My baby brother wants to prevent people from destroying the planet. One more reason to litter I guess. Just kidding. Don't litter.
Recently CY found old pictures on my laptop. These here are my favorite because they reminded me we both had cheekbones 3 years or XY lbs ago. Craziness.
I had a dream I floated into the Sunken Garden with one leap. There Matt was reading his poem, Flair Gun(I can't remember the exact title!), from the Heart.Complete chapbook. When he finished he vanished to an ovation. Another poet followed and soon vanished. This happened until I was asked if I wanted to read. So I left the gates to grab my laptop in the apartment. But when I exited the garden I woke up. Weird.
I had these lyrics looping in my head, "Feel so lonely and I feel so sad/I want a little steam on my clothes" when I was burnt by the steam escaping the rice cooker.
I'm confused about the relationship girls have with one another. To be more precise my girl friends want to meet CY. When they do meet I become the lame dog with three legs. They spend their time together pointing out my flaws and laughing. What's the deal? Can't y'all bond over something else?
My belly is oh so red.
Two of my poems, What I haven't closed & Union, will appear in the upcoming issue of The Cortland Review (42). Woo hoo.
I am the most transparent person I know. Man, it's so bad I think peripheral vision and a graceful observation are keen superpowers. What I mean is I have no tact. Instead my powers are being a dunce and sometimes kinda charming.
A friend at forty showed me a picture of him at 24 and I responded with, "Wow. You look just as young except for the weight gain! " He bit, "Thanks Mike. That makes me feel much better."
I have really dumb moments such as misreading "Imagining" "I'm a gining, what's that?"
Or..
"I thought we ordered chicken fingers you know (opening-closing my hands like Chicken feet)"
D tells me (D, M, R) had a dinner conversation about how I could sleep with everyone twice and still attend the retreat. Not sure how to take that comment. If I did go I would write and send a poem to exorcise the sexual tensions I feel.
The Kundiman & Verlaine reading series is back after a summer's hiatus!This time around we're being joined by other poets of color--Cave Canemfellows!--exemplifying our commitment and pursuit of building and bridgingcommunities. Of course, this'll be the usual Kundiman reading bonanza:potent poetry, delicious libation, stellar company & an overall good time!Mark your calendars & feel free to bring your peeps & help spread the word!
*******Kundiman & Verlaine presenta night of poetry & libation withTara Betts, Rathanak Keo,Dante Micheaux, Sonia Mukherji,& Doreen WangSunday, September 7
Reading begins at 5 pmOpen Bar, 4 - 5 pm$5 suggested donationVerlaine110 Rivington Streetb/w Ludlow & Essex Sts.[ directions: F to Delancey or V to 2nd Ave. ]
http://verlainenyc.com/
Readers' Bios
Tara Betts teaches creative writing at Rutgers University. Her work hasbeen published in several journals and anthologies, including GatheringGround, Callaloo, Essence and both editions of The Spoken Word Revolution. For more information, please visit www.tarabetts.net.
Rathanak Keo is a Kundiman Fellow and his poems have appeared in BoxcarPoetry Review, Stirring Magazine, Shampoo, IBPC, and Best of Mipo-CaféSummer 2007.
Dante Micheaux is an emerging poet whose work has appeared in variousjournals and anthologies. He has been a guest of the Cathedral Church ofSaint John the Divine, among others. His honors include the Oscar WildeAward and fellowships from Cave Canem Foundation and The New York Times Foundation. Micheaux lives in Manhattan.
Sonia Mukherji was born in Calcutta, raised in Maryland, and lives in NewYork. She is a Kundiman fellow, and her poetry has been published in theUS and internationally in literary journals including Shampoo Poetry,Stylus, and Calcutta’s The Little Magazine. She has featured in venues inNew York, Maryland, Austin, and Michigan, and was given an internationalpoetry feature performance in Calcutta, India, which was held at theprestigious cultural institute Nandan, hosted and reviewed by the literaryjournal Bhashanagar, and televised.
Doreen Wang is a poet and community organizer who in her "spare" time,works on exhibitions at Museum of Chinese in America.MISSION STATEMENTKundiman is dedicated to the creation, cultivation and promotion of AsianAmerican poetry.
