Rumi Night on the Heights
Rumi Night on the Heights/in the Depths of St. Ignacious
I am by no means a poetry fanatic. I disliked learning about their structure in middle school into high school. I loathed having to put together haikus and soliloquies for my English class freshman year. That being said I entered the basement of St. Ignacious with a rather jaded attitude and a goal for my new high score for the next level of Angry Birds. I slumped down in my chair next to my friends who also, I’m sure, shared a similar approach to this Thursday night where the plans for later that evening were of more importance. However, what Peter Rogen and Amir Vahab performed for the next hour kept my phone in my pocket and my attention fixed on Peter’s soft spoken tone and Amir’s calming melodies. While I noticed some of my classmates exiting early and dozing off, I saw others fixated just as I was. In all honesty I can’t say I remember any one phrase from any specific poem that night or any one beat from any specific song. Based on my statements above that may seem hard to believe. However, I can explain. As I explained before I entered the room quite jaded and honestly did not even focus on Amir’s opening statement. It was when Peter Rogen began talking was when my attention focused. His southing tone immediately relaxed me. It reminded me of how my own grandfather used to speak to me when I was little and I got upset. When he began reciting Rumi’s poetry was when my mind slipped away into an almost catatonic state. I slumped down in my chair this time not out of boredom but out of relaxation. This is why I don’t believe I remember any specific lines. I remember words: moon, sky, Allah, and love, but not their contexts. Peter’s soothing voice reciting Rumi’s literature allowed me to distance myself from the stresses of my upcoming tests, any problems with my roommates, and any homesickness from being away from my family. Where the poetry ended, the music picked right back up. My catatonic
I am by no means a poetry fanatic. I disliked learning about their structure in middle school into high school. I loathed having to put together haikus and soliloquies for my English class freshman year. That being said I entered the basement of St. Ignacious with a rather jaded attitude and a goal for my new high score for the next level of Angry Birds. I slumped down in my chair next to my friends who also, I’m sure, shared a similar approach to this Thursday night where the plans for later that evening were of more importance. However, what Peter Rogen and Amir Vahab performed for the next hour kept my phone in my pocket and my attention fixed on Peter’s soft spoken tone and Amir’s calming melodies. While I noticed some of my classmates exiting early and dozing off, I saw others fixated just as I was. In all honesty I can’t say I remember any one phrase from any specific poem that night or any one beat from any specific song. Based on my statements above that may seem hard to believe. However, I can explain. As I explained before I entered the room quite jaded and honestly did not even focus on Amir’s opening statement. It was when Peter Rogen began talking was when my attention focused. His southing tone immediately relaxed me. It reminded me of how my own grandfather used to speak to me when I was little and I got upset. When he began reciting Rumi’s poetry was when my mind slipped away into an almost catatonic state. I slumped down in my chair this time not out of boredom but out of relaxation. This is why I don’t believe I remember any specific lines. I remember words: moon, sky, Allah, and love, but not their contexts. Peter’s soothing voice reciting Rumi’s literature allowed me to distance myself from the stresses of my upcoming tests, any problems with my roommates, and any homesickness from being away from my family. Where the poetry ended, the music picked right back up. My catatonic