Post Punk Kitchen Forum

Link to a poem you like! (Post it here if it's short or you can't find it online).

Loving these lately:

Antilamentation by Dorianne Laux - http://writersalmanac.publicradio.org/index.php?date=2006/02/13
Sex Without Love by Sharon Olds - http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/sharon_olds/poems/19521
The Leaky Faucet by Ted Kooser - http://fishingandthinking.blogspot.com/2007/07/leaky-faucet-all-through-night-leaky.html


Also, this is a fantastic mailing list that will send you a poem a day in April, and I've really been liking the poems they pick: http://april-is.tumblr.com/signup

At my place of work, I printed out and laminated 72 poems and stuck them up all over! (It's a book-related place.)

The Death of the Loch Ness Monster by Gwendolyn MacEwen: http://books.google.ca/books?id=0DkUoID ... er&f=false

Imma be posting a poem every day here for the month of April! <3

Sorley MacLean, "Hallaig" (with happy memories from when I studied it in Scotland)

IT'S GOOD TO BE HERE
—Alden Nowlan

I'm in trouble, she said
to him. That was the first
time in history that anyone
had ever spoken of me.

It was 1932 when she
was just fourteen years old
and men like him
worked all day for
one stinking dollar.

There's quinine, she said.
That's bullshiitake, he told her.

Then she cried and then
for a long time neither of them
said anything at all and then
their voices kept rising until
they were screaming at each other
and then there was another long silence and then
they began to talk very quietly and at last he said
well, I guess we'll just have to make the best of it.

While I lay curled up,
my heart beating,
in the darkness inside her.

My personal favourite is "Ode ToA Small Lump Of Putty One Midsummer Morning" by Grunthos The Flatulent.

At the Quinte Hotel by Al Purdy.

Voices by Linda Pastan.

They Went Home by Maya Angelou.

I was going over lines of this poem in my head this morning before I logged on today and here it is! ESP! I do love AS and I plan to post a few selections of her.

I've read some bio material on her and I remember one anecdote about how Anne would workshop her analyst's poetry (psychiatrists often had inappropriate relationships with her, apparently) and anyway, the line about hair rising like smoke in this particular poem came not from her but from one of her psychiatrist''s poetic attempts and Sexton borrowed it for this poem because she liked it so much. True story!

I'm from a different nation, can I still join in?

THE KNIFE WALTZ
by Charles Bukowski

they leave you alone
looking at the walls;
you chain-smoke
cigarettes
and pour whiskey into
your shredded gut,
you know the
feeling and the
result-
another
ten-round bout in hell.

but
you've done the same thing
to them
people simply are not good
to one
another.

yes,
I deserve this
evening
as I have deserved many
similar evenings
and now I'm depressed
and finally out of
music
hope
and
cigarettes.

<3 Bukowski.

In The Next Galaxy by Ruth Stone: http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/16343

The Day Lady Died by Frank O'Hara: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/171368

Bluebird
Charles Bukowski


there's a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I'm too tough for him,
I say, stay in there, I'm not going
to let anybody see
you.

there's a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I pur whiskey on him and inhale
cigarette smoke
and the whores and the bartenders
and the grocery clerks
never know that
he's
in there.
there's a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I'm too tough for him,
I say,
stay down, do you want to mess
me up?
you want to screw up the
works?
you want to blow my book sales in
Europe?

there's a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I'm too clever, I only let him out
at night sometimes
when everybody's asleep.
I say, I know that you're there,
so don't be
sad.
then I put him back,
but he's singing a little
in there, I haven't quite let him
die
and we sleep together like
that
with our
secret pact
and it's nice enough to
make a man
weep, but I don't
weep, do
you?

Great anecdote! Thanks for sharing; I'd never heard of it before, and that's such a great line. And the comparison of oneself to littleneck clams out of season, in context, just about kills me. Sexton is one of my favorite writers of all time. Love!

Mike Doughty, "Other Fish"
A girl with a backpack on a cellular phone sighs;
between the exhale and the first consonant
a van barrels through her. And who knows
what the boy thinks, his line slipping from her voice,
her words sucked backwards through the wire?
Two hours from now he'll be drunk,
his slurred thoughts slobbering over motives,
why she decided suddenly to leave him
and hung up mid-word.

The phone yelps angrily from under a bus,
and she lays splayed like an asterisk
in the dreary sentence of Fourteenth Street.

The Double Image by Anne Sexton: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/238184

(There's audio of AS reading her poem under the title and her name in the above link).

Sunflower Sutra by Allen Ginsberg http://boppin.com/sunflower.html

Bukowski:
to the hors d'oeuvre who took my poems
some say we should keep personal remorse from the
poem,
stay abstract, and there is some reason in this,
but jezus;
twelve poems gone and I don't keep carbons and you have
my
paintings too, my best ones; it's stifling:
are you trying to crush me out like the rest of them?
why didn't you take my money? they usually do
from the sleeping drunken pants sick in the corner.
next time take my left arm or a fifty
but not my poems;
I'm not Shakespeare
but sometime simply
there won't be any more, abstract or otherwise;
there'll always be money and whores and drunkards
down to the last bomb,
but as God said,
crossing his legs,
I see where I have made plenty of poets
but not so very much
poetry.

i'm a dub poetry girl myself.

there are some great canadian dub poets: klyde broox, lillian allen, d'bi young, afua cooper, clifton joesph, peculiar I..

I really like Linton Kwesi Johnson. Jamaican living in the uk.

Sonny's Lettah:
From Brixton Prison, Jebb Avenue London S.W. 2

Inglan

Dear mama
good day
I hope that when these few lines reach you they may
find you in the best of health
I doun know how to tell ya dis
for I did mek a solemn promise
to tek care a lickle Jim
an try mi bes fi look out fi him

mama, I really did try mi bes
but none a di less
sorry fi tell ya seh, poor lickle Jim get arres
it was de miggle a di rush hour
hevrybody jus a hustle and a bustle
to go home fi dem evenin shower
mi an Jim stan up waitin pon a bus
not causin no fuss

when all of a sudden a police van pull up
out jump tree policemen
de whole a dem carryin baton
dem walk straight up to me and Jim
one a dem hold on to Jim
seh dem tekin him in
Jim tell him fi leggo a him
for him nah do nutt'n
and 'im nah t'ief, not even a but'n
Jim start to wriggle
de police start to giggle

mama, mek I tell you wa dem do to Jim?
mek I tell you wa dem do to 'im?

Dem thump him him in him belly and it turn to jelly
Dem lick 'im pon 'im back and 'im rib get pop
Dem thump him pon him head but it tough like lead
Dem kick 'im in 'im seed and it started to bleed

Mama, I jus couldn't stan up deh, nah do nuttin'

So mi jook one in him eye and him started fi cry
me thump him pon him mout and him started fi shout
me kick him pon him shin so him started fi spin
me hit him pon him chin an him drop pon a bin
- an crash, an dead

More policman come dung
dem beat me to the grung
dem charge Jim fi sus
dem charge mi fi murdah

mama, doan fret
doan get depress an downhearted
be of good courage-acap

Then there's my absolute favourite dub poet Mutabaruka

Junk Food:
rememba de cold suppa
shop
dat u use fi stop at
u coulda eat anythin
it was like u granny cookin
corn dumplin and ackee
from big fat matte
stew peas and rice
use fi really taste nice
now a ice cream stand
teckin ova de lan.
junk food fullin up de place
dis is a nada disgrace
junk food fullin up de place
a now good food a guh guh
to waste

strawberry ice cream
rasberry ice cream
dem a bury wi
u nuh si
ice cream ice cream
hot dog ice cream
liven de american dream

junk food fullin up de place
dis is a nada disgrace
junk food fullin up de place
a now good food a guh guh
to waste

you know that sweet will
rot u teeth
but is only ice cream u a guh
get fi eat
jucks pon de corna a teck in
de scene
puffing up u belly wid ice cream
de scene get mean

run u mus
but u belly might buss
gun shot clap
one a u fren drop
flex out time
flex out time
leavin u ice cream behin

junk food fullin up de place
dis is a nada disgrace
junk food fullin up de place
a now good food a guh guh
to waste

folla fashion is de order of de day
caan get nuh food dat is wa dem se
miss mattie shop afi move
granny cooking out a groove
de disc jockey say
announcin de openin of a
ice cream stan
in de parish of St. Ann
nex month is Westmoreland
an anadda one in Clarendon
watch out Portland

strawberry ice cream
rasberry ice cream
dem a bury wi
u no si
ice cream ice cream
hot dog ice cream
liven de american dream

Mutabaruka - the people's court:

Order, now my court is in session
will u please stand
first allow me to indroduce myself
my name is judge 'betta mus com'
some people call me
judge 1000 years
i am from afrika
i com to try all u politicians
for sellin out black people.

Judge:
in my court, only me talk
cause i am vex,
dis is de people's court
what do you have here today

Voice:
well your honour
we have defendants
senator sanky singh and
senator change mimind
also here is mr. religious belief
but i think we shall deal with
the senators today,
at a later date we will deal with
mr. religious belief.

Judge:
alright, alright
politician singh and
politician change mimind
u are brought here
for tricking black people,
by promising dem
good livin every five years
u have been sellin out black
people to foreigners.

Singh:
your honour

Judge:
hush up a not finish yet
wat u want to do,
promise me to?
i see de rich gettin richer
an de poor dyin

Mimind:
your honour,
fundamentally,
if i may say something
at dis point in time....

Judge:
shut up.
this is the people's court and
a not allowing any
politrikin here
if u disturb me again i will
give you 1000 years
for contempt of court.
u are also charged for
chargin de people too much taxes
because of your mismanagement
spendin money
then taxing the people for it.
u keep borrowing money
from the i.m.f. and the world bank
in the people's name
continuing de oppression of black people
by the same colonialist
why u can't learn
no so called third world country
has been able to break loose
from these money hogs
you have black people
in a vicious cycle.

Mimind:
if it wasn't for me,
black people in this country
would still be worshippin
the statue of liberty.

Singh:
well tell me how come u
change your mind now...

Judge:
shut up.
what you trying to do?
confuse the court.
i am giving you both 1000 years
on the first account.
from 1938 until now
you have been dividing black people
your promisin de people
right back into slavery
now de only thing u have
been truthful about is your thing
about 'out of many one'

Singh:
your honour,
that was taken from my uncle sam

Judge:
yes, cause only one people
a clean de street
one people a eat out a garbage heap
one people to cut sugar cane
one people ina sun an rain
one people a toil
an one people a collect de coil
speakin of uncle sam
i shall also charge u for given
rise to crack and cocaine
in dis country
by killin off the ganja plant
that use to help to
balance our foreign exchange deficit
i am givin you 1000 years
for the crimes of anthony
girlie girlie godfather don
an mr. crack stone

Mimind:
but your honour

Judge:
your should be hanged
but i shall be lenient
and give you both 1000 years.
i have been noticing that
in your airports
only out going passengers
are caught with drugs
but neva a tourist,
yet we don't grow cocaine here
but it still getting more and more common.

Singh & Mimind:
but the tourist business is
vital to our national economy

Judge:
vital, vital to who
wid u all exclusive hotels
tourists will soon think
negril is a next island by itself
u claim that the poor
can't teck no more
but you not givin them anything
a see more benz than lada
and hear that a car that
cost $20,000 in Miami
cost $800,000 here.
wat you do wid all that
extra money at customs
u keep talkin bout tourist harrasment,
jamaicans are harrassed daily in foreign
everyday dem talkin bout
jamaican posse

Singh:
your honour,
as you can plainly see,
when i was in power
things was goin to get right,
i had all de white people
wid money on my side
all the brown people
was starting to feel like
dem was livin in miami

Judge:
but what about de black people?

Singh:
well a was just gettin
around to them
when a loss de elections your honor

Mimind:
that is no excuse your honour
before him,
black people was gettin very self sufficient
brown people was startin to acquire houses in miami

Singh:
that is because dem was runnin away your honour

Mimind:
white people started to seh i and i and irie

Singh:
your honour,
if it wasn't for him and his black ideology
we would reach much further....

Mimind:
your honour,
im neva have poor people in mind,
that is why wi havin so much trouble now

Singh:
your honour,
is him change, not me

Mimind:
your honour,
im have a party of gangs,
im sey suh imself.

Judge:
shut up.
i see no difference between both of you.
u both following the same thing
that has been and still is
keepin down black people.

Mimind:
when u not in power your honour,
it is easy to say dis and that.
but when you have power
is a different sanky
you have to sing.

Judge:
I am givin you both another 1000 years.
nun of you have the solution
to black people problem
a suggest you read
the philosphy and opinions
of marcus garvey.
study em carefully,
then i might just grant onu pardon
and another thing,
before onnu begin onnu sentence,
both of u visit the arcade
and see how poor women
run business from nothin.
let the domestic helpers
show u how to use $130
to feed a family of six for one week.
now take them away.

People's Court II

whiter than snow
whiter than snow
Lard wash me and make me
whiter than snow

all rise
judge 1000 years presidin
your honor we have here
mr. religious belief
and his hench man
mr. demonenation

MR. RELIGIOUS BELIEF

MR. RELIGIOUS BELIEF

PLEASE TAKE THE STAND

i am noticin that there is a new prosecuter here

yes your honor
after the last trial
the other prosecuter had to resign
your honor i think both of the gentlemen
should take the stand at the same time
considerin the magnitude of
charges against them

mr. religious belief and mr. denomination
i see where you also have been
promisin the black people
but you are even worst than the politicians
you promise them good livin after they die
yes you say their reward will be in heaven
it would appear to me that
both of you have been to heaven already
and have gotten yours
the charges are too numerous to mention here
for over 500 years you have been wanted
from ever since you sent your relative here
yes i am talking about the same christopher cum-bus-us

your honor the name is christopher columbus

hush up columbus cum-bus-us
it dont matter he did come here to trick us
it was you who went to the amerikas and afrika
with your doctrine of civilizin the savages
you taught black people to pray with their eyes closed
when they open them
you had their land and they had the bible
with bible and gun
you robbed raped urdered our fore parents
in the name of jesus
you divided black people in groups
causin them to distrust each other
the first charge is for misleadin black people
into their color blind blindness
you have black people worshipin everything white as good
white jesus white winged angels white christmas
even the songs talk about 'whiter than snow i long to be'

the bible did say
'though your sins be like scarlet
they shall be as white as snow'

so you tryin to tell me that if my sins
are white instead of scarlet god will accept my sins
and by the way michael angelo paintin of his uncle
for years balck people keep reverin this picture
as the true picture of christ
all your religious holidays originate in europe
everything in heaven is white
everything in hell is black
is a lucky thing jamaicans start to visit hell
and really see for themselves

your honor if i may be allowed
to speak for our divine and beloved pope....

shut up dope... or pope
i will not allow you to ask any questions here
i have never heard any one askin you any questions
in one of your church services
you are also charged for collectin money under false pretense
you keep sayin the church have no money
yet every little open land
have a tent for a few months
then a massive buildin later
did not your bible say that
your body is the temple of god

your honor mr. denomination
has been collectin money from people
sayin that he can get them
into miami via the bahamas
through the guise of christian crusades
through such a scheme people have been jailed sir
tryin to reach miami

what i though you would be tryin
to get them to heaven via your church
you are also charged for misinterpretation
you have twisted the bible to suit white supremacy
you have taken stories and quotes
from other books much older than the bible
and made them into myths
have you ever read the egyptian book of the dead

the what?

it is because of you why the d.j.s
have no respect for our black women
you have painted a picture of women
as the originator of sin
you have made women look
inferior to all your religious books
from eve till now
you have blamed women
for the downfall of the world
you blame delilah for samson stupidity
you have even placed a sin on sex
sayin mary was a virgin all her life
with these images
what do you expect from our people
you even have the earth as only 6000 years old
maybe the history of europe is only 6000 years
but black people was here ong before
long long before

your honor

hush up didn't i tell you not to interrupt
you shall get an extra 1000 years
for contempt of court

your honor there is a certain denomination
that have been given legal status here
that said denomination have been preachin for years
that black people cannot enter heaven
yet their recruiters travel around
on bicycles two by two tryin to win souls

i have heard of this
i hear they call themselves
church of latter day saints of
jesus christ or morons

the word is mormons your honor
you have to understand that things change....

hush up understand
black people have been
understand for centuries
these morons or mormons as you call them
should never be allowed into a country
that is predominantly black
to preach about god
you have been collaboratin with politicians
to trick black people
you have branded voodoo and obeah
and all afrikan oriented tradition as paganism
you have the people goin to church
trying to drink the blood of jesus
and eat his flesh
and i did hear you teachin them to pray
and i quote
'lead us not into temptation'
when since the Lard lead people into temptation
that you should be askin him not to do it

that was a slight misinterpretation

remember the baker
remember the one who was swaggin hearts
remember the one who was usin his mouth
to orally-rob-earth
all of these was collectin souls
under false pretense
mr. religious belief and mr. denomination
i hereby sentence you both
to 1000 years for swindlin poor people
by way of radio and t.v.
i also give you 1000 years
for each year that black people
have been sufferin since columbus came hear
now take them away

There's a great interview in this month's O magazine: Maria Shriver interviewing Mary Oliver.

http://www.oprah.com/entertainment/Mari ... ary-Oliver

This is my favorite poem:

I can't read this one without crying.

Mark Doty - The Embrace

You weren't well or really ill yet either;
just a little tired, your handsomeness
tinged by grief or anticipation, which brought
to your face a thoughtful, deepening grace.

I didn't for a moment doubt you were dead.
I knew that to be true still, even in the dream.
You'd been out--at work maybe?--
having a good day, almost energetic.

We seemed to be moving from some old house
where we'd lived, boxes everywhere, things
in disarray: that was the story of my dream,
but even asleep I was shocked out of the narrative

by your face, the physical fact of your face:
inches from mine, smooth-shaven, loving, alert.
Why so difficult, remembering the actual look
of you? Without a photograph, without strain?

So when I saw your unguarded, reliable face,
your unmistakable gaze opening all the warmth
and clarity of you--warm brown tea--we held
each other for the time the dream allowed.

Bless you. You came back, so I could see you
once more, plainly, so I could rest against you
without thinking this happiness lessened anything,
without thinking you were alive again.