It was a dark and stormy night.
Except the night wasn’t stormy at all and I realised that the storms I’ve been putting up with.. are caused by you.
Oh, woe is me. Such feels.
The Loudmouth Collective’s open mic event, WORDSTRUCK!, gathered a few broken hearts, hopeless romantics, and passionate artists for an evening of poetry, music and archery. They say Wordstruck is the first event of its kind, essentially fit for Valentine’s. Claiming to pioneer in the country this unique romantic affair, The Loudmouth Collective celebrates romance in all its forms, through spoken word and serenatas, while a few Cupids-in-training shoot arrows on the archery range.
Given their claim of instigation and in the spirit of the Wordstruck event, allow me the audacity to claim this narrative as the first WheninManila.com article to be written a tad poetically. After all, at the touch of love, everyone becomes a poet.
Words
The flow of the words and the energy of the night; emotions bared, wounds exposed, and the feeling of succumbing to your thoughts; drawing in their poetry and drowning out all the white noise. That is, in this mere writer’s opinion, what it means to be Wordstruck.
All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players. On the Wordstruck platform, these men and women are the romantics confessing about love and all its complications and intricacies. The performances which allude to romance were as grandiose as explaining how love is the mover in the grand, universal scheme of things; and as simplistic as comparing relationships to accomplishing a collegiate thesis.
The best way to appreciate spoken word poetry is through the oft-forgotten art of listening. And in immersing yourself in it, it’s easy to lose yourself in the ebb and flow of the words. So for these artists’ poetry, here are the most compelling thoughts I gleaned.
Love is in the atmosphere, and in your eyes, the stars.
Love is a science.  Infinitesimally complex. But unlike science, romance is not bound by the physical laws of the universe, but by two souls that gravitate towards each other.
When love hurts, it kills.
Self love is the very first romance.
“I’ve had enough of all you shallow teenage girls!”, said my lonely teenage boy self.
“This is not a love poem..” But it is as emotional as one.
The Loudmouth Collective featured spoken word poets John Ilagan, JM Espiritu, Mark Dimaisip, and Frankie Torres. A few brave souls also took to the open mic stage to perform their poems.
Music
Music will always amplify emotions (amp, optional). A love song or a plaintive melody will take you back to certain memories you associate with the music you hear. Wordstruck featured local acts and introduced open mic musicians on the soapbox.
With alternating performances of poetry and music, there was a ne’er a dull moment at Wordstruck.
