2 Undiscovered Poems by Charles Bukowski

Charles Bukowksi‘s first generally recognized publication date is in the 1960s, yet citations from the early 60s exist in Sanford Dorbin’s early bibliography, and The Roominghouse Madrigals prints poems from the late 40s.

The fact is that Bukowski has published extensively in various small literary publications for over thirty years. These publications exist in small numbers and are difficult if not impossible to find. Fortunately, John Martin of Black Sparrow Press has managed to cull together these poems and stories over several collections, until catching up with his contemporary writings in the 80s.  (read more)

The following poems are from my own the private collection, copied from  Pearl-Number 14 Fall/Winter 1991 and have yet to be found elsewhere.

The above text is the article text from The Los Angeles Poetry Examiner. That’s me. The rules of the road at the publication are to speak in 3rd person, which eliminates the  entire story. But here it is…

This Pearl Magazine was my very first invitation to be published. Back then, in 1991, I had just happened into the Los Angeles poetry scene, and didn’t really know who anyone was. I remember going to the Pearl Mag book release in San Pedro and I also remember that this very famous poet was going to be there.

Through the years, I had forgotten all about that night. But what had happened was very typically me. I was very excited to read that night. When I got to the reading, the place was standing room only. Everyone was there to see Bukowski.

I didn’t know who he was, I was a housewife and girl scout mother. I knew nothing about the poetry world and circumstance had it, my torrid childhood did not include the proper education that was due me. My mother died and I left school. I barely knew who Hemmingway was.

Well, by the time it was my turn at the podium, Bukowski had already read and the entire room had followed him outside. I pretty much read to an empty room. But here’s the good thing, a memory that came back to me just recently, because I had suddenly discovered that Hank was in the same book of my first publication. I remember someone saying to me that “the poet” wanted to meet me.

I remember being escorted to his table and him asking or telling or motioning for me to sit down, and I did. He seemed shy, but was smiling. He pushed a piece of paper toward me and said, “Do you want this?” It was the paper his poetry was printed on, the poetry he had read that evening. Not knowing the value of these things then, I shrugged and said, “Sure.”  And I took them.

I got into my friend Danny Peck’s car. Danny was very excited saying, “Awe Baby, that’s huge that’s big time!” and that’s all I recall of the night. The years went by… and at Beyond Baroque Joan Jobe Smith read from Pearl 43. I went home that night and took Pearl 14 of my shelf. And when I opened the book, there it was! The poetry Charles Bukowski had given to me 20 years ago! Not only that, but also his notes on the back. He was doodling and he had written,

“The Lost Symbol”.  How perfectly significant is that?   -Yvonne de la Vega

An Answer

within the past six years
there have been four
different rumors that i
have died.
I don’t know who begins
these rumors
or why.
and certainly humans
do worse things than
this.
yet I always feel strange
when i must tell people,
usually over the
telephone, that I am
not yet dead.
somebody out there
or perhaps several
people
evidently get some
satisfaction
in announcing that I am
no longer
around.

some day,
some night
the announcement will be
true.
to put it mildly,
I am no longer
young.
but these death-
wishers
are an unsavory
group,
these hyenas,
these vultures,
these failed writers,
will also some day be dead,

their petty bitterness,
their lying gutless
beings gone into
the dark.
but for the moment,
I am here
and these last lines
are for them:
your cowardice will not be missed.
even the roaches
lived with more
honor
and you were always
dead
before
me
without
rumor.

Charles Bukowski 1991
San Pedro, California

On The Bum

moving from city to city
I always had two pairs of
shoes

my work shoes were
thick and black
and stiff.
sometimes when I
first put them on
they were very painful,
the toes were
hardened and bent
back
but I’d get them on
on a hangover
morning.
thinking, well
here we go
again
working for
miserable wages
and expected to
be grateful
for that,
having been chosen
from a score of
applicants.

it was probably my
ugly and
honest face.

but putting on
those shoes
again
was always
the beginning.

i had always
imagined myself
escaping that.
making it at the
gaming table
or in the
ring
or in the bed
of some rich lady.

maybe I got
like that from
living too long in
Los Angeles,
a place far too
close to
Hollywood.

but going down
those roominghouse
steps
with each beginning,

the stiff shoes
murdering my
feet,
stepping out into
the early sun,
the sidewalk was
there,
and I was just one
more
common laborer,
one more
common human,
the whole universe
sliding through
my head
and out my ears.
the timecard waited
to check me in
and out.
and afterwards
something to
drink and the
ladies from
hell.

work shoes
work shoes
work shoes
and me
them with
all the lights
turned
out.
Charles Bukowski 1991
San Pedro, California

Continue reading on Examiner.com LA Poetry Examiner’s Friday Pick: 2 undiscovered poems by Charles Bukowski – Los Angeles Poetry | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/poetry-in-los-angeles/la-poetry-examiner-s-friday-pick-2-undiscovered-poems-by-charles-bukowski#ixzz1OCbvdq6O

 

“The L.A. Spoken Photograph” by Christian Elder

“The LA Spoken photograph was inspired by a terrific documentary called “A Great Day in Harlem”. And that documentary was about a day when several great jazz musicians gathered to pose for one photograph on a stoop in Harlem, New York. And these were guys like Count Basie, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Mingus, all the greats basically. So I’m looking at this movie in my tiny apartment in Hollywood and I can’t help thinking that this same idea could theoretically apply to the LA poetry community. So I started putting the wheels in motion, assembled a team, and produced the event. And as far as gathering the participants, I made so many contacts running the Lollapalooza slams that all I needed to do was open my phone book and get on the horn. But the idea truly took on a life of its own, people gravitated to it; I was merely a conduit. What I’m really proud of is that I helped bring together a wildly diverse group of spoken word artists ranging from Ellyn Maybe, to Dr. Mongo, Larry Hankin, The Carma Bums, the late Merilene Murphy, and the legendary Watts Prophets.” -  Christian Elder(read more)

In this photo: , Mindy Nettifee, Phil Taggart, Ellyn Maybe (photos), Mark Pomeroy (photos), Sunni Eckhardt (photos), Murray Thomas (photos), Mona Jean Cedar (photos), Eric Allen Bell (photos), Don Kingfisher Campbell (photos), Kelly Morgan (photos), Larry Hankin (photos), Jayleen Sun (photos), Christian Elder (photos), Jim Bolt (photos), Rick Lupert (photos), Kennon B. Raines (photos), Friday Lubina (photos), Deborah Edler Brown (photos), Mauro Werneck Monteiro (photos), Yvonne de La Vega (photos ·  Eve Brandstein (photos), Scott Wannberg (photos), Victor Infante (photos), J. Evert Jones (photos), Jaimes Palacio (photos), Liz Gonzalez, Christopher Filkins (photos), Mongo Taribubu, Adwin David Brown (photos), Nancy Agabian, Robert Wynne (photos).

 

100 Thousand Poets For Change

Los Angeles Poets For Change is at:

Please visit 100 Thousand Poets For Change Homepage

The Los Angeles Poets For Change can be found here.

Los Angeles Poets For Change L.A. Poets UNITE

Poetry is the catalyst.  It inspires creative solution.  Poetry can only speak truth. It is based in love and compassion for every living thing that has inherited the Breath of Life. ~Yvonne de la Vega

Friday, June 24, 2011 8:28PM    – THE THREE PILLARS OF SUSTAINABILITY

Today Michael Rothenberg and I marveled at the rapid growth of this project. Having just jumped on a week ago, I am not yet overwhelmed but realistically, having organized large events in the past,  I teased him on the telephone with little whispers of, “Ya think you’re swamped now? …It’s gonna get worse.” I asked him when he had started. I think he said 4 months ago.

I remember a couple of months ago on facebook, running into the crazy stop you in your tracks event title. 100 Thousand Poets For Change it said. Right there I signed on. I facebook chatted with Michael Rothenberg for a while, told him I was in Los Angeles and yada  yada… I couldn’t get to really working on the event just yet due to a family tragedy and a very strong fetal curl.

But here we are today, I’m beat too I tell ya… and everyday an average of around 10 cities join up. A lot of the poets are not on it quite yet. They read around their cities probably once a week if there’s a weekly reading in a coffee shop they frequent, so September feels like a quite some time from now. But for us organizers, this is a bit late in the game. Being in Los Angeles you need way more than 3 months. There is an obligation to the major city. If you stand up and call shotgun, well you better have your over-under 12-gauge ready for rock n’ roll. There are so many great poets that should read. We need a venue, we’d love sponsorship now.

It’s the third day of Summer and it’s getting very sexy ’round here in Los Angeles. I haven’t heard diddly squat from any of the other organizers. But they’re all baddasses. They’ll pull it together. And it’s all on me. I’m the control freak that grabbed the reigns and told everybody, “Hey c’mon we’re going to save the world, get in.”

So it’s on me to find the sponsors, write the nicely worded can y’all throw us a bone letters.

Ben Rattray of Change.Org told me nicely,  “Thanks for the note, Yvonne. 100 Thousand Poets for Change looks awesome. We’ve unfortunately already made all the sponsorships we’re able to make this year, but we will be enthusiastically cheering you from the sidelines.”I pictured him with pom-poms when I read that. He’s on the sidelines and a bunch of us are sweaty, and.. Boy oh boy is he a hottie. And an activist for Change. (melting with heart visibly pumping through my t-shirt).

yada yada yeah, right. The truth is, the large dot org has already been where Michael Rothenberg, me and a host of others  are standing right now at this very moment in time.. We’re stretching on our way to the starting line. Everyone has to begin from behind that line and wait for the gun to go off. The only difference is, and it’s a big difference, is that all of us on this particular track, well we don’t really have our team uniforms yet and we may never get them. We are the Bad News Bears, in Levis and flip flops. some of us are barefoot.

But it matters not, we’re gonna do this. We are going to save the world. We are the last poets. And this our time. And here’s a beautiful thing, I learned something new and valuable today. Just when you think you know it all, and way too much for comfort, right when you come to terms with intolerance from all the accumulated wisdom and been there done that, there comes a drop of holy water from out of nowhere. It comes from heaven and plops on your forehead splattering kindly to accompany tears that often arrive with revelation.

It dawned on me that with 100 Thousand Poets for Change, there had to be a way to bring all those various cries together as one, and it dawned on me that it had not yet been defined for me. I told Michael on the phone, Michael, there is a problem I believe. With so many different cries for so many different pains in the body of humanity, how are we going to successfully carry out Change in one day?

Michael said, “I always answer the same thing when someone asks me.” He continues with, “I always answer that all in all we are seeking Peace and Sustainability”.

I thought about it for 2 seconds and immediately began the edit process. “Sustainability is not an attractive word. Nor is it poetic.We do need a motto though. A phrase we can attach to this… “   yada yada. Michael and I are a lot alike and we argued very politely by just talking normally but over each other. The word is not… and… he says But it is the exact word and it defines our desires, all of ours every one of us… I said, let me get on the thesaurus and find something that sounds like The Black Eyed Peas said it first. Michael is still talking over me with   sustainability this and, sustainability that  – and I say, on google with my phone on speaker clicking my tongue when I come to…  the Three Pillars of Sustainability.

I stopped talking over Michael who was still trying to convince me that it is the... I was already gone. The Three Pillars of Sustainability had found me, stopped me in my tracks, and revealed to me the totality of the process and success of The Good Fight is... sustainability. The word itself had the properties of Eastern thought. A strange hard sound that had no appeal whatsoever until it is understood in its full capacity. And its full capacity was not full at all, but instead, balanced.

And I realized today, that as super heroes of this Earth, there will be no high-speed flight with clenched fists before us, but instead our voices will simply speak in harmony with this planet and our word will teach others to seek balance and as Michael brought me to the understanding of the last poets, it is the balance and the Sustainability, which is simply the technical term for Peace, that will bring us all the happiness we seek. And the Earth does have hope in knowing the formula for man on Earth today. this is the formula that will finally work, as the last poets this is what we’ll all speak of, regardless of which issue or topic.

At the end of my divine revelation, I wiped away the water drops, powered down the Mac, closing that portal to the world-wide web from where we have all become one army for Change,  and I took a catnap.

Our goal in reaching Peace and Sustainability will be reached by

1. Doing justice.

2. Showing mercy to the poor and needy and

3.   Exemplifying good and righteous character.

This is the message we will bring to the world.

With our Voices we will save the world!

With our poetry that supports Justice, and Mercy,

Exemplifying Righteousness in all actions

toward

All things Economic, all things Environmental,  and all things Social.

Remember these, the Three Pillars of Sustainability.

The pillars we shall begin to erect on 100K PFC Day are all things Economic, every value Environmentally and Socially.  Each pillar must be supported by justice and without fail show mercy to those in need,  all of our actions must be exemplified in righteousness. This is basis of every message we’ll share.

Never before have the poets gathered in this way, committed and decided, to speak on a day set aside for them,  to finally be heard by the rest of the world that awaits in hopes for answers, for inspiration, and creative solution toward all global crisis.

And we the poets are anxious as well. On this day, we will finally be heard, the world is going to stop and listen. And we will make that Change.

-Yvonne de la Vega

.

And for those of you who have never heard poetry for Change here is one example from a Los Angeles poet.

EXAM FOR THE UNINSURED BY BRENDAN CONSTANTINE

June23, 2011                            L.A. POETS UNITE!

To define the outstanding persona and quest of the L.A Poet, would entail the run through of the history of the city itself. There is much history in every humanistic aspect of plight in regard to oppression and racism, and the progress of change. If you study the rise of the Los Angeles Boosters, and the violence it took to create this mecca in a dry desert wasteland, there’s no wonder that film noir originated here. Go even further back, during the war between the United States and Mexico in 1846, Los Angeles was occupied by an American garrison, but the citizens drove the fifty-man brigade out of town.

Because of the city’s history, Johnston McCully recreated Los Angeles in the early days for his setting, as it was a perfect place from where his hero Zorro arose in defense of whom? … THE PEOPLE!

All in all, because we as poets fight the Good Fight, the Los Angeles Poet is one that uniquely bonds to his fellow poet and there  is love, honor and camaraderie between us. We know one another personally, and have known each other for decades. We help each other with the organization of events and support each other without having to be on the bill. We support one another for the love and sake of the Spoken Word. This is just one of the beautiful things about being a Los Angeles Poet.

Charles Bukowski stands out in our minds among the best poets of modern poetry. He wasn’t really one of the Beats, although his readers like to romantically place him among them. But Hank was different. He spoke with a rolling realism and a subtle humor beneath every bottom line and the difference between Bukowski and the Beats is, Charles Bukowski was an L.A. Poet. full on, full-out, through and through. And it is his realism and sincerity,  however cynical, that has attracted many to his poetry and short stories.  Of course… he was one of us. LA POETS UNITE!

On September 24, 2011 a global grassroots event titled, 100 Thousand Poets For Change will take place in more than 245 cities and 55 countries worldwide. It will be a definitive day for all of humankind and history in the making.

Many topics of change and the need for change shall be presented from the voices of the people, represented by the Voice of Humankind: The Poets.

In Los Angeles, each Organizer will host a one and a half hour poetry reading. – We will host our readings back to back from noon to midnight. – There will be four booked bands featured before each quarter of our Event. The L.A. Poet Organizers of The Los Angeles Poets For Change are:

Michael Rothenberg – Founder of 100 Thousand Poets For Change. A poet, songwriter, editor and publisher of Big Bridge. With Michael’s vision, poets of the world are coming together for the first time in history! In Los Angeles, some of the finest poets of the city will speak to our brothers and sisters, our children, our neighbors and especially to our Nation’s Leaders.

Yvonne de la Vega – Event Coordinator of The Los Angeles Poets For Change. Yvonne is known as a poet/recording artist with many spoken word and music tracks and anthologies, collaborated with several “greats’ in the music world. She is the Los Angeles Poetry examiner for Examiner.com, and created WORDBEAT Radio a podcast that highlighted poets calling in to share their works while de la Vega and co-host John Barrymore deejayed jazz in an improvisation and LIVE delivery.  www.yvonnedelavega.com

Poetri Smith – “To regard Tony Award winner POETRI as just a poet would be underestimating his abilities. As a writer/producer, he has worked on “Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry Jam” on HBO and Broadway, for which he was a featured player as a prominent Def Poet” …read more about Poetri at: www.Poetri.com

Milo Martin – Creator of The Overhead Projector Series of the legendary ONYX Readings.  2 Time Slam Champion Winner with The Hollywood Slam Team, Poetry Editor at TheNervousBreakdown.com, and DJ Host of WordBeat Radio, Milo is a street poet with a Master’s Degree in Poetry from UCLA. His book “Poems for The Utopian Nihilist” is one filled with finely channelled poems in a unique and honest voice that always finds the good in every observance, transposed by the well-travelled poet and nuance archiver that Milo Martin is.

Mike The Poet Sonsken- Co-founder Getunderground.com. & Jointz Magazine. Famous for his L.A. City Tours. As a third generation L.A. native, his tours of Hollywood with Red Line Tours & the Museum of Neon Art incorporate poetry & L.A. history. Also host of the perfect poetry readings at Stella Adler Conservatory in Hollywood. His book of poetry. “I Am Alive In Los Angeles” is used in many of the curriculums of High Schools and Universities around Southern California.

Jessica M. Wilson – Los Angeles Poet and Writer,  founder of the Los Angeles Poet Society, the downtown Art Walk’s Writers’ Row, and also the SoapBox Poets, which is a group consisting of writers, musicians, and artists that enjoy delivering their work in the raw to the masses.

Douglas Steindorff –  Ex-Marine and poet who will host a group of ex-military writers. They will speak on topics ranging from the flawed and unfair judicial system to police brutality. His line- up to date includes Poet ‎Steve Abee ,Dennis Cruz, and ‎Paul Gallagher banned UK writer, comic, filmmaker, activist.

Christian Elder – Organizer of the Lollapalooza Poetry Slams. Producer and co-host of the classical LA poetry series, SpokenHeard with LA Poet Mauro Monteiro and The LA Speak Easy with Nelson Gary Author “Twin Volumes” (Ethelrod Press). Christian has long been dedicating himself to the Los Angeles poetry scene’s most distinctive voices.

LOS ANGELES POETRY ORGANIZERS CONTACT: losangelespoetsforchange@gmail.com

“The L.A. Spoken Photograph” by Christian Elder

“The LA Spoken photograph was inspired by a terrific documentary called “A Great Day in Harlem”. And that documentary was about a day when several great jazz musicians gathered to pose for one photograph on a stoop in Harlem, New York. And these were guys like Count Basie, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Mingus, all the greats basically. So I’m looking at this movie in my tiny apartment in Hollywood and I can’t help thinking that this same idea could theoretically apply to the LA poetry community. So I started putting the wheels in motion, assembled a team, and produced the event. And as far as gathering the participants, I made so many contacts running the Lollapalooza slams that all I needed to do was open my phone book and get on the horn. But the idea truly took on a life of its own, people gravitated to it; I was merely a conduit. What I’m really proud of is that I helped bring together a wildly diverse group of spoken word artists ranging from Ellyn Maybe, to Dr. Mongo, Larry Hankin, The Carma Bums, the late Merilene Murphy, and the legendary Watts Prophets.” -  Christian Elder(read more)

In this photo: , Mindy Nettifee, Phil Taggart, Ellyn Maybe (photos), Mark Pomeroy (photos), Sunni Eckhardt (photos), Murray Thomas (photos), Mona Jean Cedar (photos), Eric Allen Bell (photos), Don Kingfisher Campbell (photos), Kelly Morgan (photos), Larry Hankin (photos), Jayleen Sun (photos), Christian Elder (photos), Jim Bolt (photos), Rick Lupert (photos), Kennon B. Raines (photos), Friday Lubina (photos), Deborah Edler Brown (photos), Mauro Werneck Monteiro (photos), Yvonne de La Vega (photos ·  Eve Brandstein (photos), Scott Wannberg (photos), Victor Infante (photos), J. Evert Jones (photos), Jaimes Palacio (photos), Liz Gonzalez, Christopher Filkins (photos), Mongo Taribubu, Adwin David Brown (photos), Nancy Agabian, Robert Wynne (photos).

Where is Change needed? Healthcare, Racial Crimes,The Judicial System, Care for the Elderly, the overall cost of living and even the cost of dying, The planet, the slaughter of the Dolphins and the Whales by ignorance and greed, resulting in a dangerous imbalance of our entire eco-existence. The conditions inside our jails, The lack of music education in public schools. the issues are plenty.

THE CITY’S FINE ARTISTS – LOS ANGELES STREET ARTISTS

There will be art on display, by artists who use their expression just as we the poets do, with “voice, awareness, enlightenment and conviction”.  Just as poetry begins from the heart of every city, village or township so does the street art that in Los Angeles has risen to equal the art of the “high brow”. Today artists that began on the streets of Los Angeles such as Shepard Fairey and Mear, OG Able and others, are now being appreciated for their skills and techniques. The world of fine art has taken notice and now admire their works because of the arresting beauty of social conscience on canvas. These visual artists with the poets of Los Angeles have been speaking aloud from the Underground Awareness that is, and always has been a major catalyst for Change.

David & Goliath

Delusions of grandeur

SUPPORT WELCOME —————————— We are currently seeking organization sponsorship as well as venue donation for the Los Angeles segment of the 100 Thousand Poets for Change, a global event of a nature that has never been possible, until now. Obviously, this is a newsworthy event, and will be televised as well as broadcast online. If you have ideas or resources you would like to share, any support will be considered so please:

SEND ALL INQUIRIES REGARDING THIS EVENT TO: losangelespoetsforchange@gmail.com

La Isla Solamente

NEW! Watch the LA ISLA SOLAMENTE video on youtube!

 

 

 

(click to see video: La Isla Solamente on YouTube)

It is a quiet clapping

no waves

the beach is perfect

the way she combed it

her writing stick

aimed

ready

to commando

words

across the sand

every ripple on the water

she has named

every shell silver dollar

every palm frond fallen

she can even time the breezes

if she wants to.

there are only 11 seagulls

she has their potato chips

there is plenty enough

for every beak

there are no

humiliating

squabbles

to have to

listen to.

clouds with colors

a sistine ceiling

all is

as always

in

perfect

lovely

order

design by

the rhythmic quiet

lapping along her

private beach

where she controls

all audio

but suddenly now

there

some full sail clipper

attempting anchor just

yonder

there…

she clicks her tongue

with stink eye and the yen

where are the words in the sand

today?

she stands with her stick

and in vain tries to recall

the poignant message

she had dreamt and

rose to scrawl

for this day

it was brilliant!

it was good now

what was it?

her winged familiar

flies above humming

at it’s side

a giant dragonfly

a discerning eye

and love looks like illusion

and if only the distant rumbling

were tsunami to save her

if only the reef would rise like great barrier

sharks circling ’round methane bubbles

fire corral mines

portuguese man o’ war

she wants everything but remembers

this is now this is after

and she wants

not that hunger

not that intrusion

nor that dragonfly

with it’s bright

peacock wings

peacock wisdom

and not much more

which is nothing

which is everything

a fly nonetheless

beautiful or no.

disgruntled

holding a rusted key ready to toss

it into the newly agitated surf

the lock now missing

just gone

just gone

in love sadness

takes inventory of everything that

might be moved or must be buried

pre reminincing of when her

island was pristine and

void of any brightly

winged illusion

when writing

in the sand

once came

so easily

~ yvonne de la vega

As Good As It Gets – new track & music video

Good As It Gets

by iris berry and yvonne de la vega

a collabopoem by Iris Berry & Yvonne de la Vega

We’re shooting the music video today with director Bianca Smith. In this case -  director first, offspring 2nd. Here’s her work.

watch ‘n weep watch ;n weep

biancasmith11

Because when it’s all in the family, it gets done. And done well I add. Blood relations are of like mind, pure relativity.

Click on Venus to get to bandcamp for a LISTEN.

iris berry as venus In A halfshell

L.A. Poetry Examiner’s Friday Pick: Chad Sweeney’s Parable of Hide and Seek

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

poet chad sweeney

poetry

in it’s

purest

form.

 

 

The following poems are from poet Chad Sweeney’s latest book

Parable of Hide and Seek

by Chad Sweeney

I was a junebug found by a vole.

I was a wave ruffled by a wind.

I stood in long bank lines.

I attended the Third Church of the Heretic.

I hid as a darkness

diminished by a torch.

I wore glasses and a bowler.

I lay flat like a sill.

I his as a bullet fired into hay.

I his as a system of government.

You were my partner in everything.

I lived for you to find me.

Essence

by Chad Sweeney

In the town of essences

there is only one chair,

the unadorned average.

One toaster, one catapult,

one orange ripens in a bowl.

The colors are clean and good.

A canary circles the bell tower.

A vicar, a pregnant woman,

a madman share the red

picnic blanket.

A wheel turns

in view of the guillotine.

One moon

n different than a moon.

Chagall

by Chad Sweeney

Everywhere I went

the maps were more accurate

than the land.

I was lonely.

I broke into Heaven

to steal three gold leaves

but found myself in a dispute

near Minsk

behind a grain elevator

where a girl wanted to kiss.

Red wheat. Green moon.

The peasants asleep

standing up in their boots.

White river. Red branch.

Sounds drifted back

toward their makers,

minnows flickered

in the white skins of grapes —

oblivious to the laws of composition

someone streaked lapis

diagonals onto the background

suggesting horses in motion.

BIO

Chad Sweeney is a poet and translator. He is the author of three books of poetry, Parable of Hide and Seek (Alice James, 2010), Arranging the Blaze (Anhinga, 2009), and An Architecture (BlazeVox, 2007), and translator (from the Farsi, with Mojdeh Marashi) of The Selected Poems of H.E. Sayeh:The Art of Stepping Through Time (White Pine, 2011). He has published five chapbooks of poetry, including A Mirror to Shatter the Hammer (Tarpaulin Sky, 2006) and the bilingual (English/Spanish) Lost Notebooks of Juan Sweeney de las Minas de Cobre (Forklift, 2010), which has been translated into Catalán by poet Anna Aguilar-Amat of Barcelona. Sweeney edited the anthology Days I Moved Through Ordinary Sounds: the Teachers of WritersCorps in Poetry and Prose (CityLights, 2009) and is coeditor of Parthenon West Review, a print journal of contemporary poetry, translation and essays, based in San Francisco. Chad’s poems have appeared or are forthcoming in Best American Poetry 2008, American Poetry Review, Black Warrior, New American Writing, Colorado Review, Denver Qtly, Verse, Volt, Barrow Street and elsewhere. He taught poetry and literature for fifteen years in San Francisco, while earning an MFA from San Francisco State University, before moving to Kalamazoo, Michigan to pursue a Ph.D. at Western Michigan University where he teaches poetry and serves as assistant editor of New Issues Press.  He lives in Kalamazoo with his wife, poet Jennifer K. Sweeney and their newborn son, Liam Greenleaf Sweeney.

wikipedia article
www.parthenonwestreview.com

Suggested by the author:

• Los Angeles Poetry Examiner’s Friday Pick and Profile: Iris Berry
• Los Angeles Poetry Examiner’s Friday Pick: “Mowing Satan’s Lawn” by Rich Ferguson
• Los Angeles Poetry Examiner’s Friday pick: “go fetch” by Scott Wannberg
• LA Poetry Examiner’s Friday Pick: 3 Poems from Poet Singer Songwriter Blaise Smith
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LA Poet Yvonne de la Vega ‘s literary works embody the very spirit of the city. Her voice is one of social consciousness, compassion and humor,…

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The new astrology hoax clarified by Ashley Gallup at Persephone’s Prophecies

I had come across this business recently about the astrological sign changing due to a shift in the orbital paths of our major key players in the sky and in the annals of  Western Astrology.

It seems that simultaneously, our resident astrologist Ashley Gallup was being assaulted with questions in regard to this and so posted up the answers. Read it here and rest assured…

Don’t worry, you still get to be a Leo…. or whatever you were before.

read more…

Poets & Writers January Horoscope from Persephone’s Prophesie

My favorite Capricorn Artist: Zane Musa (wiki)

www.zanemusa.com

I love this man. Zane Musa has a voice. His saxophone voice is one reminiscent of the great John Coltrane, his educators have deemed him at the foreforont of “The Young Lions”, those hearty and hip bebop hip-hop cultured masters of the bebop era. You can find Zane’s calendar and other interesting stuff at his facebook, myspace and Zane’s website.

You can also read about him here  under The L.A. Players

Saxophonist Zane Musa

Aries

This month, dedication will have its rewards. The month starts off with a solar eclipse in your 10th house. Its time for you to seek the recognition you deserve. It’s not a time for you to stay behind closed doors and write for your own personal fulfillment. It’s time for you to shine and get people to notice you for your talent. After the 23rd, Jupiter, planet of luck and expansion, will make it easier for you to succeed in your effort to do so.

Taurus

This month would be a great time to merge your ideals and inspirational messages into your writing. Seek spiritual depth or higher knowledge to define your own truth. Doing so will give your writing the purpose that will transform it from good to extraordinary. It would also be a good time to finish whatever you are working on, so that you can show it off, later in the month.

Gemini

This month, you will want to put a lot of depth and deep reflection into your work. You may be willing to share your work with others. Whatever you are working on is too close to home to make yourself vulnerable to the opinions of others. After the 15th, you will have more energy and will feel more extroverted. You will be inspired to write about your ideals.

Cancer

This month starts off with a solar eclipse in your opposite sign, Capricorn. You may be dealing with some major changes in your relationships and other personal issues. On the 19th, the full moon in Cancer will give you the inspiration you need to regain control of your life and focus on your self and your work. Use all the emotion you are going through to bring character and humanity to your work.

Leo

This month is full of action and organization for you. Its time for you to take control of your life and be productive in every way. It would be a great time to edit, finish pieces, and organize your work, so that it is presentable. Venus moves into your 5th house on the 8th, so your creativity will not be compromised if your practical side comes out. You will need to balance your energy in order to contribute to the different directions you are being called to.

Virgo

This month you will want to develop your own unique style and work independently. Your creativity will be at a high point, so make the most of it. Have fun with your work and don’t be too critical of yourself. You are more talented than you know. It’s really important for you to stay true to yourself and not worry about what others will think right now. Write from the heart.

Libra

Now would be a great time for you to find inspiration from your interaction with others and by learning about other artists. Networking and sharing ideas will activate your creativity. This month there is a lot of potential for you to really show and find out who you are. It will be important for you to establish a strong connection to your roots and reflect on the past to bring character and sense of depth or “realness” to your work.

Scorpio

This month, you may be feeling very social and you will have the support of your peers. It would be great to collaborate on a project that promotes community involvement. You may get a lot of ideas while you are out and about, so keep a recording device or a pen and paper with you at all times. Also, there is a Jupiter/ Uranus conjunction on the 4th in your 5th house, so you may get some exciting inspiration from your romantic affairs or children that you will want to put toward your own independent work.

Sagittarius

The past few months, you may not have felt very social. You may have preferred to do all of your work alone in private That will change and you’ll be ready to face the world and bring your ideas to the surface after the 8th. You will also have an easier time attracting people and getting their support. Mars moves in to your 3rd house of communication and writing on the 15th, so you will have the urge to bring all of your ideas to paper, after this point

Capricorn

This could be a very big year for you. The month starts off with a solar eclipse in your sign. That means it is time to establish a strong voice and identity for yourself. You may go through some major changes as a person that will help you evolve to the next level of depth. Your energy is yours to direct wherever you see fit. Whatever you put your mind to, you are capable right now, at this moment

Aquarius

Now is a great time for you to delve into the depths of your imagination and get in touch with your intuitive side. Don’t over think things. Go with your gut. You have the potential to bring your out of this world ideas to paper and to the unassuming eyes of your readers. Mars moves into your sign, Aquarius, on the 15th. After this point, you will have a lot more energy and drive and will be willing to come out of your shell and show people what you’ve been working on.

Pisces

On the 4th, two things happen. There is a Jupiter/ Uranus conjunction in your sign, Pisces. You may get some great unexpected news that brings up your confidence and helps you realize your worth. Also, there is a solar eclipse in your 11th house. Right now, you will not find inspiration working alone or writing for your own satisfaction. Put your energy toward a collective idea that brings you into contact with like-minded people. You may meet people who help you see the bigger picture which is good for your soul.

For More Persephone Prophesy

visit Ashley Gallup

Happy Birthday to Jim Morrison the mythical bard of The City of Lights

If my poetry aims to achieve anything, it’s to deliver people from the limited ways in which they see and feel.  ~ Jim Morrison

James Douglas “Jim” Morrison (December 8, 1943 — July 3, 1971) was the lead singer and lyricist of American band The Doors.[1]  He also wrote poetry. Morrison was ranked number 47 on Rolling Stone’s “100 Greatest Singers of All Time”[3] and is widely regarded as one of the most iconic frontmen in rock music history. (wiki)

As a poet, Jim Morrison was everything a poet is. He was a born poet, and not one made. His words were always of a shamanistic value, with a forewarning of inevitable doom if humanity did not finally “WAKE UP”, this famous shout from a stage in Paris or Toronto and from stages across the globe since then. He was best known as the lead singer and lyricist of The Doors and is widely considered to be one of the most charismatic front men in rock music history. He was also the author of several books of poetry and the director of a documentary and short film.

Although Morrison was known for his baritone vocals, many fans, scholars, and journalists have discussed his theatrical stage persona, his self-destructiveness, and his work as a poet, he was warrior in spirit and the misconception of him and his fellow band members as mere rock and roll stars is one of the most false ones in comparison to who The Doors really were.

Named The Doors after an excerpt in a book by Aldous Huxley’s “The Doors of Perception”. The book takes the form of Huxley’s recollection of a mescaline trip which took place over the course of an afternoon, and takes its title from William Blake‘s poem The Marriage of Heaven and Hell. In the early 1950s, when Huxley wrote his book, mescaline was still regarded as a research chemical rather than a drug and was listed in the Parke-Davis catalogue with no controls.

 

“If the doors of perception were cleansed everything would
appear to man as it is, infinite.”             —William Blake

I am interested in anything about revolt, disorder, chaos-especially activity that seems to have no meaning. It seems to me to be the road toward freedom… Rather than starting inside, I start outside and reach the mental through the physical.          ~ Jim Morrison

The poet’s mind of Jim Morrison was in understanding of the consciousness widening effect of peyote. The misconception that The Doors were the normal iconic rock stars of no regard whatsoever, was the greatest misconception in Modern Pop history. On the contrary, Jim Morrison, Ray Manzarek, Robbie Kreiger and John Densmore were on a different mission,

The Doors were rockers in search of the New Age consciousness that in effect we are living in today. For perfect example, with the historical electing of a minority into the White House. His messages were heard by the Nation 40 years later and in Jim’s very voice, singing the instructions for humanity’s survival and the survival of the planet overall.

The very moments word came to the awaiting world on November 8th, 2008, that Barack Obama was indeed the Nation’s new leader,  mystically followed was the sound of the Doors in a blaring rock tune of lightning speed keyboards. drums and guitar.  Jim was shout singing in the voice that knew one day they would hear him and agree.  He sang it again, “…break on through to the other side …break on through …break on through,  … break on through   to the other side…”.

And now in a Birthday celebration of Los Angeles mythical bard, please enjoy the poetry of Jim Morrison.

THE OPENING OF THE TRUNK

Moment of inner freedom
when the mind is opened and the
infinite universe revealed
& the soul is left to wander
dazed & confus’d searching
here & there for teachers & friends.

Moment of Freedom
as the prisoner
blinks in the sun
like a mole
from his hole

a child’s 1st trip
away from home

That moment of Freedom

LAmerica
Cold treatment of our empress
LAmerica
The Transient Universe
LAmerica
Instant communion and
communication
lamerica
emeralds in glass
lamerica
searchlights at twi-light
lamerica
stoned streets in the pale dawn
lamerica
robed in exile
lamerica
swift beat of a proud heart
lamerica
eyes like twenty
lamerica
swift dream
lamerica
frozen heart
lamerica
soldiers doom
lamerica
clouds & struggles
lamerica
Nighthawk
doomed from the start
lamerica
“That’s how I met her,
lamerica
lonely and frozen
lamerica
& sullen, yes
lamerica
right from the start”

Then stop.
Go.
The wilderness between.
Go round the march.

he enters stage:

Blood boots. Killer storm.
Fool’s gold. God in a heaven.
Where is she?
Have you seen her?
Has anyone seen this girl?
snap shot (projected)
She’s my sister.
Ladies & gentlemen:
please attend carefully to these words & events
It’s your last chance, our last hope.
In this womb or tomb, we’re free of the swarming streets.
The black fever which rages is safely out those doors
My friends & I come from
Far Arden w/ dances, &
new music
Everywhere followers accrue
to our procession.
Tales of Kings, gods, warriors
and lovers dangled like
jewels for your careless pleasure

I’m Me!
Can you dig it.
My meat is real.
My hands–how they move
balanced like lithe demons
My hair–so twined and writhing
The skin of my face–pinch the cheeks
My flaming sword tongue
spraying verbal fire-flys
I’m real.
I’m human
But I’m not an ordinary man
No No No

What are you doing here?
What do you want?
Is it music?
We can play music.
But you want more.
You want something & someone new.
Am I right?
Of course I am.
You want ecstasy
Desire & dreams.
Things not exactly what they seem.
I lead you this way, he pulls that way.
I’m not singing to an imaginary girl.
I’m talking to you, my self.
Let’s recreate the world.
The palace of conception is burning.

Look. See it burn.
Bask in the warm hot coals.

You’re too young to be old
You don’t need to be told
You want to see things as they are.
You know exactly what I do
Everything

I am a guide to the Labyrinth

Monarch of the protean towers
on this cool stone patio
above the iron mist
sunk in its own waste
breathing its own breath

POWER

I can make the earth stop in
its tracks. I made the
blue cars go away.

I can make myself invisible or small.
I can become gigantic & reach the
farthest things. I can change
the course of nature.
I can place myself anywhere in
space or time.
I can summon the dead.
I can perceive events on other worlds,
in my deepest inner mind,
& in the minds of others.

I can

I am

People need Connectors
Writers, heroes, stars, leaders
To give life form.
A child’s sand boat facing
the sun.
Plastic soldiers in the miniature
dirt war. Forts.
Garage Rocket Ships

Ceremonies, theatre, dances
To reassert Tribal needs & memories
a call to worship, uniting
above all, a reversion,
a longing for family & the
safety magic of childhood

The grand highway
is
crowded
w/
lovers
&
searchers
&
leavers
so
eager
to
please
&
forget.

Wilderness

Now is blessed
The rest
remembered

A man rakes leaves into
a heap in his pard, a plie,
& leans on his rake &
burns them utterly.
The fragrance fills the forest
children pause & heed the
smell, which will become
nostalgia in several years

Sirens
Water
Rain & Thunder
Jet from the base
Hot searing insect cry
The frogs & crickets
Doors open & close
The smash of glass
The Soft Parade
An accident
Rustle of silk, nylon
Watering the dry grass
Fire
Bells
Rattlesnake, whistles, castanets
Lawn mower
Good Humor man
Skates & wagons
Bikes

Where’d you learn about
Satan-out of a book
Love?-out of a box

night of sin (The Fall)
-1st sex, a feeling of having
done this same act in time before
O No, not again

Between childhood, boyhood,
adolescence
& manhood (maturity) there
should be sharp lines drawn w/
Tests, deaths, feats, rites
stories, songs, & judgements

Men who go out on ships
To escape sin & the mire of cities
watch the placenta of evening stars
from the deck, on their backs
& cross the equator
& perform rituals to exhume the dead
dangerous initiation
To mark passage to new levels

To feel on the verge of an exorcism
a rite of passage
To wait, or seek manhood
enlightenment in a gun

To kill childhood, innocence
in an instant

THE ANATOMY OF ROCK

The 1st electric wildness came
over the people
on sweet Friday.
Sweat was in the air.
The channel beamed,
token of power.
Incense brewed darkly.
Who could tell them that here
it would end?

One school bus crashed w/ a train.
This was the Crossroads.
Mercury stained.
I couldn’t get out of my seat.
The road was littered
w/ dead jitterbugs.
Help,
we’ll be late for class.

The secret flurry of rumor
marched over the yard &
pinned us unwittingly
Mt. fever.
A girl stripped naked on the
base of the flagpole.

In the restrooms all was cool
& silent
w/ the salt-green of latrines.
Blankets were needed.

Ropes fluttered.
Smiles flattered
& haunted.

Lockers pried open
& secrets discovered.

Ah sweet music.

Wild sounds in the night
Angel siren voices.
The baying of great hounds.
Cars screaming thru gears
& shrieks
on the wild road
Where the tires skip & slide
into dangerous curves.

Favorite corners.
Cheerleaders raped in summer
buildings.
Holding hands
& bopping toward Sunday.

Those lean sweet desperate hours.

Time searched the hallways
for a mind.
Hands kept time.
The climate altered like a
visible dance.

Night-time women.
Wondrous sacraments of doubt
Sprang sullen in bursts
of fear & guilt
in the womb’s pit hole
below
The belt of the beast

Worship w/ words, w/
sounds, hands, all
joyful playful &
obscene-in the insane
infant.

Old men worship w/ long
noses, old soulful eyes.
Young girls worship,
exotic, indian, w/ robes
who make us feel foolish
for acting w/ our eyes.
Lost in the vanity of the senses
which got us where we are.
Children worship but seldom
act at it. Who needs
temples & couches & T.V.

We can do it on a sunny
floor w/ friends & make
any sound or movement
that comes. Roll on our
backs screaming w/ mirth
glad in the guilt of our
madness. Better to be
cool in our worship &
gain the respect of the
ancient & wise wearing
those robes. They know
the secret of mind-change
reality.

“Have you ever seen God?”
-a mandala. A symmetrical angel.

Felt? yes. Fucking. The Sun.
Heard? Music. Voices.
Touched? an animal. your hand.
Tasted? Rare meat, corn, water,
& wine.

An angel runs
Thru the sudden light
Thru the room
A ghost precedes us
A shadow follows us
And each time we stop
We fall

No one thought up being;
he who thinks he has
Step forward

Shrill demented sparrows bark
The sun into being. They rule
dawn’s kingdom. The cars-
a rising chorus- Then
workmen’s songs & hammers
The children of the schoolyard,
a hundred high voices,
complete the orchestration

“In that year there was
an intense visitation
of energy.
I left school & went down
to the beach to live.
I slept on a roof
At night the moon became
a woman’s face.
I met the Spirit of Music.”

An appearance of the devil
on a Venice canal.
Running, I saw a Satan
or Satyr, moving beside
me, a fleshy shadow
of my secret mind. Running,
Knowing.

The day I left the beach

A hairy Satyr running
behind & a little to the
right.

In the holy solipsism
of the young

Now I can’t walk thru a city
street w/out eying each
single pedestrian. I feel
their vibes thru my
skin, the hair on my neck
-it rises.