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His first poem was obsessively violent and absurdly angry, about eating intestines and drinking blood.
"Hatred is my blood as it boils through my veins, corroding both my soul and my body, driving me to spill more blood so as to feed on the substance that fuels me," Omaha South High senior Ivan Nataren told the hundreds of students at the school's auditorium. "You are the prey. I am the predator."
But for his poem that won first place in the school's first poetry slam, Ivan delivered a sensual verse about his love for — not humans — spaghetti.
"My body craves the liquid of pleasurable essence as the pasta blood trickles down my tongue," he told the crowd. "No meal has satisfied me as pasta has."
Ivan out-poetrized and outperformed 10 other South students on stage during the competition Friday afternoon at the school, 4519 S. 24th St.
"I wanted to connect the feeling of spaghetti and wanting it with lust," Ivan said after the slam. "I try to be as suggestive as possible."
The slam was a performance in every way — from the students sometimes shouting, lying on stage and almost rapping their words — to the audience members, who hollered, clapped and stood and shouted at every opportunity.
The students talked about AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases. They bemoaned having to duck bullets, being tempted by drugs and alcohol and suffering a lack of understanding from others.
"They had some great stories, and they really did them justice," said Matt Mason, executive director of the Nebraska Writers Collective, who helped organize the slam.
Per poetry slam rules, five judges equipped with whiteboards and markers decided the contest. They gave each poet a rating on a 1-10 scale, 10 being the best. The students had three minutes to tell their stories.
Principal Cara Riggs said she has wanted a slam at her school for several years.
Riggs herself recited a poem about people not understanding South students and judging them by the color of their skin and how well they hide their tattoos.
"It's just one other way to connect students in a nontraditional way," she said.
Ivan will have a chance to win another poetry contest in the spring. A slam among metro-area and Lincoln schools is planned for April.
So far, Gretna High School, Creighton Prep and South High have signed up, but about 10 others are interested.
"Writing stuff," Ivan said, "is just a way for me to let out my emotions."
Contact the writer:
402-444-1074, jonathon.braden@owh.com
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