Monkey Coffin
Maybe ivory makes
the walls of
your monkey coffin --
she seemed to love you.
But you can’t say
for sure; you are one
dead monkey, unseeing
eyes puffed to the size
of golf balls.
It’s OK, what makes
the walls of your
monkey coffin;
their off-white
is not for you;
that material
is for the monkeys
who survived.
Friday, September 09, 2005
Thursday, August 25, 2005
Another Google Ad Poem Compliments Maureen
Vamoose Bus Service
Vama a la our loosely
named Vamoose service.
We do things fast and loose;
livestock is politely ignored.
We drive on the edge; we'll
drive you to the edge of the nation.
After that you're on your own;
there's only so much vamoosing
that one service can do you.
Vama a la our loosely
named Vamoose service.
We do things fast and loose;
livestock is politely ignored.
We drive on the edge; we'll
drive you to the edge of the nation.
After that you're on your own;
there's only so much vamoosing
that one service can do you.
Donna 'n Shafer Zoo Project #6
My Anaconda Would Rather Pass On This One
Such a stupid
anaconda,
if I didn’t feed it
it would forget to eat.
The long, slender
stomach of the
anaconda is a
biological treat:
anacondas evolved
as long as the Amazon;
as long as the Amazon
flows the anaconda
will swim.
My anaconda
is so fickle,
even when it is hungry,
even though it always knows
what it is hungry for.
Such a stupid
anaconda,
if I didn’t feed it
it would forget to eat.
The long, slender
stomach of the
anaconda is a
biological treat:
anacondas evolved
as long as the Amazon;
as long as the Amazon
flows the anaconda
will swim.
My anaconda
is so fickle,
even when it is hungry,
even though it always knows
what it is hungry for.
Just Doing As I Am Told
Together They’ve Got To Fight Through Hell Until The Fight Is Finished
Love for a man, when a man
loves a woman, the love a man
has for a friend, he’s a real man
who loves dogs, be a man
for once, for once
I have seen a lot of relationships
in my life, he said distantly,
he said it the way that men
talk about war.
When cousins are curled up in closets
and fear is flying, wives are crying
and you can’t flash forward to forty years
from now when everything will be real calm.
Once you’ve decided on something
it is very easy to undecided it
it is very easy to dream these days
these days the American dream is so elastic.
It is much harder to hang
on to the clarity of a memory,
to remember why you did it
in the first place, why you’re you,
you Americans.
Love for a man, when a man
loves a woman, the love a man
has for a friend, he’s a real man
who loves dogs, be a man
for once, for once
I have seen a lot of relationships
in my life, he said distantly,
he said it the way that men
talk about war.
When cousins are curled up in closets
and fear is flying, wives are crying
and you can’t flash forward to forty years
from now when everything will be real calm.
Once you’ve decided on something
it is very easy to undecided it
it is very easy to dream these days
these days the American dream is so elastic.
It is much harder to hang
on to the clarity of a memory,
to remember why you did it
in the first place, why you’re you,
you Americans.
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Donna 'n Shafer Zoo Project #5
The Crueler Capers of the Crocodile
It was long
my belief
that the reptiles
of this world
got a bad rap.
Something about teeth,
something about complexion,
it seemed too obvious
to me; my tears were real.
But then our guide got got
in Guatemala, and the crocodile
rolled and rolled the way crocodiles do
when they are serious about something.
Our “Sayanora!” was sad that day,
we said “See you later.” Oh, cruelty.
Oh, crocodile.
It was long
my belief
that the reptiles
of this world
got a bad rap.
Something about teeth,
something about complexion,
it seemed too obvious
to me; my tears were real.
But then our guide got got
in Guatemala, and the crocodile
rolled and rolled the way crocodiles do
when they are serious about something.
Our “Sayanora!” was sad that day,
we said “See you later.” Oh, cruelty.
Oh, crocodile.
Poems By Request #1: This one goes out to all the hard ones, the young ones.
My Boy, Jack
Jack, my boy,
defend yourself
from the bad
that is out here
in this frontier
city of yourself.
See that subways
are yours for
transportation
and not a place
for the robbers
(or the cops)
to play their
games with you.
Jack, my boy.
the other day
someone was
shot in the face
around the corner
from my apartment.
I thought of you,
Jack, you are young.
Your face is yours.
Your fingers twitch
and twiddle
with excitement.
Jack, my boy,
defend yourself
from the bad
that is out here
in this frontier
city of yourself.
See that subways
are yours for
transportation
and not a place
for the robbers
(or the cops)
to play their
games with you.
Jack, my boy.
the other day
someone was
shot in the face
around the corner
from my apartment.
I thought of you,
Jack, you are young.
Your face is yours.
Your fingers twitch
and twiddle
with excitement.
Friday, August 12, 2005
Donna 'n Shafer Zoo Project #2
Five Flamingoes
Five
flamingoes
last night
dreamed
about me.
Their
single
supporting
legs
twitched
in their
sleep,
causing
concentric
circles
to ripple
around them,
five
concentric
circles
to the
5,000th
power,
like a quite
confounding
Venn diagram
describing
the fickleness,
the changing face
of water.
When the flamingoes
awoke,
they gawked
at each other;
their mouths
gaped.
They knew
instinctively
(by the patterns
in their home,
the water, maybe)
they all had
the same dream,
but they couldn't
say what it was.
Five
flamingoes
last night
dreamed
about me.
Their
single
supporting
legs
twitched
in their
sleep,
causing
concentric
circles
to ripple
around them,
five
concentric
circles
to the
5,000th
power,
like a quite
confounding
Venn diagram
describing
the fickleness,
the changing face
of water.
When the flamingoes
awoke,
they gawked
at each other;
their mouths
gaped.
They knew
instinctively
(by the patterns
in their home,
the water, maybe)
they all had
the same dream,
but they couldn't
say what it was.
EXTRAORDINARY EXHIBITION EXTRAVAGANZA
Good People,
The below is from Daniel Morrow, who will be hosting this thing Wednesday night at Galapagos. All your friends will be there.
***
The below is from Daniel Morrow, who will be hosting this thing Wednesday night at Galapagos. All your friends will be there.
***
Warning!
An Extraordinary Exhibition Extravaganza will be taking place next
Wednesday the 17th at Galapagos, north six street, Williamsburg.
New York's finest poet, Shafer Hall will read from his world renowned
poems, Marissa Perel will delight us with a performance piece which
will blow your socks of, Ben Murphy will sing some of the finest
penned tunes you're ever likely to hear and then The Morrow will
attempt to polish the evening off with some new fashioned rock n'
roll.
The evening begins at 7pm sharp
So stick it in your diary, you have been warned
Cheers all
We Are Pleased To Announce
the long overdue entrance of Miss Rachel Shukert into the blogosphere. Two postings and her blog is already hilarious, full of beer and celebrities and scatalogical references. All Aerosmith fans and other people who like to laugh should hustle over to http://bushwickhotel.blogspot.com/.
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Another Google Ad Poem
Pirate Wenches and Gypsies
I was wondering to myself today
"am I more of a pirate wench person
or more of a gypsy person?"
I imagine that gypsies would have
some sort of great sexual traditions
involving oils and secrets
whispered to them by their mothers,
but I'd spend the whole night
worrying about my wallet.
But with pirate wenches,
it'd kinda be like you were the girl
and they were the guy.
Either way it seems
I could learn a lot about myself,
either way they are both
100% natural.
I was wondering to myself today
"am I more of a pirate wench person
or more of a gypsy person?"
I imagine that gypsies would have
some sort of great sexual traditions
involving oils and secrets
whispered to them by their mothers,
but I'd spend the whole night
worrying about my wallet.
But with pirate wenches,
it'd kinda be like you were the girl
and they were the guy.
Either way it seems
I could learn a lot about myself,
either way they are both
100% natural.
Friday, August 05, 2005
Google Ad Challenge From Maureen!
Slang Flashcards
Slang flashcards,
they are these cards
with slang,
and come packaged with
the most bitchin' bubble gum.
I just buy them for the gum
and then throw
the rest of that shit away
because all of that "pop,
poppop, pop, pop, pop"
is slang plenty
all to its own.
Slang flashcards,
they are these cards
with slang,
and come packaged with
the most bitchin' bubble gum.
I just buy them for the gum
and then throw
the rest of that shit away
because all of that "pop,
poppop, pop, pop, pop"
is slang plenty
all to its own.
Moon Patrol!
The Night They Murdered My Man Mickey Mooner Underneath The Moon
The other night they murdered
My man Mickey Mooner
Underneath a full moon.
Mickey Mooner was my man
at the time, he saw that my
clothes were neatly pressed,
and he brought lukewarm
bowls of salt and soda solution
for me to dip my fingernails.
But Mickey was murdered
and I remain a man
in search of adequate help
underneath the sun.
The other night they murdered
My man Mickey Mooner
Underneath a full moon.
Mickey Mooner was my man
at the time, he saw that my
clothes were neatly pressed,
and he brought lukewarm
bowls of salt and soda solution
for me to dip my fingernails.
But Mickey was murdered
and I remain a man
in search of adequate help
underneath the sun.
Thursday, August 04, 2005
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
Moon Patrol Poems Continued
Cat Training Secrets
It's no secret:
the moon tugs
from its cosmic outpost
gently on the water of this Earth.
So it makes sense:
cats, who (like everything else)
are 78% water,
are gyroscoped into madness
by the moon's unrelenting orbit.
Still: cats
can be trained (like anything else.)
The water in their blood will cool
until they move very slowly
in straight lines.
It's no secret:
the moon tugs
from its cosmic outpost
gently on the water of this Earth.
So it makes sense:
cats, who (like everything else)
are 78% water,
are gyroscoped into madness
by the moon's unrelenting orbit.
Still: cats
can be trained (like anything else.)
The water in their blood will cool
until they move very slowly
in straight lines.
Durge Report: Special Edition
Sunday Morning Sybil Is A Hoosier
with tears falling out of her eyes.
Yesterday afternoon she was a lithe Spartan,
a fieldmouse of a kickboxer.
Saturday night she drank like a Roman,
but on Sunday morning Sybil is a Hoosier.
with tears falling out of her eyes.
Yesterday afternoon she was a lithe Spartan,
a fieldmouse of a kickboxer.
Saturday night she drank like a Roman,
but on Sunday morning Sybil is a Hoosier.
What Fine Flanks You Have
I caught the last set of the last act of the 2nd Annual Brooklyn Country Music Festival. It was these guys and they were untouchable (in the good way.)
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Moon Patrol Five
I, Punctuation
Black dots on a paper/white dots in the night sky:
Punctuation is me everywhere
And I am everywhere that something stops
Or pauses. My eyes on a full moon
Will rest gratefully for a while, long enough
To gather the courage to examine something else
Like when we are sentenced to
Consider this thing, or this. Now let's consider this.
Black dots on a paper/white dots in the night sky:
Punctuation is me everywhere
And I am everywhere that something stops
Or pauses. My eyes on a full moon
Will rest gratefully for a while, long enough
To gather the courage to examine something else
Like when we are sentenced to
Consider this thing, or this. Now let's consider this.
Monday, July 25, 2005
Classic Country
Listening to the Classic Country Cable Radio Station This Morning
This morning my roommate and I
were doing morning things involving
milk and dumbbells and laptops
and the general betterment of ourselves.
Since we are young and can't do anything quietly
we had the TV on (Classic Country cable radio.)
The playlist was skewing heavily toward
the 1979 to 1985 period and it was making memory
feel very slippery to me and when "Bop"
by Dan Seals came on I was 100% back
to ten years old in the cab of my Dad's
old sky blue powder Chevrolet pickup
(Dominga was her name)
and we were bouncing all over San Antonio, TX.
"I wanna bop with you baby
all night long
I wanna be-bop with you baby
till the break of dawn"
This morning my roommate and I
were doing morning things involving
milk and dumbbells and laptops
and the general betterment of ourselves.
Since we are young and can't do anything quietly
we had the TV on (Classic Country cable radio.)
The playlist was skewing heavily toward
the 1979 to 1985 period and it was making memory
feel very slippery to me and when "Bop"
by Dan Seals came on I was 100% back
to ten years old in the cab of my Dad's
old sky blue powder Chevrolet pickup
(Dominga was her name)
and we were bouncing all over San Antonio, TX.
"I wanna bop with you baby
all night long
I wanna be-bop with you baby
till the break of dawn"
Saturday, July 23, 2005
Listen on the Internet
You can hear my Pete's Big Salmon reading at Susan Brennan's Poetic Brooklyn I don't know what exactly was wrong with me that night, but I am all breathy, and I sound more like Christian Slater than usual. Maybe it's just the old "I sound weird to myself" effect. This is just one of many thousands of reasons to love Susan Brennan. Enjoy!
Moon Patrol Poem #4
What I've Been Up To
The stars are hanging out
outside my window,
and the moon is shining low
among the chimneys.
Out there in the skinny night
a lonely firework sneezed,
and Brooklyn heaved
a shudder through its trees.
Tell the crazies of evening
I’ll see them sooner.
Dreams are the kind order
from my lids.
My crowbar snoozes sinew-ly
already; enough for me
to rust with it for now.
The stars are hanging out
outside my window,
and the moon is shining low
among the chimneys.
Out there in the skinny night
a lonely firework sneezed,
and Brooklyn heaved
a shudder through its trees.
Tell the crazies of evening
I’ll see them sooner.
Dreams are the kind order
from my lids.
My crowbar snoozes sinew-ly
already; enough for me
to rust with it for now.
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