في مدينة تضم الملايين، من السهل أن تشعر بالضياع والوحدة. ولكن في مجتمع الشعر المتنامي في دبي، يتصل الناس من قريب وبعيد ببعضهم البعض من خلال حبهم المتبادل للكلمات والتعبير عن الذات.

لطالما كانت الكتابة جزءاً من حياة أليزيا منذ الطفولة. بشكل طبيعي، جذبتها أول فعالية شعرية بالكلمات المنطوقة في أوريغون، الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية.

"صعدت على المسرح، وفعلت ذلك مرتين؛ كنت أشعر برعب رهيب من المسرح. واستغرق الأمر خمس سنوات أخرى قبل أن أفعل ذلك مرة أخرى. وكان ذلك في دبي في Blank Space. بشكل أساسي، تعرضت لفرصة عاطفية مؤلمة، وأردت أن أصعد على المسرح."

كنت أشعر بالرعب وأنا أقوم بذلك لأنه، مرة أخرى، جربت ذلك في الولايات المتحدة. لذلك، كان الأمر مخيفاً جداً عندما فعلته في دبي؛ كان هناك الكثير من الحب، والكثير من الاحترام والعناية؛ كان يُسمح لك بالفشل، وإذا فشلت، لم يكن يهم، لأنه لم يكن يبدو أنهم يحكمون عليك بصرامة بشأن هذا الفن؛ لم تكن بحاجة إلى أن تكون مثالياً، أو تحتاج إلى التعبير عنه بشكل مثالي. كان هناك الكثير من التسامح والحب واكتشاف نفسك هنا،" تقول أليزيا.

في قلب مجتمع الشعر في دبي، تتشابك جميع الأطراف بسبب وفرة الدعم والطاقة غير الحكمية والحب. تؤكد مالافيكا، المولودة والمربية في دبي، على الدعم، قائلة: "هم يدعمونك بشكل كبير. هم من ألطف الأشخاص الذين يمكنك مقابلتهم على الإطلاق. المجتمع هنا يريدك أن تكون قادراً على القيام بما تريد القيام به ويريد تشجيعك ودعمك خلال ذلك. أعتقد أننا نبذل قصارى جهدنا لنكون مساحة مفتوحة حيث يمكن للناس المجيء لاستكشاف وتجربة أشياء جديدة، واكتشاف أشكال فنية جديدة، والتمتع فقط."

بإضافة تركيز على الانفتاح، تقول أليزيا: "أعتقد أن حقيقة أنه تم بناؤه في مساحة موجهة نحو المجتمع تجعل الناس داعمين جداً للشعراء الجدد. ولا يشعر الأمر بنفس الطريقة التي كان عليها في الولايات المتحدة، مثل وجود نوع من الحاجز للدخول، مثل أنك بحاجة لتجاوز أشياء معينة لكي تدخل في النادي."

الشعر هو شكل من أشكال الفن التي تتجاوز اللغة. في بوتقة الثقافة التي هي دبي، تفرعت إلى مختلف اللهجات. "بينما لا أفهمها، لا يزال الناس يواصلون الحضور إلى العروض. يمكنك أن تشعر عندما يعبر شخص ما عن نفسه حقًا — إنه أكثر أصالة بكثير عندما يكون بلغته الخاصة. لا يتعلق الأمر بفرض كلماتهم لتناسب اللهجات الأخرى؛ بل يتعلق باستخدام صوتهم الخاص. لقد أحببت مشاهدة أن هناك تنوعاً أكبر بكثير،" تقول أليزيا عن مجتمع الشعر.

تتفق مالافيكا على أن هناك تدفق جميل من التنوع، قائلة: "أعتقد أن وجهات النظر التي نحصل عليها هنا متنوعة جداً، ربما أكثر مقارنة بدول أخرى. نحن جميعًا في هذه الوضعية المثيرة والفريدة للعيش في دبي وكوننا أشخاصًا somehow من هنا ولكن في نفس الوقت لا.

إنها مساحة فريدة للاستماع إلى جميع هذه وجهات النظر المختلفة، ومشاهدتها تتجمع، ورؤية التوتر بينها، وكيف يمكنها الاندماج."

For many people, poetry is an outlet for their emotions, cathartic. There is a beautiful intimacy in sharing that with strangers, which is expressed by Alysia, who says, "I think for me, when I first was getting into this, I was so scared of the judgment because poetry is a little bit more personal. You are writing about stuff that is usually a lot closer and a lot more sad, like there are a lot of heavy emotions behind it. And I don't come from the most stable background. And so it was a lot; I was really scared to share some of those pieces. And so once I did, I was okay. I had written a lot of poetry because I didn't want other people to feel alone.

So, I have heartbreak poetry. And it was because when I was going through these heartbreaks or these bigger feelings, I felt really alone, and I heard a radio talk show host say something. She was like, some people just don't realise how intense it could be. And I was like, okay, at least somebody gets it. And I was sitting in a taxi, and I just felt this overwhelming relief of not being alone in the world and not experiencing this big emotion by myself.

But then, when I shared some of the pieces that dug a little deeper into my past, people would come to me and share their own experiences or tell me they identified with certain things — things I never would have expected them to have gone through. It was also that reaffirmation of the fact that I needed to not feel alone.

And so this art that I was proclaiming as like this self-sacrifice of I'm trying to help the world was actually, in its origin, the exact thing I needed to help myself as help. I needed that support from the community. I needed people to identify with that. And so I think that that informed a big part of why I love this community so much, which is because of that aspect of how we all kind of bounce off of each other. In the beginning, I thought it was a one-way street. I'm giving my art to the world, and I didn't realise how much I needed that back."

What can you expect? Malavika says, “I think what you can expect is not to be judged. I think a lot of us are still very much in the beginning stages of our experience and our journey as writers. And more than anything, we are always excited to meet somebody with the same interests as us, who views literature, poetry, and the written arts with the same kind of respect and passion as we do.

Another thing is, if you come across one event or one of the workshops we do, I think we can introduce you to a wide range of different kinds of poetry and different kinds of spoken word. It is also a great place for you to experiment. If you have been writing and you have never really had any opportunity to share it, hear feedback, or gather audience response, I think it is a great place to also experiment and try new things and just meet people who think as you do and who enjoy the same things as you sometimes.

Dubai can feel very isolated. Even though it is a pretty bustling city, you can sometimes feel lonely and isolated. And I think being able to share your inner work, which is what a lot of poetry is, and also being around a community of people who are supportive and caring and kind; I think you can expect to feel a little bit spiritually fulfilled if that makes sense.  Just internally, feel calmer and happier."

In her final words, Malavika reminds us that, whether amateur or professional, there is always a spark of creativity flowing within us." I think poetry is often thought of as something that is meant only for certain types of people. So, it is only meant for the people who understand it. That is very similar to a lot of arts. It is kind of held in this regard that poetry is not the same as other forms of literature. It is something that requires some kind of deep understanding. I don't think that that is the case. I think there is a poet in everyone. We all have our own experiences that we want to talk about, and I think most of us don't realise that we are poets.”

Whether you are curious about spoken word poetry or long to be part of a community that shares a common passion, the doors of the Dubai poetry community are always wide open. A haven of ideas and differences and a celebration of humanity through words, the Dubai poetry community is a unifying artistic force growing in the region. 

If you are looking to explore the world of spoken word poetry and want to grow or observe the raw creativity in the UAE, there are a few places where gatherings happen. The Basement in Abu Dhabi hosts regular open mic events, where the public can share their spoken word creations or observe. Just Entertainment in Dubai is a space for comedy, music and poetry, with regular open mics and poetry workshops taking place. Additionally, PAUS Dubai has open mics which are open to the public.