| Ian Wilder has published chapbooks; given
scores of poetry readings; published poetry; written
newspaper articles; hosted events; and taken master
classes with Mark Rudman and Yevgeny Yevtushenko. At
a master class, Yevtushenko proclaimed Ian’s “snowflake”
poem as “perfect”. One of the most memorable
readings Ian gave was with his wife Kimberly, George
Wallace and Kate Kelly at the Lowell, Massachusetts
Kerouac festival. Ian has performed spoken word as a
part of the near-mythic folk groovin’ band Nylon
& Steel and was co-founding lyricist for the duo
Spiritwalkers. His work with Nylon & Steel can be
found on the album “Slip Behind the Molecule”. |
LOOKING
FOR MY OPUS,
BUT ALL I CAN FIND IS THE SMELL OF PICKLED
HERRING AND A CHART OF BERKELEY'S SEX LIFE. |
My waitress, my waitress Annie Sprinkles
heckles my
lunch gingerly with Liberals over a menu of Coney
Island and miniature vegetables while the Salvation
Army, and the radio, celebrate the death of Kurdt
Kobain with a blue light special.
2 Police cars parked in front of the donut hole
shoppe drink a cup of Joe and read today's news of
tobacco smoking miscarriages and sterilized illegal
aliens.
Another gargoyle show features Daisy with a head
hollowed out to play Gregorian Chants; Cindy, the
Rolling Stone "most perfect human being;"
and Dobie
Gillis' beatnik buddy who tells the game show hostess
to "Buy a fucking vowel", but switching channels
the
cannibal du jour sprinkles his lunch liberally with
fresh Ginger |
| THE
HISTORY OF LADDERS |
on a summer day
Peaupei descended the 9 ladders
to see how the collective human consciousness
had manifested itself
on the Internet “you see
the mystics and the philosophers have it all wrong,”
he explained
“but what do you expect in one lifetime
yet all the Prophets knew
that seeking G-d is a child’s game
the closer you try to approach
the farther away you get”
on a fall day
Peaupei had ascended the 9th ladder
walking 2 blocks from home
|
| LETTERS
TO PINSKY |
the letter “a”
tastes of the first potato chip
seemingly inconsequential
until she starts moving toward b staring across
the rolling c and waiting for d
to return from visiting e
who has something to hide
so he spouts off
at poor f bent over his cane
slowly making his way
to the men's room
where g sits zazen
hoping nobody notices
that the letter h flips over backwards
in the half somersault of childhood
until i spots
the kernel of an idea
floating above the head of j
never letting k finish
her Bruce Lee moves
while shouting at
the letter l
who has her head bowed
because she'd rather be
contorted like m
playing Twister
with her uncle
as n stands in the middle of the action
considering both sides of the issue
and mumbling a simple o
which just rolls down the hill
in a David Ignatow poem
as p sticks his right foot out
half-heartedly
to trip up q
who, in turn, sticks out her left foot
willing to play along
but not the letter r
peeking at the end of the novel
to see if its worth reading
leaving s bent out of shape
by this slightest of infractions
yet the letter t would just as easily
sit there
with hers arms crossed
as u
with mouth turned up toward the sky
tasting the honey-sweet rain
unable to help the letter v
who keeps trying
to enjoy these simple pleasures
yet never seems to be able to
x press the question of whether
you've been kept too long
with silly games of y
the letter z drifts off
|
