Author Archives: Oscar Bermeo

Poem Challenge: Two after Lorca

Lorca StatueBarb hit me up with the challenge of riffing off of two poems from Lorca’s The Cricket Sings: Poems and Songs for Children. One came pretty quickly, and one took me a hard minute to get through. You can take a guess at which one was harder.

Tumbaron Tres Torres
en el estilo de Federico García Lorca’s “Cortaron Tres Arboles”

Eran tres.
(Vino el viento a tumbar las puertas.)
Eran dos. (Pájaros envueltos en llamas.)
Era uno.
Era ninguno.
(Ahora la Ciudad esta vacía.)

§

Cucaracha
en el estilo de Federico García Lorca’s “Mariposa”

Cucaracha del piso,
ay, sí eres listo,
Cucaracha del piso
eres mas que insecto.
Cucaracha del piso,
¡vete de aquí!
No te quieres ir,
pero tú tienes que ir.
Cucaracha del piso
eres mas que insecto.
Mi ultimo enemigo.
Cucaracha del piso,
vete de aquí.
¡Vete de aquí!
Cucaracha. ¿Sigues aquí?

X-Post: Juan Felipe Herrera interview on Progressive Radio

The Progressive: How do you encourage people… “to make a quake a victory,” as you put it?

Juan Felipe Herrera: To speak their truth. To speak their truth and to assist others in speaking their truth.

TP: And how should people go about that?

JFH: To say what they really believe, and what they really feel, and when they see or witness something unjust–to speak up and act on it.

TP: And how to overcome the risk that’s entailed when doing that?

JFH: How to overcome the risk? Is to work with others, and create a support system, and to organize.

Back to life, back to reality

Raphael Cohen hosting the Eastlake Sessions' Story CircleMad props to Raphael Cohen and all the organizers over at connectingarts for letting me feature with DeWayne Dickerson at the Eastlake Sessions.

It’s been way too long between features for me and I was really excited about this chance to share work from the Palimpsest series with an audience that really didn’t know any of my work.

As you can see from the pics, the vibe was very chill and communal but definitely for grown folks thanks to the dope layout of the loft, great art all around, view to Laney College/E 8th Street/the 880, still-motion photo setup, good food (I contributed a lemon-feta pasta with baby spinach- yum!), and fly music.

DeWayne DickersonDeWayne’s set was all kinds of fly as he read stuff from his forthcoming book. His poems highlight the ridiculous contradictions of public/personal policy when it comes to issues of blackness/gayness in a time of war economy with a poetic speaker who is unafraid to put those contradictions out in the open. DeWayne’s craft comes in his ability to stay true to that voice’s genuine pain without resorting to sermons-to-the-choir or Wikipedia history lessons.

I was up next and came through with this set-list:

• Palimpsest: B-Boy Prayer
• A Bodega on Anywhere Avenue
• Palimpsest: Ghazal
• Fire Escape
• #3, from The Wooden Horse by Clemente Soto Vélez
• Psalm for Public Housing
• Palimpsest: The Break

Oscar Bermeo at the Eastlake Sessions' Story CircleLight on banter, and almost no explanations in this set but I still felt like I was connecting with the room (about 40 folks in a nice size space).

Notes on my performance:
• I still get nervous before a reading. Like really nervous and real edgy.
My voice was shaking for the first poem.
• “Fire Escape” is a brand new poem written after Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s “Hidden Door.” Still have to actually finish the poem as I was still writing it about three hours before I actually performed it.

With all that said, my true reality is that I have to get started on revising the Palimpsest poems so that I can get a new chapbook out there in the world, and (hopefully) get more readings.

Eastlake Sessions III

UNDER CONSTRUCTION
and
PLAY IN THE MARGINS PRESS
present

EASTLAKE SESSIONS
chapter three- summer heat!

a loft party for the people-
food, film, poetry, song, and a proper dose of booty shakin’ too

SATURDAY, JUNE 28
7 PM on …

EASTLAKE LOFTS
1018 4th Ave
Unit 305
Oakland, CA

(cross street, east 10th-
facing Laney College’s football field,
a five minute walk from Lake Merritt BART)

you and yours are cordially invited
to an evening of arts, culture, and family vibez
as we celebrate summer’s onset
and welcome you to the Town’s newest arts space and event
…

EASTLAKE SESSIONS

7 PM- DINNER SERVED

(Feel free to bring a dish or some drinks, to add to the night’s potluck mix, or simply come through with your own appetite ready …)

9 PM- STORY CIRCLE

(Hosted by Raphael Cohen, of Play In The Margins Press, this portion of the evening’s an opportunity for storytellers of various mediums to share their work. We’ll be featuring several special guest poets to start (DeWayne Dickerson, Aimee Suzara, and Oscar Bermeo), then opening the floor for folks in the space to speak, sing, strum, etc. Whether you’re a seasoned performer on the spoken word and music scene, or whether you’re an emerging artist, sharing your work for one of the first times, come through to test out your material in front of an intimate, supportive audience. Collaboration and experimentation encouraged.)

10 PM- ON & POPPIN’!!!

(DJs Diet and Snacks take over the wheels of steel, bumpin’ a summertime assortment to get you shakin’ your ass. Expect everything from hip-hop to afrobeat, classic funk to deep house. Accompanied by visual installations from DG Gonzalez, photographer extraordinaire. Do yourself a favor, and make sure you’re here by then.)

Free admission!

SATURDAY, JUNE 28
7 PM on …

EASTLAKE LOFTS
1018 4th Ave
Unit 305
Oakland, CA

www.connectingarts.com

eastlake sessions 3