine’s Day and Black History Month, campus poetry and spoken word group Lyrical Content and members of Concerned Black Students jointly put together a Friday night event filled with love poetry and talent galore.
JaydeGlaserFirst up to the microphone was senior DaShawn Glover, also known to most on campus as D. Glove;  he kicked off his prose and the event with the age old question, “What is love?” a question that rattles anyone so close to Valentine’s Day, whether you’re taken or single.
Glover brings Biblical content and modern speech together to produce a message of understanding one’s need for love, as well as one’s reason to love: “Love, a name thrown around by all, believed by many, and understood by few.” Glover went on to share several of his works with the staff and students in Founders.
Next up, Lyrical Content President and junior Jayde Glaser was on the stage, reciting poetry of her own. Those out there who love a good sappy story will be delighted to know that Glaser writes all of her love poems about her long-term boyfriend of six years.
Her first poem was titled “Beauty in the Eye of the Beholder,” her words strung together as she described the unconditional love she receives and acknowledges the love that is deserved to be given in return: “Your eyes are so blinded my false perfections that you forget to see yourself . . . for me to behold your beauty in my beauty’s eyes can only be compared to falling in love again and again, until infinity, until the universe reaches its limit.”
To follow was junior Curtis Mäkelä, starting his reading with one word, “Burn.” His words glided smoothly from his lips as he described a burning, yearning kind of love by means of metaphor through natural disaster and fire. Curtis Mäkelä
His diction brought forth intensity in the desire he was describing: “Your voice ruptures my soul, cutting smiles into my face, stealing laughter from my lips . . . Heart stop. Heart race. Heart skip. Heart soar.” Mäkelä went on to recite a few other short poems for the audience of his peers, touching on topics of fear of the rejection of one’s faults, and breaking ourselves into pieces for those we love.
Freshman Logan McCord was next in the spotlight. Keeping with the Valentine’s theme, he shared words that depicted a desire for a love that has yet to be declared, the love of an early riser: “I think it’s wishful thinking, thinking somehow we were syncing; but thinking about the length between our think  keeps me from sinking.”
He described the often experienced dry throat and weak knees that anyone feels as they look into the eyes of the one they desire, the music that seeps from their smile.
McCord eloquently describes the fumbles of falling in love and the struggle of finding words or knowing if your words are the right words, ending with a declaration that simply words aren’t going to cut it.
As the event neared the end, the open mic portion of the night held a wonderful performance by an up and coming psychedelic jazz-rap group known as Profound, which just so happens to consist of two members of Lyrical Content, Glover and McCord.
Upon getting to know one another, the two found that they had a shared musical vision, and began collaborating, setting out to make positive and forward-thinking music that touches on important topics.
Glover stated in the performance that one of their songs was representative of his passing of the Wittenberg light to McCord as they’ve grown closer through the year; he’s done his best to pass on his knowledge and assist in the freshman’s growth. After all, that’s what Wittenberg is all about.
It was a beautiful event filled with thought-provoking words and a stimulating atmosphere as these students shared their talents with their peers.

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