New Poets Meet
The Last Poets

When Kayla Davis sat down to write something she would read at Friday night’s poetry slam at Lyric Hall, she thought about what the world would be like if things were different. If they were better.

So her poem ends like this:

“What if ​‘what ifs’ were no more?
What if?”

Davis (pictured), an 8th grader at Hamden Middle School, is one of several students who will perform their pieces at Lyric Hall in the heart of Westville at 7 p.m. Friday along with the legendary ​“Last Poets,” a group of radical black poets and musicians who pushed the boundaries of spoken word and funk-oriented jazz during the 1960s. The group is credited for having laid the foundation for hip-hop, and its members have performed recently with artists such as Kanye West and the Wu-Tang Clan.

It all started when Hashim Allah, a curriculum designer whose son, Hashim Jr., is among the performers Friday night, was having lunch with Abiodun Oyewole, one of the Last Poets. ​“We’re literally having lunch at his house, and he says, ​‘Hashim, I should come to New Haven,’” Allah recalled.

And so Allah (pictured) came up with a joint poetry slam between the professional recording artists and New Haven students. Lyric Hall’s owner John Cavaliere was happy to oblige with a performance space.

Kayla Davis and her twin, Diona, heard about the opportunity when Allah walked into the Hamden Youth Center and presented the idea to the kids there.

Writing poems wasn’t easy, but the two had some good ideas. ​“I saw a map and a clock and I just started writing,” said Diona, remembering working on her poems at the center. ​“I wrote about time and fear…and about running out of time. I’m afraid of running out of time in my own life.”

Time was also on the mind of Terryn Edwards (pictured), a 6th grader at Ridge Hill School, who began her poem ​“If I could take the time back, and rewind back.” The poem is about her aunt, who died in a car accident, and her two cousins, who were both shot and killed.

Friday night will be the first time the Davises or Edwards have performed in public (Lyric Hall’s restored theater seats about 50). It’ll come easier for 16-year-old Hillhouse senior Mario Callahan, who’s already performed in several school and other talent shows.

During a practice session at Lyric Hall on Wednesday, he performed a piece about the uncertainties of becoming an independent adult. But in general, ​“I like writing love poems,” he said.

The Last Poets are fresh from a tour in Europe and will be recorded and filmed on Friday night — meaning that the students who perform with them will end up on their new album.