Slam Poetry at the Coffee Hound

Posted on Sun Nov 19th, 2023 @ 1:28pm by Ensign Annika Wiseman
Edited on on Sun Nov 19th, 2023 @ 1:49pm

1,296 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Mission 1: Campor III - Resupply
Location: Deck 19 Coffee Hound
Timeline: MD C17 1930 hours

There was only so much to do on a starship tour, even one as big as the Columbia, so Lissa was always looking up the event calendar for things to do. When she saw there was an open mic slam poetry night at the Coffee Hound, she rounded up a few of the girls to see who might be interested in checking it out.

The coffee bar was just that, a bar set on one side of Deck 19, with a bunch of seating. There were no walls, save for the aft window, so it was easy to stop through and get a quick drink, or pause to rest. Tonight there was a small stage set up against the window.

As the girls stood in line for their coffee Lissa remarked, "I'm actually just really curious to see who is performing in this thing, right?"

Sarah nodded. She actually had no idea what "slam poetry" was, but she was curious. She stood in line with the other ladies, wearing pink hipster pants, and a floral blouse that matched. Her black hair was adorned with a flower clip and she wore just some pink lipstick and mascara. Sar was going to do something with "the guys", and she was glad he was getting out more, honestly.

"Me, too," Sarah said. "I wrote some poems in school," she said. "How did anyone think of this? Wasn't it popular in large American cities in the 20th Century?"

Annika snickered, "It started in the late part of the twentieth century, as sort of a freeform poetry event, these days it seems to be for the novelty of it, although I remember it being popular in the academy at times." she paused too look around "I remember the coffee shop being much smokier though."

Lissa looked at the girls with devilish amusement as they took their coffee orders and found seats. "If it's boring we can bounce, but I think this has some real potential." She lead them to a couple of couches that were away from the bar and also away from the stage so they could talk and not disrupt the performers.

Annika let out a very low sigh as they sat down, "Is it busier here or is it me?"

Sarah shrugged. "I don't know, I don't come that often, Sar doesn't like coffee," she remarked. "I don't mind the coffee from the replicator," she said.

The first performer took the stage, a petite ensign that worked in engineering with mousy brown hair. Tonight she was wearing shimmering green pants that tapered at the legs, a multi-colored top, and an even flashier vest. She stood on stage and placed her hands over her heart, as she spoke dramatically into the microphone.

"Ooh, look, she works with Sar. She looks pretty!" Sarah remarked, listening to the woman's dramatic retelling.

Annika leaned forward, "She's quite smart, didn't know she did this stuff." taking a pull off the latte she had, "She was on the transport with me catching up with the ship."

Join Starfleet they said. My parents. Be an explorer, a scientist, be whatever you want. AND, Go Places.

Well, (laughs) it didn't take but a few months at the Academy to learn that it's not Space that is the final frontier.

(she shakes her head, and puts her palms to the crowd and fans her arms out.)

No, it's my Vulcan friend hiding out in his dorm room because he's experiencing his first PonFarr, and it wasn't supposed to happen here , So, I helped him with that. (she shrugs.) And yeah it was pretty great, and he asked me to marry him, but - - -

I came here to be an explorer. And the next thing you know, I'm having drinks with an Andorian looking to sew a few wild oats before he has to go join a prearranged polycule. And who am I to say no? I AM an explorer after all.

No, space really isn't the final frontier. Try getting drunk with your Betazed girlfriends and learning more about yourself than you ever wanted to know. Because we're goddamn explorers. Evolved, and de-religioned. Not judgmental at all, with our Prime Directive, and DO NOT interfere. And do no harm.

And don't forget that mandatory class on interspecies protocols. Forget a rule every now and then. Because. We are explorers.

Sarah watched the other woman perform her piece. She was speaking a bit fast, so the Romanian missed a few words, but caught the gist. She smiled, and clapped politely when she was done.

Lissa's head tilted to the side quizzically as she listen to the officer's performance. "So that's how we're starting off, huh..." she commented, her tone noncommittal to an opinion on what just happened, because she couldn't quite figure out what had happened.

Annika had to process that, "Um..." were the only words looking to Lissa, "okay."

"I guess," Sarah said. "I missed a bit; English Standard isn't my first language, or even second. My brain processes it slower and she was FAST," Sarah said. She sipped her mocha and then raised an eyebrow. She would reserve further opinions.

"Are either of you going to go??" She asked.

Lissa laughed. "No, you know I did drama club and stuff like that. But if I ever wrote anything of my own, I don't think I would be brave enough to present it," she said shaking her head. "If someone were putting on an actual play though..." she shrugged. "I'd put myself out there and try out. You all could come make fun of me later."

Sarah snodded and smiled. "I could NEVER," she said. "It was bad enough being thrown up on the stage when I played at the bar that one time!" She was still replaying that scene in her head at night when she tried to sleep. "Thinking on my feet about things that aren't computer related is...tough for me," she said.

"It requires more thought that it's worth tonight, so pass." Annika said taking a drink.

Sarah nodded. "And that, too," she said. "Very strange, but...I guess that's called interpretive poetry?! I understand that poems don't have to rhyme, but...shouldn't they make sense?!" She was confused.

Bella walked into the room after a long shift, she walked up to the bar and herself a latte.

"Oh, hey Bella finally made, it." Lissa flagged down Bella to show them where they were seated.

Bella pulled up a chair and smiled, "Hey, sorry I'm late the paperwork been crazy!"

Annika snickered, "Tell me about it."

"The seems like half the shuttles need repairs or maintenance, " Bella sighed. "This mission has been hard on our equipment."

"HI!" Sarah said, a bit punch-drunk from the exhaustion, coffee, and lack of food, and also lovesickness.

The good Doctor McEntrye enters the cafe, casually. He was off duty and the smell of fresh coffee...well fresher than what the replicator gives out, entices him to enter the cafe. He saw Lissa sitting with a group of friend and waves at her.

Lissa saw J.R. waving to her, "Oh, that my boss. The Caitian. He's the Assistant CMO," Lissa whispered to her friends as she waved backed and gave a small smile.

"Oh, shoot, I hope my boss doesn't show up," Sarah said. "Or worse, Commander F'rar," she said. "That would be SOOO awkward," she said. She sipped her mocha. "Hey! You guys want to share something to eat?" She asked.

Lt. J.G. Isabella Rodriguez
Assistant Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Columbia

Ensign Sarah bet Ira
Operations
USS Columbia

Ensign Daisheliss Kerr
Nurse
USS Columbia

Ensign Annika Wiseman
Intelligence Officer
USS Columbia

Cameo by Dr. J.R. McEntyre
Assistant Chief Medical Officer
USS Columbia

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