just in from standing together
for our public services rally
in front of service canada office
630 queen street fredericton
me holding one end
of a psac-afpc banner
dave shaw has in his truck
—many photos taken
thursday afternoon baby
bunheads lively downstairs
in pastel pink green & blues
there's busy all around charlotte
street arts centre—reception
prep—fredericton business after hours
(chamber of commerce peeps
in stairwells & auditoriums)
pilates named after a person
my new knowledge for today
& joseph calls it contrology
this stretching of simile
arm leg & side like a tree
in wind or a salmon leaping
up falls on the humber river
above corner brook newfoundland
littles too little for bunhead
class want to climb the dark
wood steps because they are
here & they know steps
& stairs lead somewhere
& on my stage i'm to be
joined by richard gloade esq
singing & playing guitar
01 March 2012
29 February 2012
Ashes, Paper & Beans: 29 Feb 2012
Ashes, Paper & Beans: Host: Joe Blades. CHSR 97.9 FM, http://www.chsrfm.ca/ Fredericton, NB.
Richard Lemm & Jo Griffith reading at Odd Sundays at Molly's, 20 Nov 2011.
Richard Lemm & Jo Griffith reading at Odd Sundays at Molly's, 20 Nov 2011.
28 February 2012
staircase poem 21
by the hairs on my chin
& a voice both faraway
& near i'm learning things
for which there are
no words but i'm not
worried they're wordless
no need for everything
to have words or numbers
attached like a key tag
when in the gallery
writing these poems
composing on typewriter
in public performance
i am writing the report
for my master in education
an appendix actually
not the body tattooed
inked with citations
when in the gallery
am not in d'avray 145
with that part of this
trail of poems installation
& i'm not at home
in my bedroom office
with dishes piled up
in a kitchen sink
needing to be washed
when in the gallery
when in d'avray 145
& when in home office
writing & editing the report
worn clothes pile up high
needing to be washed & dried
fridge empties or food rots
before i cook or eat it & dust
grows as i & the yatak shed
& a voice both faraway
& near i'm learning things
for which there are
no words but i'm not
worried they're wordless
no need for everything
to have words or numbers
attached like a key tag
when in the gallery
writing these poems
composing on typewriter
in public performance
i am writing the report
for my master in education
an appendix actually
not the body tattooed
inked with citations
when in the gallery
am not in d'avray 145
with that part of this
trail of poems installation
& i'm not at home
in my bedroom office
with dishes piled up
in a kitchen sink
needing to be washed
when in the gallery
when in d'avray 145
& when in home office
writing & editing the report
worn clothes pile up high
needing to be washed & dried
fridge empties or food rots
before i cook or eat it & dust
grows as i & the yatak shed
staircase poem 20
sidewalks can hurt
snowbanks too
encrusted ice cuts
when breaking a fall
& i have fallen
twice this week
en route to galerie
charlotte glencross
once last thursday on scully
bonked my elbow & head
once today on aberdeen
slick black ice under
fresh snow both times
prefer walking cleared
parking lots & centre
of cleared-to-bare-asphalt
sidestreets—though that
means getting out of the way
of cars & trucks often—
but the walking is safer
than on fredericton sidewalks
blue sky & clouds
sun & snowflakes party
this isn't the poem
i had in mind to write
right now so i'll end it
& start another
snowbanks too
encrusted ice cuts
when breaking a fall
& i have fallen
twice this week
en route to galerie
charlotte glencross
once last thursday on scully
bonked my elbow & head
once today on aberdeen
slick black ice under
fresh snow both times
prefer walking cleared
parking lots & centre
of cleared-to-bare-asphalt
sidestreets—though that
means getting out of the way
of cars & trucks often—
but the walking is safer
than on fredericton sidewalks
blue sky & clouds
sun & snowflakes party
this isn't the poem
i had in mind to write
right now so i'll end it
& start another
25 February 2012
staircase poem 20
just us handcrafted
fine chocolate
spicy ginger bark
bowl of chili
with melted cheese
for my meal
cars not cleaned off
from the snowfall
will be encrusted
frozen by morning
trapped too if
not dug out
water on streets
& sidewalks & some
haven't been ploughed
change of footwear
for my return trip
because of wetness
a soaker on the way
home this afternoon
downstairs dancers
stretch & fling
legs high in air
make obstacle course
of staircase entrances
fine chocolate
spicy ginger bark
bowl of chili
with melted cheese
for my meal
cars not cleaned off
from the snowfall
will be encrusted
frozen by morning
trapped too if
not dug out
water on streets
& sidewalks & some
haven't been ploughed
change of footwear
for my return trip
because of wetness
a soaker on the way
home this afternoon
downstairs dancers
stretch & fling
legs high in air
make obstacle course
of staircase entrances
staircase poem 18
smile you're on camera
services offered
hot yogurt intensive
& fetish-lite fashion
no ballet today
instructor cancelled
because of the snowstorm
our hoot & peep performance
stuff installed in auditorium
with simple show name
exhibition
ready for tonight's
salon connex discussion
about what matters in art
please do not
sit on stairs
this is a fire
regulation
thank you
this is a great office
this staircase landing
open for interaction
should get back here
by 6 pm to be writing
as people gravitate
towards the auditorium
& picaroons beer tasting
(bonus) before salon connex
services offered
hot yogurt intensive
& fetish-lite fashion
no ballet today
instructor cancelled
because of the snowstorm
our hoot & peep performance
stuff installed in auditorium
with simple show name
exhibition
ready for tonight's
salon connex discussion
about what matters in art
please do not
sit on stairs
this is a fire
regulation
thank you
this is a great office
this staircase landing
open for interaction
should get back here
by 6 pm to be writing
as people gravitate
towards the auditorium
& picaroons beer tasting
(bonus) before salon connex
staircase poem 17
there are things i need
to write about in my art
&/or my trail of poems
report to understand my
position & it might make
this not a poetic poem
there are now three fluxus artists
in my report—dick higgins yoko
ono & robert filliou—but i didn’t
label or identify them that way
haven't included someone's
definition of fluxus either
fluxus artists create happenings
& happenings have been in
my vocabulary since childhood
probably picked it up from the air
television radio papers & magazines
happenings have helped shape me
be-ins love-ins bed-ins sit-ins
all happenings pre-occupy movement
fluxus also big on the spontaneous
allen ginsberg's spontaneous mind
& first words best words mantra
from india or buddhist teachings
marcia tucker a proponent of spontaneous
in artmaking & curating both
do something & reflect on it later
i worked with her at the new museum
of contemporary art in nyc during
my curatorial internship there
other fluxus artists had roles
in the new york–nscad connect
& exchange over the years
they were in halifax when I was
growing up there since the mid '60s
long before going to art college
to write about in my art
&/or my trail of poems
report to understand my
position & it might make
this not a poetic poem
there are now three fluxus artists
in my report—dick higgins yoko
ono & robert filliou—but i didn’t
label or identify them that way
haven't included someone's
definition of fluxus either
fluxus artists create happenings
& happenings have been in
my vocabulary since childhood
probably picked it up from the air
television radio papers & magazines
happenings have helped shape me
be-ins love-ins bed-ins sit-ins
all happenings pre-occupy movement
fluxus also big on the spontaneous
allen ginsberg's spontaneous mind
& first words best words mantra
from india or buddhist teachings
marcia tucker a proponent of spontaneous
in artmaking & curating both
do something & reflect on it later
i worked with her at the new museum
of contemporary art in nyc during
my curatorial internship there
other fluxus artists had roles
in the new york–nscad connect
& exchange over the years
they were in halifax when I was
growing up there since the mid '60s
long before going to art college
23 February 2012
staircase poem 16
in a shell game for digital media
what are skins vs shirts vs suits?
why not skin with body & heart
(not an either/or choice)?
fashion skin equals racism
&/or inferiority–superiority
complexes of power–powerless
power & abuse of power
or the cbc ticker tape typo
last night on power & politics
with evan solomon: "two members
of congress get letters with
harmless power" & here am i
instantly feeling that all
members of congress parliament
senate house of representatives
house of lords & politburo too
should receive & honour letters
with harmless power—do no harm
& what if i'm in your 1%
or in another's 2% anal–cranial
inversion or if i'm called
tin-man succubus viral infection
he's a cylon : i'm a cylon
aren't you a cylon too?
what colour is your ejector
seat button? how do you feel …
how do you continue your days
once you pull your burnt carcass
from a crashed vehicle
build a funeral pyre to send
yourself godspeed away
while you (of necessity
for self-preservation) sit
upwind of that fire in onshore
nightwind radioactive with
your own destruction at hand
what are skins vs shirts vs suits?
why not skin with body & heart
(not an either/or choice)?
fashion skin equals racism
&/or inferiority–superiority
complexes of power–powerless
power & abuse of power
or the cbc ticker tape typo
last night on power & politics
with evan solomon: "two members
of congress get letters with
harmless power" & here am i
instantly feeling that all
members of congress parliament
senate house of representatives
house of lords & politburo too
should receive & honour letters
with harmless power—do no harm
& what if i'm in your 1%
or in another's 2% anal–cranial
inversion or if i'm called
tin-man succubus viral infection
he's a cylon : i'm a cylon
aren't you a cylon too?
what colour is your ejector
seat button? how do you feel …
how do you continue your days
once you pull your burnt carcass
from a crashed vehicle
build a funeral pyre to send
yourself godspeed away
while you (of necessity
for self-preservation) sit
upwind of that fire in onshore
nightwind radioactive with
your own destruction at hand
staircase poem 15
staff reporter with typewriter
on front line of revolution
war of independence redux
toppling the dictators
like their statues in squares
proposal to submit: a type-in
at alden nowlan house
windsor castle bar fredericton
some monday evening
an ashes paper & beans event
bring a manual typewriter
get a pint of picaroons
get them to be a sponsor
sit at a table & start
typing free-fall prose
poetry performance manifesto
or whatever strikes your keys
joe blades
here by chance
or by appointment
picanje i izdavaštvo
(jedana teorija)
postcards on this desk
fresh from the printer
got two feet on the floor
despite sambas and la bamba
playing loud in dance studio
fiddle lessons with katherine
moller in her studio upstairs
on front line of revolution
war of independence redux
toppling the dictators
like their statues in squares
proposal to submit: a type-in
at alden nowlan house
windsor castle bar fredericton
some monday evening
an ashes paper & beans event
bring a manual typewriter
get a pint of picaroons
get them to be a sponsor
sit at a table & start
typing free-fall prose
poetry performance manifesto
or whatever strikes your keys
joe blades
here by chance
or by appointment
picanje i izdavaštvo
(jedana teorija)
postcards on this desk
fresh from the printer
got two feet on the floor
despite sambas and la bamba
playing loud in dance studio
fiddle lessons with katherine
moller in her studio upstairs
22 February 2012
Ashes, Paper & Beans: 22 Feb 2012
Ashes, Paper & Beans: Host: Joe Blades. CHSR 97.9 FM, http://www.chsrfm.ca/ Fredericton, NB.
Merideth Quartermain: from Matter (Recorded by/at Ottawa International Writers Festival Fall 2008).
R.C. Weslowski: "ww3: war on the worms", "memo from the gods", & "i've been thinking/it's about time".
Fredericton poetry reading PSAs.
Danadbang Kuwabong: "Intrasharra" & other poems (Recorded by/at Ottawa International Writers Festival Fall 2008).
Merideth Quartermain: from Matter (Recorded by/at Ottawa International Writers Festival Fall 2008).
R.C. Weslowski: "ww3: war on the worms", "memo from the gods", & "i've been thinking/it's about time".
Fredericton poetry reading PSAs.
Danadbang Kuwabong: "Intrasharra" & other poems (Recorded by/at Ottawa International Writers Festival Fall 2008).
Leap Forward! poetry reading 29 Feb
A World Poetry Movement
& Ashes, Paper, & Beans
Open Mic Reading
29 February 2012, 7 pm, Wednesday
Alden Nowlan House, 676 Windsor Street, Fredericton, NB
Contact joeblades@nb.aibn.com to read or for more info.
World Poetry Movement: www.wpm2011.org
21 February 2012
staircase poem 14
international poetry
wild mountain thyme
the scotch downstairs
distilled with water
from the highlands
readings as dialogue
amongst civilizations
or the poets thereof
here in the academy
glade in the forest
across the agean sea
today's nostalgic seek
plato's garden as if
he carved his name
in a stone bench or tree
they say he talks of trouble
poets might cause governments
falling like forests before
land-clearing bulldozers
poem song chant anthem
wild mountain thyme
the scotch downstairs
distilled with water
from the highlands
readings as dialogue
amongst civilizations
or the poets thereof
here in the academy
glade in the forest
across the agean sea
today's nostalgic seek
plato's garden as if
he carved his name
in a stone bench or tree
they say he talks of trouble
poets might cause governments
falling like forests before
land-clearing bulldozers
poem song chant anthem
staircase poem 13
feel uninspired
like a table sitter
at church hall entrance
or a security guard
tasked to check visitors
you have an appointment with ...?
your papers please
some days it's
enough to do laundry
or sit in the sun with a book
reading with a cup of tea
or wineglass in hand
change happening
in life
too much sitting
in the same deskchair
at the same tensioned desk
surrounded by tasks not done
& notes for more always more
—those obligations
& ideas
or veg watching
pub library battlestar
across bright red yatak
carpet warm underfoot
african violet in bloom
on an endtable
under a lamp
like a table sitter
at church hall entrance
or a security guard
tasked to check visitors
you have an appointment with ...?
your papers please
some days it's
enough to do laundry
or sit in the sun with a book
reading with a cup of tea
or wineglass in hand
change happening
in life
too much sitting
in the same deskchair
at the same tensioned desk
surrounded by tasks not done
& notes for more always more
—those obligations
& ideas
or veg watching
pub library battlestar
across bright red yatak
carpet warm underfoot
african violet in bloom
on an endtable
under a lamp
20 February 2012
Found photo du jour
staircase poem 12
poemcicles hang on wall
unlike icicles growing
from the roof edge
makar at work
yes—makar—not maker
old scots for poet
& author as skilled worker
in the wordsmithy
red ukulele & drum kit
walked upstairs to auditorium
white curtains on stage
performance on wednesday
pistols and petticoats: shadows
of sarah emma edmonds
collectively written &
acted play about a new
brunswick woman who
disguised herself to fight
in the american revolution/
war of independence
—time to dec the set &
rehearse rehearse rehearse
on the production stage
made & mailed a postcard
of ceci n'est pas un panneau
d'affichage to goop in ottawa
before going to post office
found a goop postcard from hélèn
waiting there: my surprise!
unlike icicles growing
from the roof edge
makar at work
yes—makar—not maker
old scots for poet
& author as skilled worker
in the wordsmithy
red ukulele & drum kit
walked upstairs to auditorium
white curtains on stage
performance on wednesday
pistols and petticoats: shadows
of sarah emma edmonds
collectively written &
acted play about a new
brunswick woman who
disguised herself to fight
in the american revolution/
war of independence
—time to dec the set &
rehearse rehearse rehearse
on the production stage
made & mailed a postcard
of ceci n'est pas un panneau
d'affichage to goop in ottawa
before going to post office
found a goop postcard from hélèn
waiting there: my surprise!
17 February 2012
staircase poem 11
found on the floor
beside my open office
desk: a 75.00 price tag
& two parts of button—
silver on brown plastic—
likely from a coat
after this presentation
in my poem they are
destined to enter
my journal also on desk
with typewriter camera
& computer at hand
after-school halls liven
with young dancers
& piano tuner is at
work in auditorium
(said he hasn't seen
typewriter like this
in twenty-five years)
it drew stories out
of a woman here for
last weekend's bejewel
sale before art opening at
78 & cockburn at playhouse
beside my open office
desk: a 75.00 price tag
& two parts of button—
silver on brown plastic—
likely from a coat
after this presentation
in my poem they are
destined to enter
my journal also on desk
with typewriter camera
& computer at hand
after-school halls liven
with young dancers
& piano tuner is at
work in auditorium
(said he hasn't seen
typewriter like this
in twenty-five years)
it drew stories out
of a woman here for
last weekend's bejewel
sale before art opening at
78 & cockburn at playhouse
staircase poem 10
put your heart
dart into happened
last saturday
so poster enters
this typewriter
behind the poem
being composed live
we interrupt this poem
to watch a bat flying
through the gallery
staircases and over
second floor landing
bridge to the violin
fiddle studio & offices
bat crawls under a door
into cooler space between
double-doors entrance
so close to winter cold
when it should be hibernating
so i photograph it & help
with a net catch & release
docent i am not
so i give an artist tour
walkthough of my trail
of poems installation
with skype video call
and toshiba notebook
for a faraway friend
dart into happened
last saturday
so poster enters
this typewriter
behind the poem
being composed live
we interrupt this poem
to watch a bat flying
through the gallery
staircases and over
second floor landing
bridge to the violin
fiddle studio & offices
bat crawls under a door
into cooler space between
double-doors entrance
so close to winter cold
when it should be hibernating
so i photograph it & help
with a net catch & release
docent i am not
so i give an artist tour
walkthough of my trail
of poems installation
with skype video call
and toshiba notebook
for a faraway friend
staircase poem 9
it's agreed that i don't
look like the organic forum
setting itself up for tonight
not all acorns are under snow
outside the window closest
to my yellow tree photoprint
i see a delimbed tree trunk
probably was an old elm
in this city of stately elms
grey & off-white not painted
yellow like the tree
in republika srpska or the one
on avenue laval in montréal
if i treat my report
like an installation
in the report—poems too—
poems are images & not
just text words typed on paper
the report as art
the report is art
&
as marcia tucker says
art is what an artist does
look like the organic forum
setting itself up for tonight
not all acorns are under snow
outside the window closest
to my yellow tree photoprint
i see a delimbed tree trunk
probably was an old elm
in this city of stately elms
grey & off-white not painted
yellow like the tree
in republika srpska or the one
on avenue laval in montréal
if i treat my report
like an installation
in the report—poems too—
poems are images & not
just text words typed on paper
the report as art
the report is art
&
as marcia tucker says
art is what an artist does
CSAC bat upfront & personal
Tim, the custodian, says we should name it Seymour, mascot of CSAC.
16 February 2012
staircase poem 8
pure euro relator
helping deliver poems
in the round: 2πr
the mulberry bush
holly released of its
snowload by afternoon sun
luge walks become slushy
slob ice longponds
the words in this poem
have been tested for lead
and found to be safe
baggie of pushpins
& tacks for fingered frenzy
not fingerfood—don't confuse
ceci n'est pas un panneau d'affichage
hommage to rené magritte functional
surrealism posted on art corkboard
found rubberised plastic green
nearly two-dimensional teapot
in walkway snow not or possibly
from mad hatter's tea party
—boardgame for alice imagined
helping deliver poems
in the round: 2πr
the mulberry bush
holly released of its
snowload by afternoon sun
luge walks become slushy
slob ice longponds
the words in this poem
have been tested for lead
and found to be safe
baggie of pushpins
& tacks for fingered frenzy
not fingerfood—don't confuse
ceci n'est pas un panneau d'affichage
hommage to rené magritte functional
surrealism posted on art corkboard
found rubberised plastic green
nearly two-dimensional teapot
in walkway snow not or possibly
from mad hatter's tea party
—boardgame for alice imagined
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
