The Hip Hop Congress of Texas State University held a Hip Hop Dance, Rap, etc. contest to “Edutain” this past Wednesday and guess who sat amongst the contestants while they were waiting to try out?

No, I didn’t perform but I did go to my favorite table in the LBJ Student Center to eat my dinner and study and found myself right in the pathway of people setting up for tryouts for the Edutainment and rappers sitting around

rat
tat
tatting
out their feelings for the day
with a swing
and a salute
and anything that’d lay

Anyway, it was fun. No one seemed to mind my sitting there minding my own business. There were two guys sitting at a table a little ways from me and one guy was rapping his heart out and had such a good “rhydum” that some of the competitors at another table started swaying to the beat he made in spite of themselves. In fact, I’d guess that most of us sitting near him were moving some part of our bodies to his rhyme. I loved watching his face too because he had joy and expression and power as he said what he needed to say.

Maybe it’s a good thing that I’ve returned to school after such a long time because I’m not as sensitive as I used to be about where I should be or not. I go where it feels right. I think there is an inner rapper in me. I’d sure like to learn how to do it. I love listening and watching the Def Jam poets.

I just hope I can learn this stuff before I become a caricature of myself like the little old man who would break dance in the Six Flags Over Texas commercial. Remember him? Just, God, please let me be able to keep a beat to the rhythm of the words from my heart.

What about you? What is inside of you that you’ve always wanted to try but didn’t give yourself permission to do?

THIS IS A PERMISSION SLIP FOR YOU TO ENJOY THE SONG THAT IS IN YOUR HEART!