tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36936436694728761462024-03-21T13:34:01.445-07:00deciduouscbaustinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749593884838793759noreply@blogger.comBlogger59125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3693643669472876146.post-76803838441009767702015-11-11T07:56:00.001-08:002015-11-11T07:56:20.132-08:00So It Goes...(Slaughterhouse Five-Vonnegut)I just finished reading my first Vonnegut book, Slaughterhouse Five. I have always been a little leery about reading Vonnegut, mainly because of what I heard about his writing style. Whenever his name was brought up, I imagined he was like others I've read from the latter half of the twentieth century, someone who was in the literary conversation of "the greats." It seemed though that no one could pin him down; some say he's science fiction, others find his style abhorrent. After a while I began to picture his style as something rather like Faulkner, who I tried to read a couple of times with no luck(though, I will try again.) I simply found Faulkner hard to follow, and assumed that I was just not in the right head space at the time. With all the varying opinions on Vonnegut, I just figured I could always come back to him (and Faulkner.) I had plenty of other books to read in the meantime.<br />
<br />
I finally dove in...<br />
On the cover of my edition of Slaughterhouse Five there is a blurb that touts a thundering moral statement that underlines everything else in the book. Unless that moral is "life goes on," I didn't see it. If that was the moral, I would not call it "thundering." Maybe in 1969 (two years before I was born, by the way) it would have been, but here and now in 2015 it seems a bit cliche.<br />
<br />
Other blurbs inside the front cover talked of Vonnegut's satirist's view and his black humor as well as the science fiction leanings of the book. I can see how they could be construed as such, but my take on Billy Pilgrim's story was that of an old man, possibly with dementia or Alzheimer's looking back and remembering in tattered snatches the goings on of his own life, with some mis-remembered or unexplained gaps in his mind being filled in by the Tralfamadorian saga. Billy is an intriguing character, you get the feeling that he did not live his life rather, simply let life happen to him. He has two "love" interests in the book of seemingly polar opposites. In each case though, these women seem to be proffered to him, all be it in very different circumstances. None the less, he did not search them out or chase after them. This is a recurring theme in the life of Billy Pilgrim.<br />
<br />
I found this to be a wonderful story, with a lot going on, but with all the jumping back and forth between time and setting, I never felt lost.Vonnegut gives the illusion of trying to lose you in the story but somehow you are always kept in the loop by the simple declarative writing. I found it interesting too, how the main character is Billy Pilgrim and at times you imagine him telling the story but in fact it is an unnamed narrator who rarely inserts himself into the story after the first chapter, which is used only to get the ball rolling. He is somewhat of an innocent bystander, much like our protagonist, Billy.<br />
<br />
The back cover blurb said it best; "Splendid art... a funny book at which you are not permitted to laugh, a sad book without tears." -<i>Life</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>"Poo-tee-weet?"</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<br />
<br />
cbaustinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749593884838793759noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3693643669472876146.post-31612581695734484852015-06-28T06:00:00.002-07:002015-06-28T06:00:54.010-07:00Open Mic At Java Dock Cafe Port Washington, WIIt is time for another open mic session at Java Dock Cafe. Please join us from 3-5 pm Sunday June 28th.<br />
<br />
Open to acoustic music, poetry, prose, short fiction, essays and general ramblings and musings.<br />
Welcoming, friendly atmosphere as well as good food(soups, sandwiches, gelato, bakery) and excellent coffee. All set in the picturesque town of Port Washington, WI.cbaustinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749593884838793759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3693643669472876146.post-75346206271781747932015-06-22T06:53:00.000-07:002015-06-22T06:53:03.416-07:00It's that time again...Time for Java Dock Cafe's open mic<br />
<br />
Sunday June 28th<br />
3-5<br />
performers, please arrive by 2:30 to sign up<br />
<br />
come and enjoy some music and poetry with your coffee or tea and<br />
maybe a scone or muffin to hold you over until dinner.<br />
<br />
if you have something to share, please do, we are a welcoming group<br />
<br />
see you there<br />
<br />cbaustinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749593884838793759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3693643669472876146.post-85525140737409341782015-06-02T05:41:00.000-07:002015-06-02T05:41:01.292-07:00Open Mic @java_dockcafeThe open mic at Java Dock is always a good time. It is a very open and welcoming environment for poets and musicians. We are hoping to get some more people in to present their work. This past weekend we had Howard and Davey playing some music and singing. Chris and Chad read some poetry. Howard also read a piece by proxy for Derek Strohl and we had a new performer; Roxy, she did a great job and was complimentary of the whole atmosphere. It was a real treat to hear her poetry. I hope she is able to stop in again. That being said, we need more, don't be shy, you will be welcomed.<br />
Chris,<br />
your hostcbaustinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749593884838793759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3693643669472876146.post-43455351095849949942015-05-24T05:33:00.001-07:002015-05-24T05:33:11.957-07:00Traffic, Stop!Hey folks,<br />
<br />
I really appreciate the uptick in traffic to my blog recently. If you enjoy what you read here, please comment, share, re-post and hey, even follow the thing. If you think there is something I could do better, I would appreciate hearing about that as well. Let's keep it civil though, huh?<br />
<br />
Thanks,<br />
Chriscbaustinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749593884838793759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3693643669472876146.post-12464786950485493292015-05-21T05:24:00.001-07:002015-05-21T05:24:34.208-07:00After the killing...The third piece in our fill-in project took a drastic turn, as things usually do with Paul. He did not title his piece, but I refer to it as After The Killing. I sent Paul the odd lines of my 20 line poem and this is what he came up with. Enjoy.<br />
<br />
sips of coffee<br />
with you after the killing<br />
<br />
take the place of<br />
nightmares;<br />
<br />
under the table<br />
is safe,<br />
<br />
our feet, not seeking<br />
silk sand or red carpet ache<br />
<br />
to just be still<br />
as can be;<br />
<br />
in no hurry to start<br />
the pain again, we hope for sex<br />
<br />
and sections of newspaper<br />
devoted to weed and poetry...<br />
<br />
finally broken by the whine<br />
of my daydream, the ghost screams<br />
<br />
to relieve herself<br />
of me,<br />
<br />
and sun on face, you ask<br />
for a refill.cbaustinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749593884838793759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3693643669472876146.post-70776193878481536542015-05-18T06:59:00.000-07:002015-05-18T06:59:00.763-07:00The Red DogI sent the even lines from my 20 line poem to Steve Pump and this is what he came up with to fill in the lines. He seemed to hone in on the dog from my piece, possibly because it appeared more than once in my poem.<br />
<br />
the red dog<br />
<br />
a poem in hand<br />
and subtle glance<br />
<br />
transcribed the play of<br />
morning talk<br />
<br />
in which I was the red<br />
dog lazing between<br />
<br />
dreams of knees, fed on<br />
attention, content<br />
<br />
to move within a single room<br />
in the morning light.<br />
<br />
I heard the song of the dumb gods,<br />
mugs refilled, salty skin<br />
<br />
still smelling of sleep, eyes<br />
exchanged, the silence<br />
<br />
broken by my poem, the song<br />
of the dog needing<br />
<br />
a familiar shadow to follow,<br />
back door opened,<br />
<br />
asking nothing as if to say,<br />
"what do you want to do today?"<br />
**************************<br />
I really like the idea here of the dog following his shadow...cbaustinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749593884838793759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3693643669472876146.post-68989160861960727702015-05-15T08:12:00.002-07:002015-05-15T08:28:46.056-07:00More on collaborative poetryThere are probably thousands of ways that collaborative poetry can be approached. My suggestion; mix it up. A recent project between myself and two of my co-poets explored one facet of collaboration. This project was a lot of fun and, we all three agreed, turned out some pretty good pieces.<br />
<br />
The parameters we set were minimal, we were each to write a 20 line poem on any topic. Next, we sent one of the others only our even lines and the other, only our odd lines. The second poet was to fill in the blanks, keeping each piece at 20 lines. The only other caveat was to not create too long of a line compared to the ones preceding and following for the sake of symmetry and visual appeal.<br />
<br />
Today, I will share my original 20 line poem. The revisions or fill-ins will follow shortly.<br />
<br />
Sunday Morning<br />
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">sips of coffee</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and subtle glances</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">take the place of</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">morning conversation</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">under the table</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">dog lazing between</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">our feet, not seeking</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">attention,content</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">to just be still</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">in the morning light.</span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-308140dc-5820-1235-ea3c-3d07dd63732e" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">in no hurry to start</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the day, mugs refilled</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and sections of newspaper</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">exchanged, the silence </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">finally broken by the whine</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">of the dog needing</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">to relieve herself</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">back door opened</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and sun on face, you ask</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“What do you want to do today?”</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />cbaustinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749593884838793759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3693643669472876146.post-52410289921002872262015-05-07T10:34:00.004-07:002015-05-07T10:34:58.747-07:00Let's make a scene3rd installment of<br />
<br />
Java Dock Cafe's open mic will be:<br />
<br />
Sunday May 31st 3-5pm<br />
<br />
please arrive by 2:30 to sign up<br />
if you wish to perform<br />
<br />
bring your best...<br />
<br />
poetry, prose and/or acoustic music<br />
<br />cbaustinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749593884838793759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3693643669472876146.post-35062467923997650852015-04-22T06:42:00.000-07:002015-04-22T06:42:55.974-07:00Get your voice heard!Well the first session got off to a rocky start due to some folks getting there a bit late but we eventually got going and ended up having a really good first session, even if we were mainly performing for the other artists there. Connections were made and some friendships as well. All in all a good day.<br />
<br />
So, with that being said, we are doing it again, hopefully with a little better turnout.<br />
It is time for another Open Mic at Java Dock Cafe<br />
Twitter @javadock_cafe<br />
www.javadock_cafe.com <br />
<br />
Sunday April 26th from 3-5 get there by 2:30 to sign up.<br />
<br />
Get your voice heard!cbaustinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749593884838793759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3693643669472876146.post-25853419503647412512015-04-08T06:52:00.000-07:002015-04-08T06:52:02.253-07:00Open mic @ Java Dock CafeHey folks,<br />
<br />
Just dropping a note to say that I am very excited to be curating an open mic series at The Java Dock Cafe in beautiful Port Washington, Wisconsin. We are opening this for poetry, prose and acoustic music. The first set will be on Sunday April 12th starting at 3pm. I will host each session and will be the featured reader for the 12th. I am hoping to get some great poets in to be the featured reader each time we offer this. The hope is to do this at least once a month, with two this April, the second being April 26th.<br />
<br />
Java Dock is a special little coffee shop with a great atmosphere, they concentrate on offering great coffee drinks and excellent bakery items made fresh daily, in-house.<br />
<br />
I look forward to this new venture and to seeing all of you out there, either presenting your work or just to hang and listen.<br />
<br />
you can find Java Dock on Facebook and Twittercbaustinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749593884838793759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3693643669472876146.post-48963578418663358172015-03-12T10:13:00.002-07:002015-03-12T10:29:04.260-07:00Making a push...Hey world! <br />
Here I am! <br />
Look at me!<br />
<br />
That is what sending my work out for consideration to be published feels like to me sometimes.<br />
Yet, it has to be done, I mean, otherwise what am I doing this for? No, I'm not really asking you, I am asking myself. As a writer/poet, we are often asked (yes, even by ourselves) why we write. Depending on the day or my mood, the answer varies, greatly. Sometimes, I feel like an observer or reporter of the world, or at least my own environs. Other times, it feels as if I am just journaling, jotting down my thoughts. Still others, I feel like I am locked in a bare, windowless room with bare feet, pounding on the door,begging to be heard or acknowledged in some small way.<br />
<br />
So... fingers crossed. I just sent five poems to <a href="http://www.caketrain.org/">www.caketrain.org</a> for their consideration. Let's hope they hear me, because I really have to pee.<br />
cbaustinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749593884838793759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3693643669472876146.post-74227302234474974562014-11-28T11:52:00.000-08:002014-11-28T11:52:09.347-08:00Co-poets pt. 10; the endThis piece will conclude this particular project(a study in collaborative poetry)<br />
<br />
My final poem comes from the piece my brother Chad and I came up with...<br />
<br />
Woodland Birds<br />
<br />
The eyes shine bright<br />
as the name of every<br />
woodland bird<br />
and their different<br />
calls come easily<br />
to the tongue<br />
<br />
but pictures found<br />
in a hat box<br />
left to linger<br />
in a mildewy attic<br />
ring no bells<br />
the eyes now <br />
glassed over<br />
as the tongue<br />
laps the mouth<br />
searching for purchasecbaustinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749593884838793759noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3693643669472876146.post-23274948387579487602014-11-25T11:20:00.000-08:002014-11-25T11:20:03.481-08:00Co-poets pt. 9This is my rendering -a very spare piece based off of the poem Paul and I did together.<br />
<br />
Vortex<br />
<br />
Things forgotten<br />
come swirling back<br />
in a vortex of memory<br />
a random mind chooses<br />
which to spew<br />
and lay bare<br />
for the unwitting<br />
passersby<br />
pretending <br />
not to hearcbaustinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749593884838793759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3693643669472876146.post-79820860760342622652014-11-19T06:19:00.000-08:002014-11-19T06:21:06.513-08:00Co-poets pt.8 This is my offering which came out of the collaboration done with Steve Pump;<br />
<br />
Dream-glass<br />
<br />
<br />
Staring into the dream-glass<br />
the ghosts appear again<br />
behind me, the faces<br />
somewhat familiar<br />
but not quite right.<br />
I cannot blink them away.<br />
Men with hats and women<br />
wearing strings of pearls,<br />
children in knickers, licking<br />
lollipops, sticky residue on their lips<br />
all smiling at my back, yet <br />
when I turn to face them,<br />
they are gone,<br />
save for the unbearable weight.cbaustinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749593884838793759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3693643669472876146.post-72023083932519199132014-11-18T11:08:00.000-08:002014-11-19T06:19:36.040-08:00Co-poets pt.7<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Continuing the collaboration theme, this piece is mine alone and based on the original lines sent to all the collaborators and represents where my mindset was at the time I thought of them...</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">(no title)</span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Memories appear<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">then fade away<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">like half-formed clouds<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">that almost become<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">a pirate ship.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Blackbeard was a pirate,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Bill Mazeroski too<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">but he was a different kind,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I think.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Pirates liked to bury<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">their treasure.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I had a dog once<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">he liked to bury stuff<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">in the yard<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Who’s out there?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I saw someone lurking,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">you stay away!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Leave my treasure alone!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
cbaustinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749593884838793759noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3693643669472876146.post-67368406433662663892014-08-02T08:25:00.000-07:002014-08-02T08:25:05.715-07:00Co-Poets pt. 6(revisions cont.)The last revised poem comes from Paul Enea. This is a true re-imagining of the concept set forth by me of forgetting and remembering as happens throughout a lifetime. My original thoughts were of an old man or woman maybe going through the stages of dementia and how one remembers things from childhood or certain moments in time that brought us joy and how it makes one feel, even while sitting in some geriatric ward in a hospital, seemingly wasting away. I know happy thoughts, right? Well, poetry isn't always pretty.<br />
Here is Paul's poem...<br />
<br />
Now I Remember<br />
<br />
I forgot I was finite<br />
I forgot my father was still alive<br />
I forgot my father is always dead<br />
I forgot I have no child<br />
I forgot I had a child<br />
I forgot memories are true<br />
I forgot lying delays nothing<br />
I forgot everyone kills a thing<br />
I forgot every epiphany<br />
I forgot I love Rita<br />
I forgot there is no Rita<br />
I forgot the sound of pale blue<br />
I forgot the scent of dark<br />
I forgot to invent a new way<br />
I forgot the word for stay<br />
I forgot the name for hate<br />
I forgot the friend who vanished<br />
I forgot the friend who remained<br />
I forgot I was nowhere<br />
I forgot the dog who followed me homecbaustinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749593884838793759noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3693643669472876146.post-51399955548467587012014-07-30T05:57:00.001-07:002014-07-30T05:57:40.106-07:00Co-Poets pt. 5 (revisions cont.)The next revised piece comes from my brother Chad Austin. While staying pretty true to the original with the language, the ending reveals a different theme than the one I thought we were working with while doing the collaboration.<br />
<br />
Bird Song<br />
<br />
I can't wait to remember<br />
all the things I 've forgotten<br />
memories like fallen leaves<br />
litter forest floor, naked trees shivering<br />
watching sunlight tiptoe<br />
<br />
slipping between the shadows<br />
of consciousness, breathe deep<br />
fill the empty space with<br />
sweet, damp smells<br />
black earth oozing between bare toes<br />
<br />
the rot of nostalgia<br />
like grandfather's attic<br />
packing and unpacking trunks<br />
that carried dreams to a new land<br />
now gathering dust and photographs<br />
<br />
left with a sick feeling in<br />
the pit like decomposing fruit<br />
a recognized relic, grandmother's<br />
hat box stuffed with letters, and a feather<br />
bird song shatters my silencecbaustinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749593884838793759noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3693643669472876146.post-85094858358812136502014-07-28T10:14:00.001-07:002014-07-28T10:14:40.459-07:00Co-Poets pt. 4 (revisions)revision or re-vision<br />
<br />
This is my favorite part of the collaborative process, watching what happens when one person gets to take the helm and forge their own way based on what has been created. They often use the familiar(what has already been written) but not always. You will see how different the revised pieces are from each other as well as the original creations. First is the revision from Steve Pump...<br />
<br />
things i've forgotten<br />
<br />
early morning, half asleep,<br />
one palm open to receive my daily loam,<br />
the other closed around what's left of the night:<br />
dream-glass, the dust<br />
of dry and crumbled leaves,<br />
shadows in tatters, a hole down which i roam.<br />
<br />
in stations underground i wait<br />
for guests to arrive from distant dates.<br />
when the skeletons detrain,<br />
still wet with rain from others states,<br />
how will i recognize their faces,<br />
reflections in the stagnant air?<br />
<br />
our ghosts have no eyes, no names.<br />
they huddle together for warmth until,<br />
like an unbearable weight removed,<br />
they evaporate and disappear.<br />
i lie suspended in bed for the hour,<br />
between stations of forgetting<br />
and not forgetting, grasping between lights<br />
<br />cbaustinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749593884838793759noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3693643669472876146.post-82125555746677492402014-07-23T05:54:00.001-07:002014-07-23T05:54:37.633-07:00Co-Poets pt. 3Now we come to the last piece of collaborative poetry done for this project. It was done with Paul Enea, a poet that I have admired for many years. He often uses plain, simple language to create beautiful poems that are complex, using his own style to enhance the words into duplicitous creatures with layered character. Stay tuned, because you will want to see his revision of our piece...<br />
<br />
I can't wait to remember<br />
all the things I've forgotten<br />
over the years, to recover<br />
the bygone moments that still matter<br />
to a bone weary old man<br />
memories warm the blood<br />
or chill the heart if there's a dark<br />
reason I forgot myself.<br />
<br />
A hall of doors, all shut, rattling<br />
some energy, begging for release<br />
from solitude. Time regurgitates<br />
memory, makes it a mess.<br />
I wait like a child for someone<br />
to lift the stains of past deeds<br />
or meet me in a car the night<br />
I ride the pipe and spill from prison.<br />
<br />
Something out there waits for me,<br />
it may just be a patch of dug-up earth<br />
in a flowerless graveyard for innocent<br />
inmates remembered by no one.cbaustinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749593884838793759noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3693643669472876146.post-4714963806397451272014-07-16T06:07:00.002-07:002014-07-16T06:35:34.509-07:00Co-Poets pt. 2...continuing the series on collaborative poetry we come to the piece I did with my brother Chad. My brother and I have done a number of collaborations in the past, some have worked out great others not so much. It is hard to pinpoint why. We always seem to have fun with it though, so we will continue to do them, at least I hope to. When doing this particular piece, it felt like we were in lock-step from the very beginning.<br />
The piece follows below, enjoy...<br />
<br />
I can't wait to remember<br />
all the things I've forgotten<br />
memories like fallen leaves litter<br />
the forest floor, decaying<br />
brittle underfoot, they break apart<br />
the pieces scattered by the wind<br />
<br />
the sweet damp smells fill<br />
empty spaces, overwhelmed<br />
by the rot of nostalgia<br />
the canopy contains my screams<br />
digging holes, bloody fingernails searching<br />for that place where roots drink<br />
<br />
they probe deeper into the terrain<br />
like the tendrils of my brain<br />
moments bubbling up, I gulp hastily<br />
leaving that sick feeling in the pit<br />
of my gut, swallowed remembrances<br />
a trace of bitterness remians<br />
<br />
I sip slower to try to cleanse<br />
the palate, muscles relax recognizing relics<br />
cbaustinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749593884838793759noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3693643669472876146.post-19752701332194092682014-07-08T10:46:00.000-07:002014-07-08T13:15:16.220-07:00Co-Poets I have the great pleasure of knowing many poets who work and live in my city(Milwaukee.) I have the even greater pleasure of working closely with four of the best poets to hail from or transport to the area. Elliot O. Lipchik, Stephen Anderson, Steve Pump and Paul Enea have helped me to grow as a poet and as a person with their careful guidance and honest critique. My brother Chad has also been a great influence and collaborater. One of the things we do as a group to keep our workshopping fresh and fun is collaborative poetry. We have tried to do some pieces as a large group but I have found that the writing is smoother and seems more cohesive when it is only two people working together. It feels easier to find a groove as a duo, it becomes a real partnership with give and take and a natural feeding off of each other.<br />
<br />
So unbeknownst to my fellow poets, I sent two starting lines to Paul, Steve P. and my brother, Chad Austin, asking each of them to do a collaborative piece with me using the same starting lines and set the parameters at one or two lines at a time and twenty lines total. It was very interesting to see where the pieces varied and also where they seemed to follow a similiar path. I will be posting my collaborations with each of these poets as well as any revised pieces I may receive. The first one completed was the poem done with Steve Pump, it follows here...<br />
<br />
I can't wait to remember<br />
all the things I've forgotten.<br />
early in the morning, half-asleep,<br />
one palm open to receive<br />
my daily dose of heartbreak,<br />
the other closed around what's left<br />
of the night, dream-glass, dust<br />
and tattered pieces of the shadows<br />
that keep me company in the loaming.<br />
yet I must wait in stations<br />
underground for trains to arrive from<br />
distant nightmares, carrying<br />
anonymous, faceless passengers.<br />
I must wait. and when the skeletons detrain,<br />
how will I recognize them, ghosts without eyes?<br />
these drifting vagabonds huddle together<br />
as if bracing for some cold that I cannot feel.<br />
in bed for an hour, suspended between forgetting<br />
and not forgetting, waiting, and unable to wait<br />
the weight is unbearable<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />cbaustinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749593884838793759noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3693643669472876146.post-44280714895923363482013-04-06T11:54:00.000-07:002013-04-06T11:54:07.821-07:00A review of Portals and PiersThe following link <br />
<a href="http://versewisconsin.org/Issue111/reviews/anderson.html">http://versewisconsin.org/Issue111/reviews/anderson.html</a><br />
<br />
<br />
is to a review of our book done in Verse Wisconsin<br />
<a href="http://www.versewisconsin.org/">www.versewisconsin.org</a><br />
cbaustinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749593884838793759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3693643669472876146.post-81544332495144336872013-01-30T06:46:00.001-08:002013-01-30T06:46:20.272-08:00A rousing success...Woodland Pattern Bookstore ( <a href="http://www.woodlanpattern.org/">www.woodlanpattern.org</a> ) in Milwaukee just held it's 19th annual Poetry Marathon. This is an awesone event where poets, storytellers and sometimes musicians get 5 min. to show their wares. 10 presenters fill each hour from 10 am 'til 1 am the following morn. Each presenter is asked to get $35 in pledges and the money collected goes towards all of the great things that WP does in the community to support the arts.<br />
<br />
Aside from all of that wonderfullness... Susan Firer <a href="http://www.susanfirer.com/">http://www.susanfirer.com/</a> a former Milwaukee Poet Laureate and current prof. at UW-Milwaukee has asked for one of my pieces. She wishes to publish it in the Shepherd Express online poetry column <a href="http://www.expressmilwaukee.com/">www.expressmilwaukee.com</a> which she edits, It is a tremendous honor to have someone of Susan's renown ask to publish one of my poems. I will let all know when it comes out.cbaustinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749593884838793759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3693643669472876146.post-72972972013302716172012-12-15T07:50:00.001-08:002012-12-15T07:50:11.071-08:00A poem for Uncle Grant
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">The Conquistador<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">for Grant Keller</span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">We all gathered</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">sharing stories and laughter</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">and of course, some tears<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">we were sad, not for your parting<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">from this world, rather<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">for your parting from us<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">we laughed again at the pictures<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">-one of you dressed as a conquistador<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">has stuck in my memory<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">I think of you and how you conquered<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">life’s challenges, blazing<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">your own trail through each<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">new jungle you faced<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">you set off<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>to see the world<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">along with it’s beauty, you witnessed <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">its underbelly, returning home<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">you turned to seek a salve <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">for wounds apparent or otherwise<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">undaunted by the rituals<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">of marriage, fatherhood and divorce<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">-or so it seemed,<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>then as you
aged, or maybe <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>it was our
aging and perspective,<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">chinks in the armor appeared<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">we were allowed into the heart<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">of a man who had seen it all<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">and stared it down <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">for so many years<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">we only saw the face <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">of the warrior, <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">a soldier to the end<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">rest now dear uncle<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">your fight is done<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">you have vanquished all<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">save for Man’s ultimate enemy<o:p></o:p></span><br />
cbaustinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05749593884838793759noreply@blogger.com0