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Just finished reading through Joy Harjo’s “The Woman Who Fell from the Sky”

Talk about having a story to tell! First impression has me feeling like I can revisit this book every couple of months and get a whole new perspective each time. A nice deal of mystery behind some of the stories but I suspect that might have more to do with my (relative) youth than anything else.

The first read also has me a little disoriented by Harjo’s commentary immediately after said poem; throws off the balance of the book for me. I would have preferred to have them in the back as footnotes but maybe Harjo is trying to create a different sense of community through her reflections on the poems. Lets see what happens on the subsequent reads

Poems from “The Woman Who Fell from the Sky”

“The imagining needs praise as does any living thing. Stories and songs are evidence of this praise.” – Joy Harjo

Hit a reading for the first time in weeks and at the Nuyorican no less. Cheryl Boyce Taylor was the feature so I knew that meant great hugs and even better poetry, or vice versa.

Some of Cheryl’s work went right over the crowd’s head but she still delivered all the goods especially the “dialect” poems. The best one being ‘Deh Accuse Meh’ which directly addresses the tenuous line drawn by (ironically enough) native Caribbean speakers when Cheryl chooses to write poems in Trini dialect.

I once asked Cheryl to do ‘Mango Pretty’ at a reading, she told me that her dialect poems require some extra energy and she wasn’t quite feeling it that night. Now I understand what she means. It must be rough to have your core audience question the language you choose to employ in your poetry even when said language is broadening the poetic experience across the board.

They say that a good number of languages, specifically native dialects of major(?) languages, silently die every year. An ancestor mumbles some strange speak that only the little children in the house understand and you wonder if its just baby talk or a verb for unrequited love.

Miguel Algarín was also in the house and I didn’t have to introduce myself for the fifth time to the man. We makin’ progress!

On the TO DO LIST for this month: Read Cheryl’s new book, Convincing the Body.

  

  

  

not the same wonderful lines as the classic v-mo pose but i like it ;-)

ver is daring me to take it again with fishnets… uhhm, maybe not so much

if one image could encapsulate the best of 2005, this one would be it.

biggest lesson learned this year– life is gorgeously chaotic

low point of the year– nearly losing my best friend

high point of the year– there have been quite a few and i expect there to be many more but you can view cornelia street café as a flashpoint

with all that said and done, 2006 is shaping up to be my best year ever with a couple of (maybe not so) surprises in store

ding! the nebulous bell!

Happy New Year!

Ending 2005 with some strange web searches to ye olde blog (plus the commentary)

spanish champion poem
– un slam en español?

houseboy in Houston
– gotta love the consonance

who started the phrase “grill” for your face
– if it was in reference to the much desired Cadillac grill, i would guess a mechanic

les sit de veruss
– oui, mon frere

what does prick mean in spanish?
– know that i look at this, i can see how it is a legit question but it still made me laugh for a second

Stuart Scott poetry slam
– cooler than the other side of the pillow

Why +Ecuadorian +Crazy
– it’s a south american thing, you wouldn’t understand

woke up this morning feeling happy
– that has been the catchphrase lately

Poetry about the Bronx
– only after i moved out. hmmm, best get ready for a slew of NYC poems

oscar poet
– palabra

migente cafe Bronx
– ahhh, where the online magic first began

1000 word poems
– worth as much as a picture?

santiago + hustler + morales
– face + lost money + fist

Emelec Jersey
– for the record, soy un Barcelonista but i still rep ecua to the fullest when i can

ox of peaces
– is this anything like the pygmy goat of doom?

gout knee scotch
– DON’T DO IT!!!

“banco popular” shit
– try Citibank

achoo etymology
– bless you

kobe pimp limp
– this one keeps coming up and i have no idea why

bono as a poet
– “We wait all day For night to come And it comes Like a hunted child”
Bono Vox indeed!

over exaggerating poems
– see your nearest slam venue

ob huge down here phil song
– WTF?

“future poet” + “blogspot”
– this made me smile as it goes back to something some wrote to me at the first Acentos

+mitchell’s +”ice cream”
– will be a more frequect stop

juniors cheesecake poem
– sadly, a less frequent future haunt

bronx gang poem
– funny only cuz i have no gang experience at all