a poem by C.D. Wright

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Country Station Poem

it goes something like this: when the dog
lunged she froze he fired at the head

they drove around they came back he wore black
they line-danced they drank they fell down

they swore allegiance to the women who bore them
they cursed the women who bore them

the chambers of the heart opened and shut
they made plans they made plans

- from 40 WATTS (2009 Octopus Books)



Note: This poem is from a limited-edition chapbook I received as part of my 2-year subscription to Octopus books. I highly recommend this deal, the books are beautiful and the writing is bombshell. It costs $56. So far I've received the 2009 titles, 5 books already totaling $70 cover price.

If you want to taste a sample, I'd recommend Boris by the Sea by Matvei Yankelevich or The Difficult Farm by Heather Christle from their catalog.

tell me

Name one poet and one musician who amaze you but no one seems to have heard of.

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Creative Aggression

Aggression is not violence. Aggression is simply how emotion is expressed into the physical. Violence is destructive. Aggression is creative. Childbirth, the ultimate act of creative aggression: blood, screaming, joy. Paint splattered against canvas is aggression. Cooking is aggression, all knives and fire. Sex is aggression, the gripping, groaning, gyrating. Slam poetry is aggression. A flower bud opening is aggression. A jazz trio expresses emotion into the physical with percussive hands.

I've been craving musical intelligence lately. I've found a wellspring of talent and innovation in a jazz trio The Bad Plus, a band I've found myself returning to again and again. This short video is of their tune "Physical Cities" - some amazing creative aggression and grace!

weekend

preoccupied

There's a new kitten in da haus. We named him Hoku (Hawaiian for "star"). He came into the photo studio as a stray (I work for a pet catalog). He was found in the woods by another employee, severely dehydrated and utterly alone. The little guy survived coyotes and fishers and hawks and starvation. I'm happy to report that three weeks later he is a healthy handful and getting along quite fine with our other two cats. We're guessing he's mostly Siamese, which means he's going to be quite the talker and full of personalty!

and here we test our powers of observation

weekend

a poem by Ron Padgett

Bastille Day

The first time I saw Paris
I went to see where the Bastille
had been, and though
I saw the column there
I was too aware that
the Bastille was not there:
I did not know how
to see the emptiness.
People go to see
the missing Twin Towers
and seem to like feeling
the lack of something.
I do not like knowing
that my mother no longer
exists, or the feeling
of knowing. Excuse me
for comparing my mother
to large buildings. Also
for talking about absence.
The red and gray sky
above the rooftops
is darkening and the inhabitants
are hastening home for dinner.
I hope to see you later.


- Ron Padgett

northwoods weekend staycation

K, his sis, and I rented a $70/night off-season cottage 45 minutes north of here for the weekend on Big Arbor Vitae lake. There was fishing, grillin, chillin, antique malling, eagle watching, and general catching up.

I started saturday morning by scalloping my thumb open when the coffee pot handle broke off and the glass decanter shattered in the sink. An hour later of direct pressure and I was still bleeding, (thank you Plavix and Asprin!), so I rigged up a napkin and rubber band dressing until we could get to walgreens. A butterfly closure, gauze, tape, and a finger cot finally did the trick and we were on our way.

The weather never warmed up enough to ever get my kayak off my jeep, it rained all day saturday, and not a fish was biting this morning, but we had a blast. Hard not to surrounded by family, good food, and fantastic scenery.

diode 2nd anniversary issue LIVE

I'm proud to share some excellent company over at the latest issue of Diode!

Featuring:

Craig Beaven
Mary Biddinger
Kara Candito
Bruce Cohen
Lewis Robert Colon Jr.
Juliet Cook
J.P. Dancing Bear
Neil de la Flor, Maureen Seaton and Kristine Snodgrass
Oliver de la Paz
Heather Derr-Smith
Alex Dimitrov
Susan Elbe
Roselyn Elliott
Brent Goodman
Bob Hicok
Sean Patrick Hill
Ada Limon
Sandy Longhorn
Sabrina Orah Mark
Nick Martinez
Clay Matthews
River Montijo
Amy Newman
John Pursely III
Patty Seyburn
Jay Snodgrass
Elisabeth Workman
Theodore Worozbyt

http://www.diodepoetry.com

4 months since

Ultrasound and bloodwork results this morning: my heart has healed completely. There is no apparent damage. Strength and function have returned to normal. I will not have to see my cardiologist again until 2011. I am perfectly healthy.

around the block

Anti- is fresh.

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Cue is brand new and they debuted with what Richard Siken's been writing lately.

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Diode's Anniversary Issue will be fresh this week. I am grateful that 5 new poems will be appearing there.

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Softblow is back. Check out these archives.
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