The spirit of poetry

One of the reasons I like going to Poetry Center San José (PCSJ) events is because of this. Last night, it was the grand slam final for the SJ Poetry slam team that will travel to Chicago to compete in the Nationals. In the first round, one of the poets froze midway as he lost his words. Not the first time someone froze in front of a mic. It won't be the last time. But the audience kept snapping their fingers to encourage him to keep trying to remember and start over. Even though he ended up with a considerable time penalty, I believe that every person in the room was rooting for him. Even his competitors. Where else would I find people who don't secretly want you to fail so that they can get your spot? Let me know and I would like to be present in the room so that I can snap my fingers again.