At the Poetry Room, free verse, funny stories and cheesy pick-up lines

LANSING — Masaki Takahashi's car broke down one day not long after he graduated from Michigan State University, and he needed a job right away.

So he walked across the street and into a car dealership and declared, "Hey, my name's Masaki, and I can speak Chinese."

He was hired on the spot. He couldn't actually speak Mandarin, at least not "well enough to do business."

And so whenever potential Asian customers walked into the building, Takahashi's co-workers would urge him to go over and talk to them and proceed to follow him.

What did he say?

He said it for the audience at the Robin Theatre first in broken Mandarin, then in English. 

"Hey, I told these white folks I could speak Chinese, but you can tell by the way I was talking that I really can't."

"And they would start laughing and my co-workers would be like, 'What do you always tell them?' I'm like, 'Inside joke. None of your business.' "

Welcome to the Poetry Room, where poetry is in the title, but funny anecdotes run a close second.

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When Takahashi, 31, and his friend Grace Carras, 21, formed the monthly open mic series in August, they weren't prepared for a packed house.

Carras is currently a full-time student at MSU's Residential College in the Arts and Humanities. Takahashi is an MSU grad, but he's working on a second degree in computer science at Davenport University.

On a Tuesday night in late February, close to 80 people filled the small Robin Theatre. And on this particular night, the Poetry Room's theme was loosely based on "In Living Color," the '90s sketch comedy TV series. It served as a mechanism for celebrating diversity.

Folks of different hues, ages, cultures and sexual orientations read aloud poems in response to white nationalist Richard Spencer who would speak at the MSU Pavilion less than a week later.

Subjects ranged anywhere from "complicated" relationships and mental illness to masking one's heritage in attempt to better adhere to society's norms.

"If I had a penis..." 

Patiense Mckenzie, a 19-year-old freshman at Michigan State University, was leading into one of the night's more provocative poems. Only she didn't use the word "penis." 

"I was really nervous, but it was all good because you're surrounded by really supportive people," she said. "What I love about poetry is that a poem can literally be about anything. Honestly, I feel like that's the only time people really listen to me."

At the Poetry Room, it's obvious when a line resonates with the audience, because it is often followed by gasps or finger snapping, the highest compliment you can receive as a poet.

"I'd been doing open mic for years and I noticed how I always felt nervous every time I read on stage, but the nerves seemed to dissipate when I started reading at the Poetry Room," said Howell resident and poet Isabella Mansfield.

Mansfield, now 37, has used a wheelchair for the past 25 years following a spinal cord injury, but says that "Grace and Masaki go out of their way to put you at ease, like you're part of their family. I feel included and like my disability is not an issue."

People turn to poetry for different reasons, but after a while it boils down to the simple fact that we all have the desire to be seen and heard. Reading poetry on a stage is an easy way to accomplish that.

"Some people have church, we have poetry readings, you know what I mean?" Carras said.

"When I'm on stage, I let everything go," Takahashi added. "It's amazing to see afterwards how people are having these really personal conversations with me that they don't usually have with other people. It's baffling to me how honest and open we are with each other."

The Poetry Room strives to be as inclusive as possible.

"I've been to a lot of open mic events," Takahashi said, "and they have this niche group."

Carras adds that there's definitely a "social" element to what they're doing. And, they must be doing something right because the place is packed every single time.

In between deeply personal poems and anecdotes, there was also live music, break dancing and a cheesy pickup line battle. The person who laughs the most loses the game.

"Are you from Traverse City? Because I want you to be my bae."

"Are you a plant? Because I photosyn-see us together."

Poetry is all about validation, according to Dennis Hinrichsen, a longtime Lansing resident and poet.

"It builds community," he said. "People who create poetry do it as a way to connect with other people. And it's easy because all you need is a pencil and paper."

"You can't get on a stage and share your demons with a group of 80 or 100 people," ," Carras added, "without building friendships along the way."

Contact Reporter Princess Gabbara at pgabbara@lsj.com or (517) 377-1006. Follow her on Twitter: @PrincessGabbara.

How to go

Upcoming events:

The Poetry Room: #MyInspiration, 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 27. The Robin Theatre, 1105 S. Washington Ave. in Lansing.

The Poetry Room: An Ode To, 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 24. The Robin Theatre, 1105 S. Washington Ave. in Lansing.

The Poetry Room: The Classics, 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 29. The Robin Theatre, 1105 S. Washington Ave. in Lansing.

A small donation is suggested at the door.