E-block: LGBTQ slam poetry

A slam poetry performance took place in the MLK room during E-block, with poets performing poems regarding sexuality.

Five poets performed, including two from Lowell, MA and three from the high school.

Senior Jaime Serrato Marks performed first, with his poem “The Love Song of Jaime Serrato Marks,” a reference to the T. S. Eliot poem “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”. The poem included a reference to the refrain of Eliot’s poem and was about Serrato Marks coming to find his pansexual identity. The most powerful line of Serrato Marks’ poem was “self-hatred knows my name,” one of many lines during the block to elicit snaps from the audience.

Next, senior Lea Churchill performed “Lesbian Buzzkill,” which she said was the first slam poem she ever wrote. The poem was written as a message for people to stop fetishizing the fact that Churchill is lesbian. Her poem was primarily in free verse, but a notable exception was “I have not told anyone about the growing thing in me / about being the thing that you’re not supposed to be.”

After Churchill, Sarah Masse from Lowell performed. Her poem was about how she would treat a daughter if she were lesbian.

Masse was followed by Kristie Stead, also from Lowell. Stead’s poem dealt with the suicide of an 11-year-old gay boy from Springfield, MA who killed himself after being bullied regarding his sexuality. The poem was about the boy’s ascent to Heaven and his encounter with God.

The final poet to perform was senior Hannah Timmermann, who read her poem “Grace” about coming to terms with being pansexual during high school. Timmermann concluded her poem with “the biggest word I can spell is love. Love.” This resulted in a loud cheer from the audience, not just for Timmermann’s poem, but for all of the poets who performed.

The performances were followed by a Q&A with the poets.

While many lines from the performances stood out, one quote from Churchill’s “Lesbian Buzzkill” summarized the meaningfulness of the entire day:

“I am brave, I am powerful and I will never surrender.”