Stepping into those back doors of busboys is like entering a new frontier. Reminiscent of speakeasies you see in movies, a room packed with people, a tiny stage with modest lighting. Nervous performers announced by a boisterous host as they saunter up to the stage, some questioning their decision to put their name on the performance list. Spoken Word/ Open Mic, people unfolding themselves onstage through various forms of verbal artistry. That night there was a strange vibe in the audience. I'm not sure if it was the gloomy weather earlier in the day or a severe lack of energy, but the audience just did not seem to be receptive. That is until Miz Sonya Renee got up to perform. She immediately started her set with a call and response. The audience instantly woke up, screaming loudly at her insistence. Her first poem she wrote years ago, she confessed, it hadn't been performed for anyone but us lucky people of B&P. It was my favorite one she performed that night. A poem steeped in the harsh reality of a growing problem in America, the mass depletion of self-esteem in women. She warned women against allowing themselves to settle for men who treated them unfairly, to have faith in themselves enough to not need a man. The way she wove the story, taking the audience on an emotional roller-coaster through her thoughts and opinions, halting at one idea, expanding, and continuing on until at the end your mind was spinning and your heart was pounding. Every poem she performed was like that. A beautiful, tumultuous landscape of self-awareness and self-evaluation, coupled with words that cradled you then dropped you abruptly, bringing you back to reality. Her words dripped with a sad knowing that pulled you into the moment, her moment. It was beautiful. If ever you get an opportunity to see her... GO! And come to busboys and poets Tuesday nights at 9:30 to catch the next Sonya Renee. There is some true talent in the DC area.
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