By Jasmaine Payne

JUST ask Jaime Mayers what poetry has done for him, and he’d simply say, “I am poetry; poetry is me.” Known to most as “SURU”, short for ‘Straight Up, Right Up’, Jaime believes that his role in life is to promote poetry as a tool of positivity and expression; a means of helping persons to cope and be inspired through his own experience sharing.
Over the years, Jaime has become a household name among local poets from performing his lyrically provocative and emotionally candid pieces on Poetry Night at the former Upscale Restaurant.
But since that establishment has been closed, leaving poets hungry for a venue to continue their public form of expression, Jaime has filled the gap by establishing the small but steady ‘Jazz and Poetry on a Stool’ at Julian’s Restaurant and Bar on Cummings Street in Alberttown.
At this point in his life, however, the 28-year-old believes that he owes much to poetry in helping him to not only realise his own purpose, but to keep the art frorm alive in Guyana so that it can serve as a means of release and creative development .

‘POETRY FOUND ME’
Growing up with his mother and sister, Jaime admits that being the only male in the household made it challenging for him to relate to his family, especially as he entered the tough adolescent years.
“With my mom trying to raise me to be a man, and as a boy trying to figure out how to be a man with no male guidance. it was a tight situation,” he said.
As such, he turned to ‘Rap’ music, which inspired him so much that he thought he’d aspire to become a rapper just after graduating high school. But that dream quickly fizzled after a short attempt with a group of friends. Soon after, he would leave for Trinidad and Tobago to attend university. And it was there, he admits, that poetry “found him” rather than the other way around.
As Jaime recalled, “There were extra-curricular poetry activities, and they invited me to attend. I had a girlfriend in Guyana, and I tried to figure out ways to express myself.”
With social media not yet at its prime in those days, and communication limited, Jaime took to penning his feelings on paper. And what started out as personal thoughts soon became poetic messages that seemed to move people whenever he shared his words.
He remembers the words of a lecturer who later encouraged him to write his feelings, so as to encourage people, which would, in turn, encourage him.
At first, he took little heed to those words, but would later realise that they would change his life.

UPSCALE AND BEYOND
When Jaime returned to Guyana and heard about ‘Upscale’, he was encouraged to go up and share his poems with the Guyanese community. Though he still didn’t consider himself a poet, he decided to heed the encouragement of those around him.
It was only after penning a motivating piece titled, “Confidence”, which dealt with self-esteem and personal image, and seeing the overwhelming response of the local community that he realised that poetry may just love him after all.
“That is the moment when I really felt like a poet,” Jaime said. “And from then on, I decided to use poetry to move people with my words.”
Then ‘Upscale’ upped and closed its doors, and, like many other poets, Jaime took it hard.
“Upscale’s closing closed down a part of myself, so I reached to a stage where I wasn’t sure what I was doing. I just writing down my thoughts, trying not to be overwhelmed; wanting to help people,” he said.
“So, when they closed ‘Upscale’, I was wondering, ‘How I will get this frustration off my chest; how I will help people.’”
Later, through a referral, the restless poet was introduced to the owner of Julian’s Restaurant and Bar, and after some time and hesitation, and with the help of a close friend, he plugged all his efforts into reviving the poetry community through the launch of ‘Jazz & Poetry on a Stool’ back in May 2015.
He readily admits that finding partnership to launch the initiative was tough, as persons only tended to look into how they could make a profit, but because art and passion were at the heart of his agenda, Jaime knew that he had to make the right choice if he were to make the event a permanent and meaningful one.
“I didn’t want to be a star, but to speak positivity into people’s lives; I want to encourage them to realise they could do what they wanted; to be to be passionate about their goals. I wanted to show them that there’s someone who actually cares about human beings and human life, and I’m willing to use myself as the example while I learn,” he said.

LOOKING AHEAD
Now, almost a year later, Jaime has taken some time off from the event to restructure it in a manner that will guarantee its longevity and success.
He is currently working on putting together a strong team of people who share his vision, passion and dream of creating a space for artists to be able to express themselves.
This includes registering the name, ‘Jazz & Poetry on a Stool’, as an official business, and collaborating with NGOs to provide extended opportunities for artists and young people as well.
“This thing started as a passion, so it still needs a lot of structural work. So, I’m still learning, because I now realise my role of inspiring people,” he said.
Through ‘Jazz & Poetry on a Stool’, he also hopes to launch a ‘Big Brother, Big Sister’ programme, whereby persons can mentor young people and help them hone their artistic talents.
He has also partnered with groups like ‘Music Unlimited’ to assist in his endeavours, and is also looking for other forms of sponsorship.
Jaime believes that he must create a legacy through poetry, so that even in his absence, young artists can still be able to benefit from what he has started.
“We want to eradicate the literacy problem in Guyana. In this country, there are limited ways of expression. Growing up, nobody taught you how to express yourself,” he said.
“I want to create a setting, so that when people come in, they feel like they’re part of a family. We are not here just to spit words at you; we are here to strengthen you by creating this platform, so people can come out and grow while we grow.”
If all works out, Jaime hopes to get ‘Jazz & Poetry on a Stool’ back in action on April 1, and though the day is celebrated worldwide as ‘All Fool’s Day’, Jaime says what he plans on doing is certainly no joke.