Despite the short duration and small audience, Thursday's open mic night at The Stein, sponsored by the Brandeis Black Student Organization (BBSO), showcased several enjoyable talents. At 10 p.m., The Stein was transformed from its usual bustling restaurant atmosphere to a low-key, artsy ambiance. The normally bright florescent lights were dimmed, and each table contained a softly glowing colored candle. The booming base of the background music and murmuring conversations of the sparse crowd replaced the usual noisy banter. After waiting more than a half an hour for people to filter in, one brave participant finally decided to break the silence and begin the reading. Noah, a first-year student, recited a poem called "The Last Embrace," a short and sweet love poem which received a substantial amount of audience response.

Next to read was BBSO Co-president, Justin Moor '04. He described his poem, "Shhh," as a sappy love poem similar to Noah's. His vivid imagery of two lovers lying together and mellow, yet emotional delivery obtained much praise and approval from the listeners. In accordance with the conventional response to poetry, some people took to snapping rather than clapping.

The next reader recited a poem entitled "Crimson Shoots," which used nature and originality to parallel the Bible story in which God told Abraham his wife would have a son. Following his recitation, Sam Petsonk '06 read two poems. The first poem, "Universal Verse," was about an emotional -- not drug related -- high. The intensity of his poem was reflected by his passionate reading. His second poem, called "Grenades to Grace," contained a political theme, exploring the struggle in the Balkans a few years ago. His fast paced, slam-style poetry was at times hard to follow, but nonetheless it was insightful and engaging.

Next, a student recited one of Moore's poems for him, called "Lost Souls," a thought-provoking hypothetical about young promising lives being ended too soon because of violence. After him, Julianne Levine '05 took the stage and read "The Closet," a poem she developed in a workshop, in which she related everyday objects to real life abstractions.

In a change of pace, a student performed an amusing rendition of the song, "Proud Mary," which he jokingly claimed was from his own musical genius. The crowd immediately took to his lighthearted demeanor and sang along for several of the verses.

Sule Elijah '05 stole the spotlight next with a notable freestyle rap. Unfortunately, parts of it were hard to hear due to the distracting background music, but his consistent rhythm and flow had the audience thoroughly impressed.

Another student read his poem, called "Martin Luther King Boulevard," about the pain and history connected with its location. His recitation from memory, added to the poem's impressive impact.

Then, since no other students wanted to perform, Moor took the stage again and read several more poems. His poems, "Mistaken Identity," about the frustrations of racial stereotypes and "Hold Me Tight," a love poem dedicated to a special someone, were equally inspiring in their subject matters.

Overall, the night was worth it for the few who showed up to appreciate the performances. It was a shame, however, that more students neglected to exhibit their talent.