I’ll be in Chicago on Sept. 19 and 20th. What’s going on? Not necessarily looking for features, but definitely want to see something at the least.
Of course, if a feature pops up, I ain’t opposed.
Author Archives: Tony Brown
About Tony Brown
Acoma
The most sacred place I’ve ever been
is a dirt floored
mission church
in Acoma, New Mexico.
The men who built it in 1709
carried the logs for the roof
for thirty five miles on their shoulders
and never let one of them touch the ground.
I am not
the only one
who cries
upon hearing this.
The churchyard and its audience of
blacktipped crosses
look into the doorway
from the August heat,
into the church that has only
three windows
and still holds more light
than all of the valley beyond.
I have been here before.
I have been here since the first time I came.
I may have been here before that.
I am surely here, now.
The pillars of the altar are red and white, like me.
The guide tells us that there’s no conflict here
between Christ and the corn.
I am beginning to believe…
so however I may speak
of God tomorrow,
I am kneeling under the cross
on this solid earth tonight.
Guiltily pickpocketed from _antipathy_
Go to Google, do a search of “[your name] is” – it has to be in quotes – and pick out your top 10 from the listings:
Tony Brown is a National Headliner
Tony Brown is one of the greatest unsung poets of our day
Tony Brown is an ass kisser and a snake in the grass
Tony Brown is expected to make a full recovery from head injuries
Tony Brown pulls no punches
Tony Brown is a poet, publisher, columnist and the host of the Poets’ Asylum
Tony Brown is a Professor of Paleoanthropology
Tony Brown is a Black man (his preferred term)
Tony Brown has his studio at Atkinson House…Liverpool
Tony Brown is the visiting Lecturer
I was struck by how many were actually about me.
Your turn.
ETA: I went and just did “Tony is.” I’ll spare you a long list, but this was too good to skip…
“Tony is a Llama, sometimes called a Yama. Tony has a Llama’s body…Tony is
a cool and laid back Llama, but he is also a very smart Llama…”
I have to get out of here.
Job.
Massachusetts.
Everything else.
I need to move to New Mexico. I’ve known that for fifteen years; I know it more than ever now.
Have to.
back
from nationals.
gonna dive into schoolwork this week. read my friends list for people who will be doing far more updating than I will.
won’t be around much.
very sad to be back home.
love you all.
nps, day 1
as always, every time i’m in NM i try to figure out why i’m not living here.
i’ve heard some really excellent poetry. yay.
drinking is a recreational sport, and i’m out of practice.
overall, incredibly well run.
good to see everyone.
onward into the next debauch!
was out doing last minute shopping and errands all night.
the load out is happening; the volume’s decreasing on here…
safe journeys to all; I’ll see you on wednesday.
I just heard Minor Threat’s “Straight Edge.”
Ah, memories. The first time I ever heard that song I was tweaked on meth.
Eighties
I tell you, I barely
recall the Eighties,
so when “Vienna” came on the radio
it meant nothing to me at first, and I had to think
hard to remember that it was done by Ultravox,
and then I knew
I had been here before:
the way you smelled
in Lupo’s back corner
overpowered the beer on the floor
I gripped
the hard ridge of your hips
from behind
it didn’t feel
like Europe
it felt like the New World
in the arms of the Old
but then came Killing Joke
and then came Smithereens;
yes,
that seems about right.
almost ready
The first carload of Worcester poets left for NM tonight.
My laptop’s wireless function works like a charm…and my hotel goes wireless today.
I have located the flask I have not used in years.
I bought sunscreen.
_____________________
Good weekend at school; decent night at the Hut; got to spend a small amount of time with my niece which made me very happy.
Two more days of work.
______________________
I may be back later…and then again, I may not.
drive by post
school all day.
thai food and errands and drama tonight. don’t ask.
school all day tomorrow.
poetry tomorrow night. the niece comes with me!
later, gators…
More ABQ thoughts
OK…I’m starting to get excited now.
It’ll be good to see y’all.
I am nervous as hell about managing stress/time dilation/alcohol/poetry tag and most of all sleep deprivation.
See, I trace a lot of my most recent breakdown and worsening of the overall diagnosis to the disruption I went through at NPS 2003. That trip screwed my sleep cycles up so badly that I went into a tailspin right afterward and then it just got worse.
I’m on different meds now, vastly different meds; I’m far more conscious of what I need to do to align myself with health, too. Nonetheless, I worry.
I do hope I get to read at one or two side events.
I need to get out of the city one day and head to somewhere like Acoma or Mescalero. Acoma because the church there is such a sacred space, Mescalero because that’s where my dad is from and I need a peek at Sierra Blanca again. Although I’ve been in NM a couple of times since then, I’ve not been on the rez since 1990.
But I’m thinking Acoma might be more my speed this trip.
I’ll have a laptop with me so I can update LJ if I feel like it.
I am betting I won’t feel much like it.
And I’m counting on this trip to clear my head in a couple of important ways, in regard to a whole host of questions I’ve been thinking about. More, perhaps, about that later.
Right now, I’m just thinking of sunset on the Sandia Range…
hey NPS crew…
If you don’t read javabill, go read his latest post.
NOW.
Print it out and bring it with you.
NOW!!!!!
