Review – Video/Photos/Interviews FIRST FRIDAY – KERN POETRY OPEN MIC at DAGNY’S – OCTOBER 2nd

Participants in the Open Mic were Samantha Samano, Justin Bertrand, Carla Joy Martin, Citlali Safo, Mai Nguyen, Donnel Lester, Harper Nicole Anderson, Samuel Rain Benjamin, Brian Rodriguez, Kevin Caldwell, Christopher Robert Craddock, Susie Weller, Saxon Peavler, Aaron Fuentes, Jamie Aidian, and Manuel (Lerma).

Diana Ramirez and Kevin Caldwell graciously agreed to answer a few of our interview questions. Their poetic journeys are fascinating:

Interview with Diana Ramirez, First Friday Open Mic at Dagny’s, October 2, 2026

Q.  What inspired you to write your poems you shared at Dagny’s on Friday October 2, 2026? What are their back stories? What have you been reading, contemplating, mulling over recently?

A. So the first poem I shared is entitled “My Honest Poem: inspired by Rudy Francisco” – I wrote this poem inspired by Rudy’s own vulnerable words. He is a poet and spoken word artist I have admired for the last 10 years. The poem helped express details about me that not too many people know – it is a poem that helps me rebel against the “small talk” that we often find ourselves engaging in.

The second poem comes from my self-published book, where the light learns to be brave, and is entitled “desperate need of affection” and it details my feelings during a lonely and disconnecting time in my life. Dealing with life post divorce and still trying to grasp onto an understanding of love. I was stuck between still yearning for love but also being disillusioned by my experiences with it.

The third poem is entitled “Directions to Home” and it focuses on navigating our way “home”, that part of life where we say “we did it!” – I wrote it thinking about my own path. I always had this expectation of what “coming home” would look like, and after walking a journey full of misdirections and detours, I thought I’d never make it “home” not realizing that I was headed home every step of the way, because directions to home is taking the “vulnerable path inward” essentially to our inner depths “where belonging and vitality dwell” and encouraging the reader to build the courage to begin. There were many times I was stagnant in life, staying in one place because it felt comfortable and because I was full of fear, but every new step I took brought me closer to understanding myself. There aren’t any directions to home, we each have our own compass, we each lead our own way.

Lately, I have been reading In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts by Gabor Mate and also reading various poetry books, including, All the Honey by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer.

The word ‘grief’ has been something I’ve been exploring and also writing a bit about.

Q.  Do you like to read poetry? If you do, what poets have influenced you? Who have messages you connect with, or styles you admire?

A. I love reading poetry and have been heavily influenced by Rudy Francisco, Yesika Salgado, and Mary Oliver. Rudy’s performance of his poetry feels like a conversation and really hits home. He has a way of turning his vulnerability into something relatable and powerful. Because of him, I have the courage to keep sharing my poetry. Yesika I relate to because she is a Latina writer and I can connect with her poetry regarding her family, specificallyher mom and dad. Her poems always make me feel seen. And Mary Oliver helps me stay curious and to stay connected to nature.

Q.. You have devoted much effort & care in leading writing workshops with people who are coming out of some kind of trauma—whether it be breast cancer survivors, or teens “in trouble”,etc. How does writing poetry help people deal with trauma, or unexpected disruption and pain? What have you learned, seen and experienced in your own workshops that lead you to your conclusions?

A. Writing is a way to discover who you are. And when I bring these poetry and writing workshops to these sacred spaces, I offer each individual an opportunity to connect with their own stories. To see themselves honestly, to learn to embrace vulnerability, and ultimately to feel empowered and recognize their own humanity. I have learned that people often carry the weight of their past and writing helps to bring light to that in a gentle way.

Sometimes participants don’t even realize how much they are carrying or how much needs to be expressed until they pick up a pen and start “spilling”.

Writing and poetry is a way to be held when it feels like the ground is caving beneath you. I have witnessed participants with tears in their eyes telling me how much they felt seen by a poem I shared with them. That’s the gentleness that meets our hearts and tears – the connection that says, be comforted because you are not alone.

We don’t often have a safe space to discover our inner depths and these workshops offer just that. A community of people who remain curious and are inviting a new perspective of how they see themselves and how they see the world. To practice more presence and to begin to LIVE again. Wholeheartedly and embracing all of who they are and each part of their journey. I always remind participants that each of us has a poetic voice; through the practice of writing and reading poems, we get the chance to understand what our own poetic voice sounds like and feels like. Writing is an opportunity to get to know ourselves at different stages of life and to love ourselves along the way.

The poems Diana shared at Open Mic:

My Honest Poem

inspired by Rudy’s “Francisco”

By: Diana Ramirez

My birth day is April 4th
I’m the firstborn to immigrant parents
that would make me a guilt-ridden Spanish speaking American girl who struggles
with identity and high expectations.
I learned how to speak English in kindergarten,
And I’ve been asked why I speak Spanish to my children,
When your trust fund is made up of work ethic and anxiety, sometimes language is
the only wealth available to pass down to your children.
When I was 5, a kid in the playground told me I had eyes like a frog,
That’s the first day I wanted to hide my eyes,
But not the first day I hid my voice.
I’ve always been fascinated by the cosmos,
And always wondered how a falling star
Learned to embrace their descent,
I wonder if it knows that someone is staying up late waiting for its appearance,
Much like me,
When I waited for my self worth to make an appearance,
Eventually learning to embrace the numerous falls,
And then a meteor shower.
And isn’t that a sight to behold.
I’m the mediator between my brain and my heart and I know my feelings are hurt.
I wonder if anyone wonders about death as much as me.
I like to reflect… a lot.
It helps me see with clarity how mysteriously vast the oceans are,
How deep the rivers flow.
And how much I see myself in them.
I was born on Palm Sunday,
Which makes me a spring baby who enjoys long summer days more.
I love sunsets, deserts, and solitude,
Being alone has helped me see
I can navigate the world
With only my courage and curiosity.
Oh and I love clouds,
It’s magical how they float,
How they come and go,
With no regret in their storm,
And I love that.
I’m finally living my own life
Like a cloud,
Like a storm,
With no regrets.

desperate need of affection 

By: Diana Ramirez

I’m in desperate need of affection,
The type of friction that connects,
The one of long winded breaths,
And when you finally exhale
A storm of steam forces its
Way around and through,
And its torment is
satisfying,
Soothing,
Calming.
Or it could be a longing,
My season of creased thirst,
Deeply discolored and
Descending to its death,
As opposed to
A purely hydrated birth,
A season of hues granting
Expanding vibrations,
Meant to embrace and hold,
But Fall has yet to touch Spring.
Or perhaps it’s a gentle noise,
Followed by a soft scent,
And journeys meant
To keep us lost.
But I crave for my hand to be held,
My smile to be found
Within the gleam of a stare.
But daydreams have yet to come true.
And tonight
I keep wishing,
Tonight
I keep imagining,
The way skin excites,
And the way souls ignite,
If only shooting stars
Directed me to wishing wells,
Where pennies made
Yearnings
A passion you could touch.
But night after night,
Shooting stars rarely appear,
And wishing wells are dry.
Day after day
With clouds in my mind,
And lips I never find,
I wonder,
Do majestic forces
ever collide?

Directions to Home 

By: Diana Ramirez

These are directions to home.
It will be a long road, so enjoy the sights,
Among the steep heights,
And rocky terrain,
Take a rest,
There’s so much more to gain
When you take a breath,
Walk,
Run,
Accumulate the miles,
Strengthen the muscles,
Look up,
Look down,
Don’t turn this journey into a ghost town,
Bring out life,
Be your own parade,
You’ll notice the clouds will gather,
The weather may change,
Seek temporary shelter,
Reach out,
But don’t remain,
Up until this point,
There’s a home you’ve been slowly building,
Eager for a memorable escape,
Made up of peace and flight,
You will say,
I don’t see a home.
Take a moment,
Let your brain catch up to your heart,
Soon enough
A smile will appear
Because you’ll know,
The destination to home
Has always been within.
The vulnerable path inward
Where belonging and vitality dwell,
May you build the courage to begin.

–

Interview with Kevin Caldwell, First Friday Open Mic at Dagny’s, October 2, 2026

Q. What inspired you to write your poem you shared at Dagny’s last Friday?  What is its back story?  What have you been reading, contemplating, mulling over recently? Please include a copy of your poem—or excerpts. 

A. I shared a poem titled, “Rippling Skies” which was part of a series of songs and poems I have been working on over the past maybe 3 years inspired by reflections on quantum physics, and more specifically, quantum entanglement. I will include it at the bottom. 

The seed idea of which in the simplest of terms is that everything is far more connected than we might suppose and in ways we might not conceive, and across distances of time and space beyond our reckoning.

So, reading up on all that was in my mind…as was my ongoing readings and meditations in the source texts, the headwaters, of the wells and rivers that make up some of the world’s sacred heritages…the Gita, Buddha’s dhamma, portions of the New Testament, and more.

It seems to me that quantum entanglement is the way physics describes the realities that religious heritages describe in their own ways.

Given that all language is by necessity analogical and metaphorical, then science and religion and art all have their own “poetics”…

I self-published a collection of poems and essays about art and poetry that explores this to a certain extent, a book titled, “The Cow Behind the Barn” (it is available, just search the title and my name…won’t be too many matches other than me!).

I also explored this interconnection of things in a 35 episode podcast with the same title, “The Cow Behind the Barn.” I dropped in some of my music and poetry in various Episodes of that project too.

And….“Rippling Skies” is my attempt to keep pressing into all of this.

It was birthed in reflection, yes, but also in meditation, and silence, and “prayer” if you will.

 It is now part of a larger project, a collection of 15 songs and poems I plan to release “soon” which are all inspired by various aspects of this same theme: the interconnection of our “selves” and others, and the cosmos, and the divine…quantum entanglement as human-cosmic-divine entanglement…

Q. Do you like to read poetry?  If you do, what poets have influenced you?  Who have messages you connect with, or styles you admire?

 

A. Yes! I think it is vital…

I went through a long T.S. Eliot phase beginning in college…but also deeply love Galway Kinnell’s poetry too  (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galway_Kinnell).

More recently I have gone back to the poetry of Walt Whitman.

I am still inspired by Robert Frost (Two Tramps in Mud Time…amazing).

Another favorite of mine, and very contemporary, is Gabriella Guitierrez y Muhs who explores the intersectionality of language and identity and culture…very powerful work (she is full professor of Modern Languages and Cultures, and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at the Seattle University).

I appreciate haiku and other specific forms, and feel that the discipline of learning the poetic traditional forms is crucial for poets…although as poets (and as a songwriter in my case as well), we need to find our own voices, one can’t break the rules until we learn the rules…like jazz in music, one can’t improvise until the master other tools.

Q.  You frequently share songs, poems & thoughts on Facebook. How has this practice evolved? What are the benefits/problems of “putting yourself out there”? Would you recommend this practice to others? What have you learned that might be helpful for others to know?

A. Great question. I post very regularly in my socials (so, Instagram and TikTok in addition to Facebook), and on my YouTube channel (the amazingly creative name “Kevin Caldwell Music and Poetry” on YT ).

What and why?

I venture occasionally into political comments, but I tend to focus on my art, sometimes with reflections on it included. As I am writing this,  am two days away from concluding a series of daily posts in my socials focused on 30 “folk mantras” I composed in January of 2026. I define a folk mantra as a folk song that inspires us to meditation…so, some elements of story telling, acoustic and simply music, and then some sort of repetitive  phrase or word that can inspire reflection and be used actually something like a chant.

I wrote 30 of them…5 each, inspired by 6 of the major spiritual heritages of humanity. And then I mixed in 5 reflections on each mantra. So, 30 mantras, times 5 reflections on each one = 150 posts! I get a little buzzed in the head thinking about that!

And now I am spinning my brain and soul to see what I am inspired to post next, now that I am bringing that vision to fruition.

Probably some of my more typically folk styled songs, stories and scenes…

And why?

Because I think social media is so toxic. In fact I often refer to TikTok as TokSik. There seem to me to be three responses to that toxicity:

-live in denial (and like an addict, that means we just sink deeper and deeper into the shadow)

-flee (so some just leave social media, and I respect that)

-engage with the “opposite”, pour clean water into the poison well…it might not work of course, it might not change the whole well…probably won’t.  

Which brings me to your question about my experiences positing:

I do get some hate here and there…but almost daily I get messages that tell me that although I can’t sweeten the entire well, there are people drinking from what I am pouring into it, and they find it life giving.

So I keep doing it.

Now, as I conclude…

Back to those 30 folk mantras. I am about to conclude the social media blitz, but….

I am getting them recorded and ready to be released as a collection of songs and meditations soon (well, soonish).

And in addition to my socials and YouTube, my music is streaming too…as is that Cow Behind the Barn podcast I mentioned earlier…

Just look for Kevin Caldwell wherever you stream….

Instagram and TikTok: kevinwritesmusic

FB: Kevin Caldwell

YouTube: “Kevin Caldwell Music and Poetry,” and “Kevin Caldwell Podcasts”

Streaming on Spotify, Apple, etc…

++++

Rippling Skies

I turn my eyes. 

The sky ripples
Canopy of lights glowing
Red, growing,
Slowing, dying
Already dead
Seeds in the cinders of stars
Worlds of worlds in an ember,
       Every pregnant ash
              A fullness of empty vastness
                     A point of ripening intensity
                            Density of verdant heat, explosive power

Every burst births a cycle
Expanding despanding unspanding respanding expanding again…
       Universes begetting universes

“Beside, within, before, after”
Are the words that we agree to use.
As if we know! 

Our words are flotsam floating atop inscrutable unfathomable seas 
Teeming with creatures 
Frolicking with gleeful disregard for the laws 
Of our pragmatic reassuring necessary grammar

But really, real-ly?

Every world is a where with no there,
       And a there with no where.
In a when with no then,
       A then with no when. 

We live as we live 
Because we must live 
       As if we live in place and time,
              With these people, 
                     And plants, and pets, and problems

As if all of this in fact works the way it seems to work,
The way we need it to work, 
Need to believe it works
In order to set foot outside a door on a winter morning
Or to see and name in wonder a setting sun.

Because this is the only way 
I can live as I live 
As this I who lives this way. 

But really, real-ly?

I carry in myself and am myself carried by:
Universes begetting universes
Expanding despanding unspanding respanding expanding again…
       Every burst birthing a cycle 
              A density of verdant heat, explosive power
                     A point of ripening intensity
                            A fullness of empty vastness
                                                                       Every pregnant ash
                                           Worlds of worlds in an ember,

 Seeds in the cinders of stars
Already dead
Slowing, dying
Red, growing,

A canopy of lights glowing
In the rippling sky.

I turn my eyes.