All you folks not living in Canada get a treat due to technology: the Max Middle Sound Project: now at YouTube, an exploration of sound and poetry, the first a throat drum reminiscent of monks, the second almost soundless and the third voices overlapping to choral, dissect oral and intersect words. What fun.
Old Uncle
Old Uncle
With cigarette lit, light shaken to smoke
the stained-dark wood humors him, veneer flame
(the face of walnut branch sliced though). Match, tamed,
he holds it up, a thinned threat, a black joke
against the grain. Sputter; laughter, sulphur
eyes burn, acerbic wit. Chain “cancer sticks”
perk him up, the OC litany, wicks
shrunk, properties lost and women’s offers…
palms up for fallen angels, mischief shrug.
Stiff jackknife snaps home. Done whittling chunk
to only shavings, air. Almost a monk,
long-suffering ticks, slowed tock, ignored smug
hound. Old clock yammers on, how bodies wind
down. Key critch, resets from digital watch.
—
.
Dusk
squint down alleys thick with
scuffed dust bunnies
convention let out
Not a haiku but a shortie one breath long.
More responses to the One Deep Breath Twilight Dusk prompts.
Visual poetry generator toy might be fun to play with some time.
—
hard to think in public
sidelong facial tick of jaw click
sidewalk’s repeating clusters
faster than us also want snatches
of what’ll finally be
rung and brung to lip
pits of fruit pressed tongued
strained in/de
cisions, ideological
surgery, tumor row
for shore, dead reckon for safe
harbour
sugary diplomatic debates
d/el(u/i/)sions park poignant
pointed out of the room
coup de pouce you’re getting what
you’re being, it’s cold with a capital f
banging snow off wet shoes
snowstorm pressed to the glass
coat off shoulders the diamonds of melt
central heat reaches cling shirt
nipple’s muscles haven’t forgotten out
sides contour in cadence scent stronger
hand warmth cupped shoulder blades
sheathed rocking embrace of chests
—
MiPO is up
Poetry Link: A new issue is up of MiPOesias, an Asian American issue. An article at gather on MiPOesias, online, print and radio including interviews with creator and publisher Didi Mendez, Editor-in-Chief Amy King, and Print Editor, Jenni Russell.
The Art of Forgetting by Neil Aitken has some stellar sound flows and imagery. Adrienne Su’s Sestina was cool. A sestina I liked. Wow. Love Jennifer Kwon’spoem that can be read as two columns or as one. Interesting. Gendered Relations has gorgeous intensity of flow under the hand of Lani Montreal.
A lot more still to read. Bit by bit. It’s easy to OD on poetry.
Quote: “Without the meditative background that is criticism, works become isolated gestures, historical accidents, soon forgotten.” — Milan Kundera (1929-), Franco-Czech writer.