It went really well, which was surprising to me. I was barely prepared, though I practiced many times for a recitation (a reading, not a performance, as I’d written waaaaay too many words to memorize, especially in times of mega-nervousness).
So there’s basically two kinds of applause when performing poetry. There’s the “thank fuck it’s over” kindness, and there’s the “okay, so that was awesome” genuine applause. I can honestly say, I got the latter. Now, this is not so much because of the words, but because of the way I recited them, which was pretty much different from my normal drivel (I like to read maudlin stuff all cheerfully, and truth be told, in part 3, I definitely did some of that). And as a side note, believe me, there have been plenty of times I have received the former type of applause.
I really feel like I tapped into something special, especially on the 2nd part, and it was the rhythm of reading it that meant the second part got the most applause. Part three, well, that just kind of capped it off. I’m not really sure why I feel it was such a special thing I wrote, but it really felt like a burst of brilliance, and one that I haven’t felt in some time.
In other news, Scurvytown is back on track. Gonna keep writing it until I finally get it right!