Haiti At Two Weeks

The dead unknown
at least a hundred-fifty thousand
buried in mass graves
or remaining under rubble



that shifts like sand
beneath our feat
the sickening sweet stench
of ripened death
and uncertainty

Public Service Announcement

Up and about early for a Saturday, in part because the night wasn’t particularly restful anyway and I figured I might as well get a start on things.


I’ve got a growing list of things to do today. Numerous among them are what I typically refer to as administratively writer duties and those are not among my favorite.


We had a light snow overnight and the temperatures are cold again, but not in the deep freeze range. I made coffee, in the coffee pot and I distinguish this only because I generally make espresso but my espresso pot was broken.  I don’t often make regular coffee and since the coffee at the office is way to watered down for my liking I piled in the scoops of fresh grind and Walla! I have coffee that even puts espresso to shame. Yes, I may have overdone it a bit, but don’t spread it around. I don’t want to be known to have complained of my coffee being to strong. My reputation is that I first have to walk across it to be able to drink it.


Around the poetry/writer blog world there were some good reads this week and you may have missed them. Consider this a PSA in case any of these got past you.

• Dorla’s erotica mishap
• Victoria Chang’s Harrison Ford, Matthew Broderick  & Art
• Kelly Russell Agodon  DIY Writing Retreat
• Victoria Chang’s  The Poetry Foundation and Audience
• Kirstin Berkey-Abbott  Blogging and My paper Journal

Yes, I’m picking on Chang twice, but the Poetry Foundation piece I especially liked because while on one hand I don’t want to give up on others finding in poetry the same sense of discovery I have, deep down I know that so much of what she says in this is reality. Plus she has some very thoughtful ideas about what the Foundation might better do with the windfall gift they received.


Image: Darren Robertson / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Technorati Tags: Poetry Foundation,poetry,writing

What Was Apple Thinking?

Sorry, I couldn’t resist. 
Now I will go do my penance.

Technorati Tags: ipad joke

The Moment

My writing last night was not exactly what I wanted it to be. So you must be thinking in astonishment, wow, and he expects it to always turn out right? The answer is of course no. But last nights writing may simply remain comatose in my journal. It may never see completion; or even the revival attempt of multiple rewrites. Sometimes I feel it is so far off that I walk away from it. Lose interest.

Surely I am not alone in this abandonment of work. Still, I was thinking this morning about a statement about Sylvia Plath’s poetry writing that is attributed to Ted Hughes in which he says he is not aware of Sylvia ever abandoning a poem. There are (and I’m paraphrasing here) times when she decided should could not make a table out of something and was perfectly happy settling for a chair but he never recalled her abandoning one.

I’ve had tables that have turned into chairs or foot stools, but still, sometimes I allow the bad to stand and walk away from it. This morning it is bothering me for some reason.

Maybe it’s because some of these are in my journal along with everything else. Perhaps if I tore the pages out I would feel better. Perhaps not. It’s just where I am at this moment and I’m taking ownership of this feeling, but not necessarily comforted by it.




Image: Darren Robertson / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Aimee Nezhukumatathil Interview - New Letters On The Air

Aimee was in Kansas City last year to read at an ethnic poetry series. While here she taped an interview with New Letters on the Air.  It's a great interview - I heard it Sunday on our local NPR station.  It has been posted today on the New Letters site and will be available only till February 10.

The Bio for this interview is as follows:

A first generation American poet and 2009 NEA fellow, Aimee Nezhukumatathil discusses her two books of poetry: the multi-award winning Miracle Fruit and At the Drive-in Volcano. She talks about writing poetry with a comic eye, and the poetic form for which she named her dog, Villanelle. She also discusses how her unique ethnic heritage--her father is from India and her mother from the Philippines--and her interest in environmental writing serve as creative influences in her work.

Click here to access the podcast!




At the Drive-In Volcano      Miracle Fruit         Fishbone

Unconscious Mutterings Week 365

You Say... I Think:

1.Food :: Baby
2.Death :: March
3.Cafeteria :: Plan
4.Need :: Basic
5.Born :: First
6.Stitch :: Sew
7.Badly :: Worn
8.Blocks :: Cender
9.Chuck :: Steak
10.Spiral :: Notebook
 
 
get your own list at Unconscious Mutterings

I need this on a T-shirt

If I appear distracted, disengaged, unfocused today, it is only because I am hyper-vigilant in search of poetic moments. *

*my facebook status from Dec. 2, 2009