How dark
Unseen forces behind that will
Color it accordingly
To how many lies remain
Exposed to the light.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Sunday, January 24, 2010
A Test of Poetry: Charles Bernstein's Artifice of Absorption vs Davy Jones' Liquid Assets
Whatever the drift may have been,
I always say I am a professor of poetry, I profess poetry; think of me as a snake-oil salesman, a confidence man: I don’t want to test your accumulated knowledge; I want to convince you of the value of poetry as a method, as a way of writing, as a form of vision. . . . .
By the time it took us to absorb it,
. . . . .poetry is the ultimate small business, requiring a careful keeping of accounts to stay afloat.
We’d already been taken in.
I always say I am a professor of poetry, I profess poetry; think of me as a snake-oil salesman, a confidence man: I don’t want to test your accumulated knowledge; I want to convince you of the value of poetry as a method, as a way of writing, as a form of vision. . . . .
By the time it took us to absorb it,
. . . . .poetry is the ultimate small business, requiring a careful keeping of accounts to stay afloat.
We’d already been taken in.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Knee-high to a Grasshopper
Jiminy Cricket! That was me
When my legs were heading
Into the final stretch.
Never figured out why
They had to up and stop
Dead in their tracks
Soon as they came to
The nearest knee patch.
When my legs were heading
Into the final stretch.
Never figured out why
They had to up and stop
Dead in their tracks
Soon as they came to
The nearest knee patch.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Raiding the Cookie Jar
You gotta hand it to him—
The dude never lost his cool
Wondering how it was this hot
Momma kept popping
Pan after pan in her oven
So that poppa could also
Put his hand in whenever
He moseyed on back.
The dude never lost his cool
Wondering how it was this hot
Momma kept popping
Pan after pan in her oven
So that poppa could also
Put his hand in whenever
He moseyed on back.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Tzivaeri (Jewel)
Τζιβαέρι (Traditional Greek song of immigration) Please scroll down for English translation and accompanying video.
Αχ! Η ξενιτειά το χαίρεται
Τζιβαέρι μου
Το μοσχολούλουδο μου
σιγανά και ταπεινά
Αχ! Εγώ ήμουνα που το ‘στειλα
Τζιβαέρι μου
Με θέλημα δικό μου
σιγανά πατώ στη γη
Αχ! Πανάθεμά σε ξενιτειά
Τζιβαέρι μου
Εσέ και το καλό σου
σιγανά και ταπεινά
Αχ! Που πήρες το παιδάκι μου
Τζιβαέρι μου
και το ‘κανες δικό σου
σιγανά πατώ στη γη
English translation
Tzivaeri (Jewel)
Ah! Foreign lands delight in her
My Tzivaeri
My beautiful, sweet-smelling flower
Softly and humbly
Ah! I was the one who sent her there
My Tzivaeri
As I wished it so
Softly do I walk upon on the earth
Ah! Damn you, foreign lands
My Tzivaeri
You and your goodness too
Softly and humbly
Ah! That you took my little child
My Tzivaeri
And made her yours
Softly do I walk upon the earth
(rush translation by Vazambam)
Probably the most popular (and perhaps the most poignant) traditional Greek song dealing with the theme of immigration; in this impromptu video recorded during a rehearsal last summer in Tacoma, Washington, our daughter Efiniki is accompanied by The Makedonians.
Tzivaeri--a surprise, name day gift post for our spirited jewel of a daughter, who celebrates her name(s) twice a year—one on January 20th as Efi=Efthimia and the other on December 6th as Niki=Nicholas—what a winning combination! My thanks to the unknown artist who recorded the video but who unfortunately captured my tzivaeri singing only the last two stanzas. No matter. For someone so far away from a loved one, this video is definitely sweet, poignant music.
Afterword: For those in the vicinity of Tacoma, you can hear The Makedonians and Efiniki this coming Saturday, January 23, here. Check it out and don't forget to shout "Ohpa, manges!"
Αχ! Η ξενιτειά το χαίρεται
Τζιβαέρι μου
Το μοσχολούλουδο μου
σιγανά και ταπεινά
Αχ! Εγώ ήμουνα που το ‘στειλα
Τζιβαέρι μου
Με θέλημα δικό μου
σιγανά πατώ στη γη
Αχ! Πανάθεμά σε ξενιτειά
Τζιβαέρι μου
Εσέ και το καλό σου
σιγανά και ταπεινά
Αχ! Που πήρες το παιδάκι μου
Τζιβαέρι μου
και το ‘κανες δικό σου
σιγανά πατώ στη γη
English translation
Tzivaeri (Jewel)
Ah! Foreign lands delight in her
My Tzivaeri
My beautiful, sweet-smelling flower
Softly and humbly
Ah! I was the one who sent her there
My Tzivaeri
As I wished it so
Softly do I walk upon on the earth
Ah! Damn you, foreign lands
My Tzivaeri
You and your goodness too
Softly and humbly
Ah! That you took my little child
My Tzivaeri
And made her yours
Softly do I walk upon the earth
(rush translation by Vazambam)
Probably the most popular (and perhaps the most poignant) traditional Greek song dealing with the theme of immigration; in this impromptu video recorded during a rehearsal last summer in Tacoma, Washington, our daughter Efiniki is accompanied by The Makedonians.
Tzivaeri--a surprise, name day gift post for our spirited jewel of a daughter, who celebrates her name(s) twice a year—one on January 20th as Efi=Efthimia and the other on December 6th as Niki=Nicholas—what a winning combination! My thanks to the unknown artist who recorded the video but who unfortunately captured my tzivaeri singing only the last two stanzas. No matter. For someone so far away from a loved one, this video is definitely sweet, poignant music.
Afterword: For those in the vicinity of Tacoma, you can hear The Makedonians and Efiniki this coming Saturday, January 23, here. Check it out and don't forget to shout "Ohpa, manges!"
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