Self-Empowerment

Got'ta get down with bad self
I got my eyes on you
I only have eyes on you
who's going to look out for No. 1
if not us?

Some Things

Child Quote of Last Week

"Who's gonna kiss that woman?!

Who's gonna kiss that man?!

No one?!

You sit in the baby chair!

I sit in the grown up chair!

I sit in the front!"


...Word, kid, word!

...Total future poet. I just can't tell his parents yet.

***

Question

What happens when
the word cathected
becomes it?


***

I have something to say about Martin Puryear, plenty, but let me just pull the headphones off, take the cup of wine out from under my teeth, guitar out of my lap, head off the dang pillow, head out of the shiny/rosy gutter (gosh but it sparkles). Then, yeah, lots to say and boy, huh. Mostly, "Say my name Sebastian! Say my name!" (Never Ending Story anyone?). Did anyone else see the piece with the f*&@#ing narwhal horn busting out of a lump knot of wood? Exactly.

You are More Preciouser

You are more preciouser than golden ruby stones
I think I like you a lot more than I don't
I can hang out with you almost every day
I'd shed a diamond tear if you ever pass away

A whoa whoa whoa
A whoa whoa whoa
The sea is deep. The sky is wide
I have a treasure trove of gem love for you inside

You are more preciouser than golden ruby thrones
your love is like a pin grafted to my bones
I'd swim a hundred yards to bring you back to me
if you should ever leave my pants will fill with pee

A whoa whoa whoa
A whoa whoa whoa
The sea is deep. The sky is wide
I have a treasure trove of gem love for you inside

Let Them Eat It

All the ones having cake
want to eat it too

ones have their cake
but still want more
and want more to eat
more of it

ones with cake
eat cake and want cake
and eat lots

and cakeless ones
eat some cake
they like the cake taste too

who taste cake,
they taste cake, taste
cake, they taste it
and can't scrape it
from their tongues
but some cakes they taste
on their tongues
for months
and wonder now
what if they
waste cake?

but then there's
always more cake
but what cake?
when you have no cake
the cake you take
is an important cake
when the cake you want
cannot be took

though these taken cakes
do take cake even
cakes of other taken cakes
and cakes will wonder
which cakes cannot now
be hooked

there are those cakes
that do not eat because
they are gluten free and
eating cake would hurt
the cake that they are
glad to be

and promised cakes
that promise to
eat a one and only cake
who as two cakes
have baked some cake
and made a sweet cupcake

and cakes bring new cakes
they bring cakes to the party
they say, cake, meet these cakes
eat some cake, we eat cake
it’s good cake, you’re good cake,
have some cake at this party

and all are caked
and get more caked
until their cake eyes have crossed
these cakes eat cake
because the cake
because the cake
because the cake
because the cake
because the cake
because the cake
because the cake’s the boss.

Weekend

Suzanne Stein on Taxt Event

Laura Moriarty on Taxt Event

Alli Warren's photos of SPT

Stephanie Young's photos of SPT

Brandon Brown on whole shebang


Human Jukebox at SPT Poet's Theater -- Photos by Taylor Conrad


Inside the Box


Cassie Smith and Box


Hole in the Box


Songs of the Box

Ramtha Knows Best

Okay, guys, I wasn't going to post anything until after this weekend in order to high-light this weekend's events and I realize I've been posting a lot but I found this last night and DANG, it's just too good. You need to see this. This is why I have a blog.

A little preface: The Ramtha School of Enlightenment is a cult that operates out of Yelm, Washington, about 20 minutes outside of my hometown of Olympia. Don't balk at the term cult, it's a cult, watch the video and...it's a cult. I could write or talk about the Ramtha School of Enlightenment for pages or hours or hours worth of pages. It's one of my very favorite subjects. If we're ever talking and there's an awkward lull in the conversation, just ask me about Ramtha and we'll be set for at least the next half hour. So, Ramtha is a 30,000 year old male warrior spirit and JZ Knight is a woman from Oklahoma or somewhere's who channels Ramtha. Ramtha inhabits JZ so that, as a more highly evolved being, he can teach us about quantum mechanics. He wants us to learn how to "create our own realities". Has anyone seen the movie "What the #@$! Do We Know?"? That was all Ramtha and Co.'s doing. Now watch the clip. Here's Part 2 of Ramtha on "Emotional Addiction". Who the dumbass interviewing Ramtha/JZ is, I have no idea.



Usually seing JZ/Ramtha in action makes me want to cleave my face in twain with an axe. Part 1, definitely had that effect. I really had to struggle through that one; there was a lot of wailing and groaning. Part 2 though is something else all together, it transcends their usual platitudinous pseudo-science to a level of absurdity that nears the sublime. The pipe, the pipe, the pipe, the pipe, THE PIPE. (I can't get over it). I felt actual joy watching this, okay maybe it was just overwhelming disbelief and amusement, but nonetheless I had to share it with you. Honestly, you can't really argue with them a) because the bullshit is so thick that it's next to impossible to discern what the FUCK they're talking about and b) because it's all blanket self-empowerment stuff that you could glean from any self-help book just with a little 30,000 year old wicka-wicka-hoo-hoo and some qunatum mechanics thrown in. Self-empowerment is hands down a good thing, no argument there. Plus if you sign up for one of Ramtha/JZ's seminars (first one is free!) you might learn how to: see through time! develop 360 degree vision! talk to aliens! or cover your ceiling in copper plating because some lady/some warrior spirit says it's a good idea!

Really, there's so much to discuss here that I'll have to come back to it soon. I have some great Ramtha stories. Hit me up, my "beloved entities" and create yourselves a beautiful day.

p.s. I love a cult headed up by a woman. I sincerely do. JZ Knight is a lot of things and one of them is a marketing genius. I will give her that. My feelings are mixed. I have questions; some of which include: Why a male warrior spirit? Why oh why the British accent? and How much money do I have to pay before I can see through time?

This Weekend is Going to be NUTS

Y'all heard? I hope you can come.

1. F R I D A Y. I'll be the one in the box or the one with flowers on her head-interchangeably.

SPT POET'S THEATER: Please join us for a full night of theater, performance, and other delights, at the first night of our annual Poets Theater Fest fundraiser. Featuring:

WORLD PREMIERES OF:

"Only the Money is Real" by Raymond Pettibon (directed by Kevin Killian)
"Perverted Virtue" by Tetra Balestri (directed by Milenko Skoknic)
"Rabbit Butoh, Bunny Butoh" by Bhanu Kapil (directed by Erin Morrill)"Elsa in Berlin" by Stan Apps (directed by David Brazil)

"Trademark Girls" by Wendy Kramer (directed by Mac McGinnes)

plus:
three short plays by Daniil Kharms, trans. Matvei Yankelevich (directed by Brent Cunningham)
intermission performances by Lindsey Boldt, Ariel Goldberg, Brandon Brown, Lara Durbeck, and others
as well as a huge raffle, with artworks, signed broadsides and more, from a variety of poets, artists, and presses.
wine & refreshments will be served.

see you then & there!
Show starts promptly at 730pm. $10
Timken Hall, California College of the Arts
1111 8th St., San Francisco

sptraffic.org
smallpresstraffic.blogspot.com


2. S A T U R D AY. I'll be the one listening intently.

Canessa Reading Series:

January 17, 8pm
curated by erica lewis

Featuring the works of Erika Staiti, Suzanne Stein, and Dodie Bellamy

Read more here.


3. S U N D A Y. I'll be the one in the box.

Join us this Sunday, January 18, 2009 at 6:30pm for a very special ensemble performance, gala in spirit and cozy at heart.

In the intimate manner of carnival coin toss or old-school tents-of-wonder, a dozen poets will present their work fairground style, with all performances happening at once around the space. Expect real-time twitter feeds, slide shows & other sweet surprises! Listen in on headphones, have a poem whispered in your ear, observe in groups of two or three, or all at once or all alone. There might even be a REAL KISSING BOOTH.

Our star-studded TAXT cast of contributors and performers includes:

Stefani Barber
Jasper Bernes
Lindsey Boldt
David Brazil
David Buuck
Geneva Chao
Del Ray Cross
Chris Girard
Michael Nicoloff
Eleni Stecopoulos
John Sakkis
Jerrold Shiroma

This event is a TAXT FUNDRAISER. All proceeds will go towards the printing, stapling, & mailing of the 2009 series of TAXT chapbooks. TAXT appreciates your support!

About the press:

"TAXT works to make visible the work of contemporary Bay Area poets, writers, & artists previously under-represented in publication. The chapbooks are produced at home in Oakland, on an irregular but consistent basis & will continue to appear thus until I get tired of folding pages. This editor's role is to provide a physical space in which writers & artists may do whatever work they choose: the site is always 24pgs, in the 5.5 x 8.5 framework. This publisher's desire is to work with each contributor to produce a simple book that makes its consideration as both object and container.

TAXT chapbooks are ALWAYS FREE. Keep yours or pass it on. Share the wealth; there will never be more than 100 copies of each book. Sorry."
If you can't come to the KISSING BOOTH, but would still like to support TAXT, or would just like more information about the press, please visit http://www.taxtpress.blogspot.com/ or email the press directly: taxt@mindspring.com

-------------------------
newyipes.blogspot.com

Hop-to!

Fuckin'...get those sea legs on
in a hurry, Miss
I said, I said, I said
get 'em on 'n
maybe that wobble'll
look like you mean it

Fuckin'...work it out, Son
brief me when the whale blows
and wipe the flotsom
out your eye corners

Some's here got work to do
so shelf it
stick that can o' tuna
on a higher shelf
and shove a bright n' shiny
orange down your gullet

Say, ha!

Ha!

2008 Notebook Poems

That's violence.
I'm a monger.
I want to eat your feelings.
I will eat your feelings.

-----

Dear poem,

I'm still working on you
working on you is like
spitting into a dixie cup
hoping to fill it to the brim
at which point I will

a) drink
b )throw in a face (no)
c) set down
d) give
e) set down and forget about
f) spill
g) look, peer, stare, gaze into

viscous and bubble filled
nice to look at but next to
impossible to consume.

----

Fuck You Dicksuck

Oh, for crying in the gutter.
Get your face off my face and lick your own
the gash rash you've been trotting around
lacks a certain je ne sais quoi

----

Chiding whiplash of the ill-advised
step away, step away, step off
having no business being-doing means
cower again though you just newly showed yourself
turn heels and flip a bitch
back to the sandbox with you, scoundrels!
You were never made for this kind of
Whiplash!
breast reduction-heart reduction surgery
flash floods
----

love a wonky eye
can't help but do

----

I'm the biggest human ever!
I am tiny, tiny small.
I am nothing worth being!
Look! I am nothing at all!
Oh! I've got hands for my eyes
and eyes for my hands!
I'm looking and I'm touching
I'm broken. Yes!
Busted from the start

----

-I'm mad at you.
-Yes.
-So you know.
-Yes.
-So.
-So, what?
-So, okay.
-Okay.

----

"giving off dye" bleeding out
"the hand of the fabric"
a scream to rattle your bones by
I'm upset (now) that you're upset
I don't like it when you hurt yourself
because I don't like it when people I like
get hurt.

----

to the castle and rest
rest at the castle and drink
butter lips at the castle
greased fish and squeezed lemon
at the castle come lately
come early, come often
stack tunes on old minstrels
and sway and sway and swoon
in the castle, dance slowly
try hard not to nod out
it's time for the two-step
it's time for a song

----

screwball comedy at sutro baths
done busted out the sutures
that keep sides from splitting

slid down the slippery slope 
of Victorian propriety
gone splish splash with your fellow
man, woman and child

shared the water
made water in the water
and bellied up till sea came in
to take out the structures

and work us all in suits and caps
against the rocks bleeding us outright

----

Alright Already

Dang, 2009

Don't hold back or anything.

Sheesh.

2009 Are Ya Outta Yer Mind?

Hey, New Year
How's it goin?
Yeah, you, uh, new...
(eh hem) around here?
Oh, sure, got it
that makes sense
Right, well, cool
I'll just be over here,
Say, what's your name again?
2009? Right, right, right
Well, 2009, you have a uh...
an excellent...
I will see you later
Yes...right