I’m liking this process of writing these off the top of my head, and putting them out there for immediate comment. It’s sorta like hanging fresh sheets of paint before knowing what the picture is of.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Night
sometimes leaves
wounds that never
heal. Broad daylight can carve you

too. Dawn and dusk hold their own
dangers. Face it:
nothing is safe, nothing is
comforting. You might as well

give up on growing old, as it
happens so rarely. In fact,
pretend you’re already dead.
Pretend you’re not American.

Pretend the clothes on your back
smell of napalm. Think
of imperialism as a flavor of the
month at the local ice cream parlor,

and scoop yourself out a double dip.
Buy jewelry from Mexico, henna from
Egypt, hash from what they tell you is Morocco
but is more likely Contra Costa, California.

Give up your television, praise your musicians,
wave a burning flag at the cameras, run home
to your parents when the flames get too close.
This is your world. All that danger you claim

to despise? It’s your breath. All that money
you claim to fear? It’s your blood. All that bullshit
you claim to reject? It’s your bullshit.
And owning your bullshit is part of growing up.

Night wounds you, yes; day carves you, yes;
everything is always fatal in the last reel. But
you were born here, you were made here, and as
bad as it is, bite down on it like tinfoil and love it:

it’s the only way
you’ll ever find
the heart
to make it disappear.

In order of finish:

Morris Stegosaurus (mstegosaurus)
Alex Charalambides (hairy_lamb)
Urban (the sole rookie)
Ryk McIntyre (on his first slam team since 1991)

Good slam with the usual Worcester Weirdness. And, Worcester’s first ever all male team.

Two slammers deliberately self-destructed in the final round:

Jon Wolf told the audience he didn’t deserve to be there and only got into the slam because someone else dropped out — so he begged the judges to give him zeroes (and 3 out of 5 complied, leaving him with a score of 8.0);

Dave Mac (penny_player) dropped “Sex is Funny” and asked the audience to just start yelling out words to improv from — he let that go on for a minute, then said “Thank You!” and got off the stage. He got a 6.8 combined score — lower than the guy who asked for zeroes! He told me afterward he thought the sound of all those words being shouted out was beautiful.

I love the Worcester scene for its refusal to take this at all seriously.

Morris will likely give the full blow by blow later.

Got home to the aftermath of a power outage and no ISP service till this AM — so those of you to whom I owed e-mails — sorry.

life does funny things.

Thsoe of you who know my poetry ought to snicker at this one:

Username:
From Go-Quiz.com

Apparently, there’s now evidence that al-Zarqawi wasn’t the guy behind the kidnapping and execution of Nick Berg.

And even Fox News is reporting that.

Surprised? Nope.

Apparently, there’s now evidence that al-Zarqawi wasn’t the guy behind the kidnapping and execution of Nick Berg.

And even Fox News is reporting that.

Surprised? Nope.

Because I trust you, I’ll tell you guys that the new Zero Point Zero column that’s up now is an act of sheer desperation — drugs really caught up with me last night and I was unable to put more than a single sentence together.

This AM, feeling somewhat better, I chose to drop the column I’m writing on multi-part poems and their performance and simply reprint my column on political poetry and the sins committed in its name, along with some new commentary.

Seems lazy — but you know, what I say in the column about why I don’t mind doing occasional reprints is completely true — and it also feels timely.

Go check it out, if you’re so inclined. And feel free to leave comments there, too!

More later….

Because I trust you, I’ll tell you guys that the new Zero Point Zero column that’s up now is an act of sheer desperation — drugs really caught up with me last night and I was unable to put more than a single sentence together.

This AM, feeling somewhat better, I chose to drop the column I’m writing on multi-part poems and their performance and simply reprint my column on political poetry and the sins committed in its name, along with some new commentary.

Seems lazy — but you know, what I say in the column about why I don’t mind doing occasional reprints is completely true — and it also feels timely.

Go check it out, if you’re so inclined. And feel free to leave comments there, too!

More later….

from one thing to another…finished a class, talked a bit with some folks afterward, ran and got lunch, now I’m starting prep for a meeting at 3:00.

No introversion available today (MBTI type INTP), no matter how much I need it…

from one thing to another…finished a class, talked a bit with some folks afterward, ran and got lunch, now I’m starting prep for a meeting at 3:00.

No introversion available today (MBTI type INTP), no matter how much I need it…

The things I should be doing before I end the day at work are never the ones I end up doing.

Shower

The things I should be doing before I end the day at work are never the ones I end up doing.

Shower

if he doesn’t get his shit together.

I was listening to NPR on my way into work this AM after my various doctor’s appointments. One of Kerry’s campaign officers was on, along with a journalist and one of CLinton’s ex-foreign affairs guys. Topic: Kerry and Iraq.

Two random observations:

1. The campaign guy freely admitted that Kerry’s campaign is short on specifics right now, specifically because they see no need to define themselves against Bush’s actions until more info shakes out.

2. Callers seemed universally pissed about Kerry’s unwillingness to be long on specifics.

Here’s why I think Kerry’s in trouble:

1. Because McCain is currently seen as this moment’s definition of political integrity…not Kerry.

2. Because in spite of all the bad news out of Iraq, Kerry’s barely moving the needle versus George.

3. Because the vast majority of the American electorate is already committed, regardless of what happens; and the small minority that isn’t will do whatever feels good the week before the election; and George has got too many hands to play before then.

4. Because Kerry is from Massachusetts.

5. Because Kerry’s wife is seen as a foreigner.

6. Because Kerry’s wife is seen as a RICH foreigner.

7. Because Kerry speaks French, not Spanish, he will be seen as elitist, not pragmatic.

8. Because America likes its presidents to be simple, at least on the surface. (If the simple goes all the way through, they’ll take it, as long as it doesn’t make them too worried.)

9. Because, al-Qaeda, don’t you know.

10. Because anyone who thinks an American election is decided on the issues wasn’t watching in 2000.

if he doesn’t get his shit together.

I was listening to NPR on my way into work this AM after my various doctor’s appointments. One of Kerry’s campaign officers was on, along with a journalist and one of CLinton’s ex-foreign affairs guys. Topic: Kerry and Iraq.

Two random observations:

1. The campaign guy freely admitted that Kerry’s campaign is short on specifics right now, specifically because they see no need to define themselves against Bush’s actions until more info shakes out.

2. Callers seemed universally pissed about Kerry’s unwillingness to be long on specifics.

Here’s why I think Kerry’s in trouble:

1. Because McCain is currently seen as this moment’s definition of political integrity…not Kerry.

2. Because in spite of all the bad news out of Iraq, Kerry’s barely moving the needle versus George.

3. Because the vast majority of the American electorate is already committed, regardless of what happens; and the small minority that isn’t will do whatever feels good the week before the election; and George has got too many hands to play before then.

4. Because Kerry is from Massachusetts.

5. Because Kerry’s wife is seen as a foreigner.

6. Because Kerry’s wife is seen as a RICH foreigner.

7. Because Kerry speaks French, not Spanish, he will be seen as elitist, not pragmatic.

8. Because America likes its presidents to be simple, at least on the surface. (If the simple goes all the way through, they’ll take it, as long as it doesn’t make them too worried.)

9. Because, al-Qaeda, don’t you know.

10. Because anyone who thinks an American election is decided on the issues wasn’t watching in 2000.

and anyone else who cares…

Scott, you asked for it.

John Powers, my hero, has set it up so that you can see all the past Zero Point Zero columns if you want.

Here’s how:

1. Go to http://www.gotpoetry.com .
2. Click on “Topics”.
3. Click on the word “more” in the frame for “The Zero Point Zero Regular Column”.
4. When you get to that page, check the bottom of the screen — you’ll find page numbers to go through to see all the past columns.

Thanks, John.

On a related note: goddamn, I’ve done seventy of them to this point!

of two-sided arguments,
black helicopters,
white knights.

Give me the circle
and its tender slope
back upon itself.

Tell me things I can’t imagine ever
having opposites.
What is the opposite of water? of breath?

I give up formally
on hot and cold,
good and evil, love and hate.

Give me a face that opens
itself the way
a sunrise can, if observed carefully enough —

it should look exactly
the way a sunset does, even though
it is about beginning it is

also an ending.
Do I know you? Are you
not me? Are we not each other

when all’s spoken?
Why will we not admit this:
everyone’s a problem and a solution.