For a few moments after spoken word poet Andrea Gibson finished her performance in the University Chapel Thursday night, a spell hung over the audience. After we applauded and she exited, my friends and I stood about, not wanting to forget the heart-wrenchingly emotional tug of her words. People hugged and a student in front of us sat crying. Gibson provided a mesmerizing and moving experience that evening, turning an ordinary Thursday night into something incredible.
Gibson is an acclaimed spoken word poet whose videos have reached hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube. She has placed highly in both national and international poetry slam competitions, along with releasing several books and albums of her performances. Though I watched a few of her videos online before going to the performance Thursday, they cannot compare to the live experience.
She opened her set by commenting on the irony of the venue. Gibson is a strong activist for LGBTQ rights and much of her work focuses on the struggles of living as a queer individual. Framed by the Chapel’s religious-themed stained glass window, Gibson quipped, “Jesus is my back-up band tonight.”
But Gibson’s message is not anti-religious; her works focus on acceptance, equality and self-love. These themes shone through in her love poems, specifically the one entitled “Honey,” which celebrates the simple pleasure Gibson feels whenever her girlfriend calls her “honey.” The complex metaphors and lyrical wordplay Gibson builds around such simple concepts makes her work remarkable.
Gibson included more serious social commentary in her poems as well. One of the most haunting, yet powerful, works of the night — “Ashes” — was inspired by the stories Gibson had heard of young queer people being burned alive. From its powerful first words — “The night I was torn from the pages of their Bible, and burned alive, my ashes came down like snow…” — the poem tries to encapsulate all the injustice and horror those individuals felt, while still maintaining a sense of hope.
Surprisingly, though, the poem that moved me most was “A Letter to My Dog, Exploring the Human Condition.” Gibson brings her dog, Squash, with her on tour — he sat in the Chapel office during Gibson’s performance. This work is an ode to Squash as her closest companion, but also a reflection on the uncomplicated worldview of a dog. Both humorous and deep, the performance had me in tears by the end. It’s a testament to Gibson’s talent that a poem which includes the word “Squasharooni” can be so poignant.
You can read Gibson’s words in her books. You can watch her videos on YouTube. But nothing compares to sharing the emotional roller coaster of her performance with dozens of fellow audience members.
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