The Poetry Thread

[zombielynx21]

Stuff from the page, stuff from the stage — it's all welcome here.

Here's a poem from a friend of mine, David Blair. He was one of the best local poets I've ever known and blew my mind whenever I had the pleasure of seeing him perform. He passed away over the summer from heat stroke. This is a video of him performing his poem "Detroit, While I Was Away" at the Detroit Institute of the Arts in February. I hope you all like this piece.


http://vimeo.com/32319090

[halloween]

Recently i've been in love with a Brasilian poet from my city (Brasilia), Marina Mara- i'd link to stuff but it's in portuguese...so if you're curious, just google her name and you'll find her website.

[elevenism]

So are we gonna post our own poems here?

My favorite poem (that i didn't write) is by ee cummings

anyone lived in a pretty how town
(with up so floating many bells down)
spring summer autumn winter
he sang his didn’t he danced his did.

Women and men(both little and small)
cared for anyone not at all
they sowed their isn’t they reaped their same
sun moon stars rain

children guessed(but only a few
and down they forgot as up they grew
autumn winter spring summer)
that noone loved him more by more

when by now and tree by leaf
she laughed his joy she cried his grief
bird by snow and stir by still
anyone’s any was all to her

someones married their everyones
laughed their cryings and did their dance
(sleep wake hope and then)they
said their nevers they slept their dream

stars rain sun moon
(and only the snow can begin to explain
how children are apt to forget to remember
with up so floating many bells down)

one day anyone died i guess
(and noone stooped to kiss his face)
busy folk buried them side by side
little by little and was by was

all by all and deep by deep
and more by more they dream their sleep
noone and anyone earth by april
wish by spirit and if by yes.

Women and men(both dong and ding)
summer autumn winter spring
reaped their sowing and went their came
sun moon stars rain

[halloween]

Here's a poem I memorized last year because it's a love poem and the idea of reciting it to a loved once was cool to me. I did get to recite it to a couple people but by now I've probably forgotten it. It's by Frank O'Hara-

Having a Coke with You

Is more fun than going to San Sebastian, Irun, Hendaye, Biarritz, Bayonne
or being sick to my stomach on the Travesera de Gracia in Barcelona
partly because in your orange shirt you look like a better, happier St. Sebastian
partly because of my love for you, partly because of your love for yoghurt
partly because of the flourescent orange tulips around the birches
partly because of the secrecy our smiles take on before people and statuary
it is hard to believe when I'm with you that there can be anything as still
as solemn as unpleasantly definitive as statuary when right in front of it
is the warm New York 4 o'clock light we are drifting back and forth
between each other like a tree breathing through its spectacles

and the portrait show seems to have no faces in it at all, just paint
you suddenly wonder why in the world anyone ever did them

I look
at you and I would rather look at you than all the portraits in the world
except possibly for the Polish Rider occasionally and anyways it's in the Frick
which thank heavens you haven't gone to yet so we can go together the first time
and the fact that you move so beautifully more or less takes care of Futurism
just as at home I never think of the Nude Descending a Staircase or
at a rehearsal a single drawing of Leonardo or Michelangelo that used to wow me
and what good does all the research of the Impressionists do them
when they never got the right person to stand near the tree when the sun sank
or for that matter Marino Marini when he didn't pick the rider as carefully as the horse

it seems they were all cheated of some marvelous experience
which is not going to go wasted on me which is why I am telling you about it.

[zero]

why try when
you do not
we will win
yet you blundered
we will not forget
yesterday news
wrong approach
you failed again
we will die