Abena Koomson
(vocals, bass guitar, loop machine)

I had no idea who Abena Koomson was when we got tickets for the Saturday night show. This young woman is a New Yorker who will be starring in an off-Broadway show. She is a poet, songwriter, instrumentalist, and actor. I think you’ll be hearing about this young lady soon.
I was particularly amazed by the power of her words; her presence and recitations were masterful, unselfconscious and well beyond her years. Check out her CD, too.

Abena autographing her CD, which I was most happy to purchase.
Photo/Sans Souci

The bio from ALT CABARET, given at the show:
Abena Koomson, a slam poet and soul singer of Ghanaian-American descent, achieves a unique sound through a mélange of influences, from spoken word and literature to jazz, funk and soul music. Her powerful stage presence and her ability to engage audiences in her musical journey acknowledge the storytelling traditions of her Ghanaian heritage. She is a founding member of Saheli, a women’s a cappella trio and a resident, bassist/vocalist/poet with synonymUS, an improvisatory poetry and music collaborative. She has performed at varoius venues in New York City including the Bowery Poetry Club, the Lincoln Center OUT OF DOORS Festival, the Artist of Tomorrow Series at Westend Theater, and abroad at the Festival Internacional de Puebla in Puebla, Mexico. Her first album, Constellation, was self released in December, 2007.

Koomson graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 1996 and has since dedicated herself to various pursuits in arts and education. Her mission is to gain a deep sense of self through the exploration of language, music, and movement and to produce thoughtful works in collaboration with others. To that end, she is managing director at Actors Stock Company, works with students with learning disabilities at Winston Preparatory School and participates as a member of louderARTS Project, a not-for-profit arts organization committed to developing constructive and challenging spaces for artists to create, present and teach poetry.

From Abena’s Blog:

The poem below, Carving, is an experiment in persona poems. I’ve been fighting the fact that usually when I try to write a persona poem, I end up being the persona. Now instead of fighting it, I’ve decided maybe there’s a little bit of me in the persona’s I choose to write about. The poem below, “Carving” is the first of many examples. It’s not about me. But I can see me pretty clearly in it’s reflection.

posted by ak-47

Carving
abena koomson

Every year you make the same promise
Every month it hides in chocolate
and at the bottom of sticky pots
Every week another girl that looks like you
gets eliminated from America’s Next Top Model
Every day you breathe
Every hour your tongue turns the clock of your mouth
waiting for a kiss

Every year you feel the winter slap of your cousin’s death
Every month you cut to feel
Every week you cry
Every day someone is snorting a secret
Every hour a New York street bleeds with another question
shaped like a child

Every year you live marks the number of years since she died
Every month you sing
Every week your goddaughter fills her mouth with more words
Every night you quietly rub away your loneliness
Every hour you pray

Every year another brown man
is a split pomegranate of NYPD bullets
Every month the bodies of Ugandan children are replaced by guns
Every weekend you wonder where the money went
Every day you suck at the teat of television
Every hour you pray

Every year someone who’s lost someone loses someone else
Every month you curl into a ball of cramps under a half moon
Every week you wait
Every day a woman you know is bleeding
Every hour you wonder if her fingers taste like yours

Every year your mother’s voice asks about the marriage you don’t have,
the apartment you don’t own
and the truth you haven’t told about your lover
Every month you ask forgiveness
in the form of a thin snap of flesh and sugared blood
Every week you sing the same hymn
Every day you refuse to leave the house without make-up
Every hour a holy word falls at the feet of a dead prayer

and still you breathe
and cry
and sing
Every year you suck
and scream
and carve
and wait

the razor fine lines of your wrists
keep surprising you
the prayers you find there flow red like lace
you canvas their threaded language with your fingers.
Notice the creases darken from wine to black
as if to say
Remember?
What lives in your cocoon of flesh is still growing
one red silk thread at a time.

Scan the playlist of this album. Abena has a very unique sound. She accompanies herself on a “loop,” a recording instrument that allows her to record and play hersrlf on several tracks.

26 CommentsChronological   Reverse   Threaded

reply jadedruid wrote on Jul 22, ’08 Wow!  So deep! She’s amazing. Thank you.

editdeletereply lauritasita wrote on Jul 22, ’08 I feel sad reading this, but she’s interesting. I’d like to read other poems by her.

reply vickieann wrote on Jul 22, ’08 I too felt sadness when reading this one. Phew.

reply vickiecollins wrote on Jul 22, ’08 I hate to admit it but I found the poem somewhat confusing.  However, I find it amazing that despite what many people say, there is more and more remarkable talent out there.  Great to see another good performer come on the scene. http://vickiecollins.multiply.com/journal/item/413/Poetry_Wednesday_to_work

reply sanssouciblogs wrote on Jul 22, ’08 lauritasita said I feel sad reading this, but she’s interesting. I’d like to read other poems by her.  My take: Abena writes about and takes on different personas. This is about a woman in pain, yet is is about all women; they all “bleed,” have people to answer to and to serve. There are some depressed people who “carve” themselves; they are in so much pain that they self inflict pain to divert themselves, to make themselves feel. This could be one of them–one red silk thread at a time. The flow of red is blood, from wine to black is old blood, old memories of pain.

reply vickieann wrote on Jul 22, ’08 Your take explains the poetry to me and makes it easier to understand what she is saying. Thanks!

reply kwika wrote on Jul 22, ’08 I can hear your voice here.  It speaks to me more than anything I have read of yours to date.  I bow to your brilliance.

reply sanssouciblogs wrote on Jul 22, ’08 kwika said I can hear your voice here.  It speaks to me more than anything I have read of yours to date.  I bow to your brilliance. You mean, bow to Abena! She is something!

editdeletereply lauritasita wrote on Jul 22, ’08 Thanks again for taking the time to try to explain the poets’ feelings here.

reply sanssouciblogs wrote on Jul 22, ’08 Check out the music too, very innovative.

reply kwika wrote on Jul 22, ’08 Yeah, off course.  Obviously didn’t read it properly:o)

reply starfishred wrote on Jul 22, ’08 wow this fantastic and yes the pain the woman in the poem is going through oh my this one needs to be reread many times great poetress this gal

reply sweetpotatoqueen wrote on Jul 23, ’08 Very powerful writing! I can see the universal topics she brings up with this piece that concern all women and also the  theme of pain & suffering.I would imagine hearing this performed live would be amazing! Her music is unique as well. What a wonderful introduction to a new artist! Thank you!

reply asolotraveler wrote on Jul 23, ’08 EVERY line – a treasure!

reply philsgal7759 wrote on Jul 23, ’08 the prayers you find there flow red like lace you canvas their threaded language with your fingers. Notice the creases darken from wine to black as if to say Remember? What lives in your cocoon of flesh is still growing one red silk thread at a time. They carve (cut) to release the pain and yet when you think about it they have actually done to their body what life has done to them CARVED it in her memory. And yes I think she is a poet to take note of. THANKS

reply sandpearl wrote on Jul 23, ’08 Far beyond her age indeed. philsgal has chosen some of the verses that also had particularly caught my attention. She writes as one with much experience of life, seems like a deep young woman. She must be interesting to listen to in a poetry slam. A good week to you Lady Sue.

reply lonewolfwithin wrote on Jul 24, ’08 amazing… i see what you mean by “seeing your persona…” i think there are many within these words… not just women, but men as well, depending on your perception at the time of reading…! thank you for sharing! ^. .^

reply 7jewel wrote on Jul 26, ’08 Thank you for sharing this!

reply skeezicks1957 wrote on Jul 27, ’08 I would like to read more of her work.   How wonderful you were able to see her read them and obtain her autograph.

reply sanssouciblogs wrote on Jul 27, ’08 skeezicks1957 said I would like to read more of her work.   How wonderful you were able to see her read them and obtain her autograph. I am going to look for her in NY, she’s supposed to be doing an off Broadway play, she is phenomenal!

reply millimusings wrote on Jul 28, ’08 What a unique talent she is. Thanks Sue for sharing her here with us. I am in awe of her.

reply sanssouciblogs wrote on Jul 28, ’08 millimusings said What a unique talent she is. Thanks Sue for sharing her here with us. I am in awe of her. Me too, Mill~ When I heard her read/recite her work I was in awe of the use of language. She is one talented lady. And quite brilliant–went to a top notch school.

reply dianahopeless wrote on Jul 29, ’08 I can’t relate to her poem, and I thank God for that. She is a very talented young woman. Wise beyond her years. Thanks for sharing a little of her work Sue.

reply hadeev wrote on Sep 5, ’08 Abena sounds like a Nu-Old soul.  Thanks for posting this playlist.  Gonna have to add her to my MySpace page.

reply hadeev wrote on Sep 5, ’08 I am drawn to the song ‘Ballad of Eve’ the most.  It probably has something to do with the fact that my name is Evelyn.

reply sanssouciblogs wrote on Sep 5, ’08 hadeev said Abena sounds like a Nu-Old soul.  Thanks for posting this playlist.  Gonna have to add her to my MySpace page. Evelyn, I was so moved by this young woman, her work her talents. Be aware of her, I think she’ll be going places.