San Francisco City Hall's North Light Court Room exploded with emotion as Bay Area poets exercised their first amendment right of freedom of speech while hundreds of spectators trickled in and out of the SF landmark.

"If you haven't exercised your first amendment right of freedom of speech, then put it in poetry!" yelled Diamond Dave Whitaker at the podium centered in front of the hall.

The third annual Poems Under the Dome consisted of three hours of poetry readings, recitals and open mic slam poetry.

Whitaker, who has hosted the event for three years, is a Minnesota native who hosts the open mic reading at the Park Branch of the San Francisco Public Library, introduced guest poets and readers.

The first half of the event was dedicated to winners who previously won at local poetry readings throughout the Bay Area.

Each winner was granted three minutes to recite a favorite poem. Among the winners was Edwin Drummond, a winner from the Word Dancing reading at It's a Grind coffee shop in San Francisco, who recited a poem about his battle against Parkinson's disease.

"Parkinson's disease...spreading its wings in my brain for 16 years...," Drummond said to the silenced crowd as they watched his right hand tremble when he spoke.

Attendee Myeisha Hammond said Drummond's poetry reading was amazing.

"For him to be able to talk about something so personal and turn it into something so beautiful is very empowering," said Hammond, a sophomore at Sacramento State University.

Guest host Kirk Reid performed a piece he called, "Bambi Lake Talks Her Way Into the DNA Lounge," as a tribute to Bambi Lake, a San Francisco icon in the queer draq queen world.

"This is about our freedom to speak! Exercise your right to speak!" Reid said at the podium prior to reciting his piece.

His dramatic performance combined with his hot pink, leopard printed tank top, mustard colored belt and black skinny jeans brought the audience to their feet.

The second half of the show opened up the microphone to the audience and allowed attendees to enter their names in the drawing to read their poems that night. Names were randomly selected and when called, the winner lined up at the right of the room, checked in with Guinevere Q, host of open mic at the Brainwash Cafe, and awaited their turn.

A total of 22 guest poets from the drawing took the floor that evening and filled the night with lyrical masterpieces.

Over the last two years, over 50 invited poets from local open mic events have read at the event and more than 60 attendees have had the opportunity to express themselves beneath the dome, according to the Under the Dome official Web site.

The yearly event was sponsored by Mayor Gavin Newsom, the Board of Supevisors, the San Francisco Public Library, GO Productions, the Brainwash, the Alexander Book Company and the SF Study Center. Those interested in attending next year can stay updated by visiting www.poemdome.com.