Poetry Night at the Jazz Club

On my last night in Copenhagen, I knew I had to catch some jazz. Copenhagen earned its title as Europe's jazz capital back in the day by welcoming American jazz musicians with open arms. I biked over to La Fontaine, the oldest jazz club in Copenhagen and a real landmark of Danish jazz. Legends like Ben Webster, Dexter Gordon, and members of Duke Ellington's band have played here, and it's nurtured many important Danish jazz musicians too. Even Lady Gaga once jumped on stage here for an impromptu jam. I locked up my bike and stepped into the low-ceilinged club, already packed with people squeezed together on every available seat, dim lights giving it a feeling of stepping back centuries. But tonight, there was no jazz live show — it was a poetry reading instead. I felt disappointed and intrigued at the same time. Well, since I was already here, might as well embrace it. A poetry night could be nice too. "Hey, are you from Japan?" the organizer asked as she shook my hand in welcome — the first thing she said to me. I laughed and told her where I was actually from. Then she asked my name, and I squeezed into an open seat. The reading began. Each poet could only read their own work, three minutes max. One by one, they held up their phones and read their pieces. I couldn't understand Danish, but the rhythm and cadence of their readings moved me like music, poem after poem. One poet read her work in English. Another poet, after reading his own poem, read a second one he'd written in collaboration with AI. After each reading, the room erupted in applause and cheers. About an hour in, the host called out my name and invited me up to read. I was completely caught off guard. I wouldn't have minded reading my own work in Chinese — I believe poetry transcends language, just as the Danish readings had moved me. But this time, I was there by accident, a stranger who'd wandered into the wrong garden. All I could do was apologize repeatedly amid everyone's applause. After the reading, I digested the whole experience over a good meal at a small Andersen-themed restaurant. I knew then that even though my time in Copenhagen was short, I'd already left a piece of my heart there. Next time, I'm bringing my own poems to join their reading night. And I'm definitely catching a few real jazz shows in Copenhagen too.