h5n1 shifts

antigen shifts h5n1 send us back
to a quart of wheat
for a day's wages

I bought a Big Mac
sealed it up
and shipped it to Africa
but Wilfred Brimley intercepted
and promptly met my dead grandfather
for a moment's reflection
on 1980's medical equipment

I suggest peeling Julia Robert's gums off
and using them to dam
the French Quater
i hear she has a killer smile

or maybe using Reagan ketchup-logic
to prove there was no problem
to begin with

Selfless Plug

The third Megaphone Piggy reading will be taking place on November 4th starting around 8:00 P.M., I'm not entirely sure where it's going to be held though. I'll get back to everyone with the address in a timely fashion. The goal is to spread the word about Megaphone Piggy since we've started accepting submissions for the Fall 06 issue. Actually, we'll be putting together short fiction and poetry issues, so send either or both in for consideration. You can either e-mail me with your submissions, or send it directly to MegaphonePiggy@gmail.com.

If you'd like copies of our past issues (MP 1 and MP 2) shoot me a word and I'll see that you get it. We've also got copies of The Emergence of Nannah U. Fosster by Nannah U. Fosster, the first chapbook out under the Megaphone Piggy Press "label," so shoot me a word about that one too.

Also, if you're interested in reading on the 4th let me know; we're always hoping for more folks to join in.

So keep the date in mind.

bear mace

get out of my raceboat
and Jack said this very well

and very creamy
brain property contraction now

pleasure pleasure bixbee

the population spurts
get made b/c
I ate
the princess

batthezar head off

lullenfield sell this to the nuns & mike

federal orfix
affairs

pieces of constellations
shot at elephants

propertymonious very far away

chandeliers are

my eyelids are
mouthing off
in the camera

eating plastic forks
b/c the king
is dead now

yesterduh voices and banned albums

yesterduh - Check this out.

ten banned albums burned, then played - Check this one out while you're at it. It's exactly what it sounds like. I suggest the Igor Stravinsky piece, although I'm also partial to the Beatles one. They're all worth a listen though.

Repetition Exercise (Removing Meaning)

peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas paes peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas pesa pesa peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas pesa peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas pesa pesa peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas pesa pesa peas peas peas peas peas pesa peas peas pesa pesa peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas pesa peas peas pesa peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas pesa pesa peas peasa peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peaws peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas pesa peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas pea peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas eas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas pesa peas peas peas peas peas peas pesa peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas pesa pesa pesa pesa pesa peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas pea s peas peas pea s peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas pea pea peas peas peas pea peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas eas peas peas peas paepase psea peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas paes peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peasp eapesa pesa pesa peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas pesa peas peas peas peas peas peas peas pesa peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peaw peas peas peas peas pea peas pesa pesa peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas pesa peas peas peas easp easp eapeas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas epas peas pea peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas pesa peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas pesa peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas peas paes

oooohh, yeah

park yourself
under an orange umbrella
and smell the roast beef

this is what the good life smells like

the lion and blue

lion and blue
piss crotch
in deep with jazz and turtle soup
on the eleventh of every month
like june

480 E. Signs

Clowns hate tangelos

Вечная Память.

http://en.liturgy.ru/mp3/96/afanas15.mp3



Сирень не цветет в декабре,

и кальмар может только взять ваше судно вниз очень много раз

перед полуночью.

Mamata's Gracious Reading of Tom Raworth's "The Mosquito and the Moon"

post_moot

http://www.plantarchy.us/post_moot_schedule.html

Check that out - it's the post_moot schedule, etc.

antigen shifts h5n1

antigen shifts h5n1
a quart of wheat
for a day’s wages
and Mt. Kilimanjaro’s ice caps melting
ten years in the future
Einstein bibble
writing letters dropping bombs
diluting the Gulf Stream
with Goldie Hawn’s gums
Washington spiritualist movements
tapping on the kitchen table
Lincoln lifting coffin lids
of his dead children
taxidermists
don’t use
my skin
my elbow skin is perfectly in tact
coffin lids coughing
what jokes
before your dead grandfather dies
from diabeetess

Translations Project and translations

It's been a while since I've posted any new pieces in this blog, but that shouldn't suggest that I haven't been busy writing. Here's what I'm up to:

I'm starting work on a new project dealing with the various types of translations. English to English, Russian to English, English to Russian, misunderstandings, mishearings, deletions, additions, replacements, S + 7's, etc. Translation absolutely fascinates me, and I think that I could do great things with them. I'm planning on making it into another chapbook under the Magus Flower Press label and hopefully a reading or two which will wind up being in Cleveland because of time. Hopefully though, I can get a recording or video of it so I can post it on my blog for all of the people who won't be in Northeast Ohio this summer.

I'm also working on starting up a project revolving around religion (Orthodoxy since that's what I'm down with). I want to work with Church texts, music, and sounds and the ideology and myth taught in and believed by the Church. This too will be released as a Magus Flower Press chapbook due out this summer (probably late summer).

The scene !n herd reading video will be posted on the Meshworks site sometime soon. (Currently you can check out a reading by cris cheek and Catherine Wagner, who was recently hired on as the new poetry professor here at Miami. I'm taking a workshop with her in the fall and I'm psyched about it.) I read 90 sek(0nd) chili, central asia, and the piece I wrote for Tim that I've tentatively entitled skin cuts there. When the link goes up, I highly recommend you check out the videos of what people performed; it was an excellent reading.

And now a little teaser poem/exercise that I've written for my translations book. Just an example of a type of translation that I'm poking around. Expect more as they come about.


translations




Translations.

Trancelations.

Tranzlayshuns.

Trahnslaisions.

Truhnclayshions.

Tramlaivzuns

Tamlaytsons

ssb

sometimes i leave my bedroom blinds
open
and fantasize about teenage boys with burritos
watching me in my nightgown
as i get ready for bed.

i accidently flashed a boy
in the drive-thru at dairy queen
one summer
when i had a boyfriend
who liked being flashed.
i didn’t mean for the boy to see
but he opened the window to give
us our change
at his lucky fourteen year old moment.
i watched him point at me
and tell his friends.

from that moment on
i’ve wanted to turn on boys
with fast food.

Wuncapunathyme

Wuncapunathyme der vas a gurl by the name of Ray "chill" Smurf, who often (more often) wundered if she ver a boy. Herr friends (what few der ver) accented this unfortunate confucius (cept for some, who, being boys themselves, told others she vas a gurl). To this day, we don't no. Way to way (and either way) Chill Smurf wrote on occasion, and shopped on others. Herr ribs (lightly smoked and kuverd in orig. bbq sauce) measured ruffly 34" uhround and kept herr 'gans and such in order. She used to keep binder klips clipped to herr shirt, untill she found no more use for dem, and stopped abruptly one Toozday after noon. Wunc she met a man celling fossils in de street (ov which she bought two in order to tell time better). Another thyme, she met a Thim, of whom Chill circled Linkoln, bedazzled by bedazzling xmas lites. Writing in ariel font got Chill S. nothang but mintie-frosh gigi breadth and 21 yen (a vive!) to spend in Brekzvill (ov vich she has little change but age). Herr reesee kup (which, when hungry, she'd (saul) bellow: "giveme mah reese kup-a!") wuz never to be found again, lost in Richyard V'z pink belly. In Owgust Chill wuz called Quillz incorrectly by a boy wrinkling thyme on a skullbus. By sophomore cards, she drew a drew wunc, but quikly placed him back in the deck and mailed it off to Francz, where the card she drew enjoyed the natural habitat recluse with other nasal fatt-lippd Frank O'Philz (oddly enouff of Scotchish descent). All Dis havin bean salad, I leave you as I found you, only sum thyme later.

fourteen poems about turtles

Its turtlesall the way down.
They wiggle their toes and the
universe flutters.
They eat hotdogs and scratch
their toenails
on other turtles’ shells.
And it’s turtle on turtle
for miles into millennia.
Turtles on stars, on suns,
on planets.
Turtles clogging up black
holes,
turtles starting tomorrow and
starting yesterday
all the way down.


Tell me what you eat,
and I’ll tell you what you are.
I eat flipper muscle
torn and ripped
from delicate appendages
of pacific greens.
Muscle that floats on curried water
next to bits of shell.


Sea turtles eat oatmeal with spoons at the kitchen table
and rattle the calla lily centerpiece
with their finger nails.


Once, a turtle saw planes and satellites
and a statue fall out
of a black hole in the sky
from a parallel universe.
The universe was caked in green mud
and avocadoes.


I heard two sea turtles clacking on linoleum,
and I offered them nail files,
but they kindly declined
and left to sip tea in the garden.


Scientists refer to the first seven years
of a Pacific Green Turtle’s life
as the “lost years.”
From the time the hatchlings enter the water
to the time that the turtles show up
in the main Hawaiian Islands,
it is unknown exactly where the turtles go
and what they’re feeding upon.
What is known, however,
is that they feed omnivorously
on limu, jellyfish, and other
young sea creatures.


Blind turtles
and turtles wearing glasses
still see
the petals falling,
the red fish swimming,
and the shells.


Some turtles
eat pink morning glories
and stain their beaks
golden orange.


Thousands of sea turtle shells
buried in the sand
make thousands of land turtles
dance.


Three sea turtles,
all allergic to coconut and olives,
rubbed lemon-scented sunscreen
on their shells.
And when I asked them,
“why sunscreen?”
one replied,
“because UV rays from the sun cause skin damage”
and I couldn’t argue with its logic.


I saw a land turtle at the zoo,
and a sign on the cage read:
“This land turtle will live to be one hundred years old.”
And there was a clock that counted down the land turtle’s time.
I watched the land turtle die.


Turtles kick up sand
and drop convolvulus bulbs
in the holes.

Two turtles in an algaed tank
lamp-bathe on a rock.
Both keep out
of the water.
Turtle-scented air waifs up
into the kitchen
where the dirty tank sits.


There was a turtle at a funeral,
and it didn’t wear a suit,
or give a eulogy.
It wasn’t a pall bearer
or a priest.
It just crawled on the floor,
unaware of where it was,
or what it was doing,
because it’s a turtle,
and that’s what turtles do.

Sea Turtles II

It’s turtles
all the way down.
They wiggle their toes and the universe flutters.
They eat hotdogs
and their toenails scratch other turtles’ shells.
And it’s turtle on turtle for miles into millennia.
Turtles on stars, on suns, on planets.
Turtles clogging up black holes,
turtles starting tomorrow and starting yesterday
all the way down.

Sea Turtles I

Sea turtles eat oatmeal with spoons at the kitchen table
and rattle the daffodil centerpiece
with their finger nails.

back teeth limbo

teething back teeth molars ‘n bendictril
schizolepathy ‘n nigh quills
they call me quills only to beat the v-cardz
and es’s turn to zzz’s and clay shades ‘n glee shays
‘n shassh hays or hashish
‘n tea bagz on yer nigh stan
too many turtlez in limbo ‘n not enuff in the sea
way man, tonigh man theze planz
cruise n’ fix this crust of bits
tack down t-shirts ‘n u-shirts
epigram epi samp one nigh ‘t
‘n lo ‘n lo
in limbo

Nipple Butter

Teen Angst

I know I said that this blog would only contain my poetry, but this is so fantastic and delicious that I can't possibly deny you the joy of reading it without feeling guilt. I found Teen Angst: a celebration of REALLY BAD poetry in a bookstore in New York this past weekend. (Check out the website. Be sure to take note of the advice at the bottom of the page telling you that "most poems are funnier when read aloud.) What makes the poetry so funny is that *sigh* I wrote really bad teenage poetry (I know, I know, hard to believe) and I can relate. Enjoy this nugget entitled To Kurt Cobain:

To Kurt Cobain
April 12, 1994

Why Suicide?
Someone else should have died
Did you think ahead?
Did you know teh impacts of your being dead?
You're selfish and dead
because you put a bullet to your head
In our hearts you will remain
But my feelings for you will never be the same
Our questions unanswered
The answers are gone
Never to be asked
Never to understand
Uncomprehendible note you left behind
You said you loved us - how so?
It's a shame - a rotten shame
It's done and over
Move on - show's over
Peace, Love, Empathy?
Whatever.

90 sek(0nd) chili Reading

2thpaict' Reading

2thpaict'

toothpaste
twothpaist
tuthpayct
goes on yer teeth
gos ahn yir tieth
goz yon ur feet

90 sek(0nd) chili

in 90 sek(0nds) i got a
)full( workowt
@ the rod(eo) i sipped (& slurped)
hot sauce
*the stuff of life
(git yer tomahawk ready, Betty)
how does *it make (you feel)
he walked away to buy smokes
(delicious)
spiced wit(h garlic) don’t
he spellz (peace) (piece)
& and &
doktor do you co(munni)cate thru
fud?
“porpoise” wants you to skrew
(don’t misplace don’t) misplace
your chili spoon
howz me(gend)her?
hair & curlerz
air)raid( on
yer mouth
(in your
y(ak) canoe –
can no –

Feels just like starting over . . .

I've decided that this blog will no longer host senseless rants and half-baked ideas. Considering I'm a poetry person I've decided to utilize this space to expose my writing to all of you lovely people. I'll be posting a lot these next few days in order to play catch up with some pieces that I'd like to have feedback on.

Here's where I insert a disclaimer (for my own benefit):

I don't consider any of these poems finished, that is, they're all works in progress. I hope that you'll keep that in mind when reading them and providing feedback. Occasionally I'll post revisions and whatnot. Just . . . remember that none of them are done.

What I'd really like this space to become is a place for me to post what I'm working on and get some feedback from people. Like I said in my last post, I'd really love to to get some audio reading of my work so you can hear how I picture it being read and how it sounds to me. I think this space could be so, so wonderful and helpful and I'm really looking forward to establishing something. Please feel free to leave comments, suggestions, etc. I really want to know what people are thinking.

For whatever reason I haven't been able to figure out a way to manipulate the paragraph breaks in this blog place. Most of my pieces have staggered indentations and sharp paragraph breaks that I'm unable to reproduce here. If you should ever want to see how the format really looks let me know and I'll e-mail it to you in Word.

All this having been said, enjoy the new format and what I've got to offer!

14 Day Writing Project: Lincoln breaths

I've been assigned a 14 day writing project for my capstone that I started today. There's no real structure to the assignment . . . just write something everyday for 14 days. I don't think there even has to be some sort of common thread to what you write, as long as you don't take a break in those two weeks. Although she (Margaret Luongo) encourages us to have some sort of consistency in the pieces. Seeing as my creative writing major has a focus on poetry, I've chosen to write 14 poems in 14 days (so creative). Here's the first of the plus one baker's dozen. If Andrew can explain the process of recording voice on my blog to me I might even attach a reading or two in here as well (which would be both terrifying and fantastic). Keep in mind that since these are (relatively) hastily written they haven't had much time for editing. Maybe that'll come in the next two week segment. Enjoy Lincoln breaths:





Lincoln lifting coffin lids
of his dead children
Washington spiritualist movements
rapping on the kitchen table
take your decongestant and inhale through your noc
and fffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffaint from forgetting to repeat
taxidermists
don’t use
my skin
my elbow skin is perffffffffectly in tact
tracks
tax
sharp breaths
scharp
scalping and ffffffffffffffinger decorations
coffin lids coughing
what jokes before your dead grandfather dies from diabeatess

just a piece take 2

This is a piece that Tim commissioned me to write for him. It's (I think) going to be used against some percussion and spoken aloud. The best part about it is that it's basically a collaboration between Tim and myself, which is fantastic. Nothing warms my heart more than Tim treating one of my poems as an instrument in his piece. This was custom written for MTE McCormack, and the version below is the final one. He requested that I change the beginning to suit what he's already written and that I replace some bits with other ones. I'm not entirely sure what this as a whole is going to look/sound like, but I'm excited to find out. Have a look if you're so inclined. It's still untitled, so deal with it.




elephant skin tacked taunt toldstoy told sayed told natives that thick is cunning and canÂ’t be fact or fat this is possible this is meringue this limited to twenty-one licks and kicks and oh keep your blue bells keep your sprite cans and corpses crowning and kicking up dirt half calendar dates ontime for white lilies or yellow madagascr expressions tentacles with suction cups that suction paper cups does this look brown does this look like the absence of all color blue powders soaps and clean paper post cards from where else blueberry country slang for knocking liquid papers dried up flowers and black scissors that cut construction paper that cut and cut and rip at fabrics with no patterns patterned on hitlerz canoe fill this coffee cup with tea and half a finger of honey mood blues mood electric diamond punch bowls water drops kicking sea turtles kick up sand and blue and green japanese cotton blossoms this is possible this is meringue this is not a chair luther take out marble table cloths twist ties cut ant cut used queue tips edgardo bonilla and tick cold creams bite conscious for mark ups and cut ups and kiln fires of course high kicks kicking this is possible this is not a snow shovel and this is not the color yellow cigarette butts it can in bank parking lots your sleep number and lo and behold that pirate ship has no sailed but fishnet stockings under blue blazers and twenty-one licks in nineteen ninty seven mammoth grade mem her ease haven't got a coroner and tighter teeth and this is either possible or not unnhhhh

just a piece

This is possible this is meringue this limited to twenty-one licks and kicks and oh keep your blue bells keep your sprite cans and recycle icons and two-bit ideas half calendar dates ontime for white lilies or yellow madagascr expressions tentacles with suction cups that suction paper cups does this look brown does this look like the absence of all color blue powders soaps and clean paper post cards from where else blueberry country slang for knocking liquid papers dried up flowers and black scissors that cut construction paper that cut and cut and rip at fabrics with no patterns patterned on hitlerz canoe fill this coffee cup with tea and half a finger of honey mood blues mood electric diamond punch bowls water drops kicking sea turtles kick up sand and blue and green japanese cotton blossoms this is possible this is meringue this is not a chair luther take out marble table cloths twist ties cut ant cut used queue tips edgardo bonilla and antibiotic cold creams bacon high kicks kicking this is possible this is not a snow shovel and this is not the color yellow cigarette butts it can in bank parking lots your sleep number and lo and behold that pirate ship has no sailed but fishnet stockings under blue blazers and twenty-one licks in nineteen ninty seven mammoth grade mem her ease haven't got a bagel and this is either possible or not unnhhhh

Canadian coast

I’m nearer to the Canadian boarder now
the Canadian coast
the foaming waters and foaming chapsticks
the 60’s mod look
the bunless hot dog
and oven
kelp and keel
bazhil basil
pregnant woman lunchbox
Lincoln lifting coffin lids
of his dead children
Washington spiritualist movements
rapping on the kitchen table
no loves
no ghosts
psycho civil
but you
you are great
and these eighteen lines per page
document enough
to keep silent

tecumpseh blue bells

Investigate tecumpseh blue bells
Beef pattie moxie
Cotton ball peaches and
t.v dinners
white linens
baby powders
pao-hers
pou-diers
black ahnd wai-t’

(two) marrow for (two) bones
Qua ahnd nien
nien

peachers
pretty preachers
tallywannastreeme
jackuhlantern badges
hunches
bartenders
chameleons in red
burnt orange
seafood spreads on barley crackers
sour creams
creamed on New York City
black walnuts
wall nhuts
wahl nutz
sitting ducks
stock brokers getting depressed
getting high
getting and getting
German terrorists getting pissed
Give me g’s and sea’s
Foam
Chinese lanterns
Paper lights
Needles and feedles
And a warrant for your
Uh rest