By Isabelle Ruff | Intern
The Waco Poets Society co-hosted an open mic poetry night with the Baylor Poetry Club on Monday at Common Grounds, showcasing their talent and inviting anyone to present their poetry.
After the Waco Poets Society and the Baylor Poetry Club shared, Sandi Horton, members of Lifelong Learning and Waco locals presented their work.
Horton, also known as Ms. Sandi, studied music at Baylor. She said she is most inspired by Native American songs that serve as prayers, so she writes poems to go with the songs, playing them on Native American flutes.
“Some of you may not have heard of a Native American flute before,” Horton said. “Most are made by hand, like the one I am going to play for you with my first poem. They’re all made out of different woods, so they’re very spiritual. I love to play them with songs I have written.”
Horton played three poem-song pairs, two of which she wrote herself.
All of the poetry came from a similar personal, vulnerable place. No one at the event was writing the poetry for a class and was doing so simply to reflect on their experiences.
Doug Baldwin is a Baylor graduate and current member of Baylor Lifelong Learning — a volunteer-led program through the Mayborn Museum that allows people to take elective courses that encourage continual learning.
“I’ve been doing this for 25 years, so I’m not new at this,” Baldwin said. “One of the things we do is to have shared interest groups in which we do things that we share in common. My poems are very short, and I was told that they probably belong on a greeting card, but I think they’re more appropriate to maybe Emily Dickinson.”
Baldwin shared two poems, both of which had a sense of nature — such as how squirrels perch to look like they are praying to heaven in the same way humans do.
Waco local Preston Kirk said he has been a published poet for over 60 years, selling his first poem when he was 16 to a funeral home for $4.
Kirk shared lighthearted poems that had easy-to-follow plot lines and simple rhythm and rhyme. Because of his acting background, he invited everyone in the audience to step into the shoes of his characters.
“The most powerful thing in this area right now is your imagination, so I want you to help me out a little bit,” Kirk said.
