HOUSTON — A pause, a prose, a poetic flow for the soul, and it all went down Friday night at Dolce Ultra Lounge and Bistro. There were plenty of good vibes and emotion-filled composition at the “Poetry Lounge” as “Se7en the Poet” brought several artists to the stage, blessing the audience with rhymes of love, pain, betrayal and a little bit of heartbreak. But don’t get it twisted– there was plenty of fellowship and fun in the house as well. The mood was light, the lyrics were profound and the host was, as always, on his A-game as he made you think, listen and be still in the moment.
Se7en, born Varion Howard, is an award-winning spoken word artist, author and motivational speaker from Houston. The CEO of the Poetry Lounge said that becoming a poet was actually an accident.
“I never said I wanted to be a poet. It just kind of happened,” he said.
From the moment he “cut his teeth,” this one-of-a- kind versifier has pushed the envelope in poetry, and takes great pride in that.
[Check out highlights of Poetry Lounge at Dolce]
Se7en is clearly not like the rest in the biz. When asked what sets him apart, he humbly said, “I really don’t know. I feel like any of my poetic fans could do what I have done, especially the younger poets coming in, I feel like they would go further than what I’ve ever been, so I don’t feel like I’m special. I understand my strengths, I am clear about my weaknesses, and I work with it best I can.”
He also expressed that his fraternity, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., helps him to uphold principles that have even impacted his longevity in this industry. Se7en told N.W.A. that “certain principles of an Omega man allow us to go further than most.”
“It’s crazy when you rock a poem, and people come to the stage in tears, but then on the other side of the stage, it’s some people laughing,” he articulated, adding that words are “powerful, yet ambiguous and when composed properly, they can propel somebody to the next level, or destroy an ill with one blow, with one time on the mic.”
The self-proclaimed “Sunnyside kid” went on to say, “I ask people what was the first thing to happen in the history of the world, and they come up with all kinds of crazy answers, but they never get it right, and the answer is that God spoke. So, if the almighty had to speak for something to happen, and you have been given a voice, who are you not to?”
That one answer is definitely enough to encourage us all to profess things that are worth mentioning in our everyday lives.
If you would like to experience the art of spoken word and watch it come to life before your eyes, join Se7en for the Poetry Lounge every “Feel Good Friday” at Dolce Ultra Lounge and Bistro, located at 18039 FM 529 Ste. A in Cypress, Texas.
For more information, reservations and tickets, check out dolcehouston.com.
See more highlights from the night. Check out photo gallery below:
