It's a bird ... it's a plane ... it's a bunch of poets in superhero costumes! But seriously, what better way to kick off the Halloween weekend than dressing up as your favorite masked man and listening to the Silver Surfer wax poetic? You may be in for just that if you attend 516 Arts’ Superheroes Poetry Contest Awards Show tonight at 7 p.m. (516 Central SW). In conjunction with the Superheroes: Icons of Good, Evil & Everything in Between show on display through January, 516 Arts staged a poetry contest and is now unveiling its five winners. The evening will be highlighted by feature poet and comic book enthusiast Gary Jackson. Local legend Hakim Bellamy will host and Nora Hickey, Nick DePascal and Bonnie Altamirano will also perform. The event is free and all attendees are encouraged to costume it up. You should go. Attending a poetry reading will make you feel a lot better about your place in society when you're puking black and orange Jell-O shots out of your nose at 3 a.m. Here is one of the winning poems by Gary Glasgow (after the jump):

SUPERNOTHING

He flies! And runs with speed no mortal can.

Unloved, because he’s strange and not from Earth

Regrets he, that he’s not of human klan

And can n’er return to the planet of his birth.

His paunch belies the strength within him still

His craggy face reflects the years of toil

A seventy year exercise of his will

An alien seeking justice on our soil.

No thanks received, no treasures offered up

The Planet’s laid him off, no sad goodbyes

Now waiting for the Greyhound bus to stop

No Lois here, no Jimmy. No surprise.

The victories of Youth have well been told

Our heroes, hopes and dreams have gotten old.