Saturday, June 18, 2016

Backporch Poesy June 2016





Reading from three favorite poetry anthologies on the back porch on June 17 (anniversary of Watergate breakin!) The three tomes are 1-The Poetry of Surrealism, 2-Sunflower Splendor and 3-Technicians of the Sacred. Unfortunately, the images for the 2 and 3 get swapped in the production.

The three poems are Phantom of the Clouds by Guillaume Apollnaire (TR. Michael Benedikt; Dreaming of Li Po 1,2 (actually two poems) by Tu Fu (TR. Eugene Eoyang); and, a stanza of Night Births (from the Kumulip by Keaulumoku) (Tr. Rothenberg?)

We finishwork and watch a movie or TV. To go to another place. Poems bring you to another place, too - one of musical language and concise images. I used to have more time and would be out on the porch or out in the woods, maybe with wine, tobacco, and bag full of books that worked the magic. Now, doing that, well, it is more rare. These poems bring you to a street scene as the modern western world unfolds in Paris in the early 20th century; take you to dreams where great poet Li Po visits great poet Tu fu in dreams; and take you to a prayer writ in the heart of darkness out in Polynesia where I was born - that and they show you the poet's heart and mind. - Jack Vaughan

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