Thursday, March 04, 2010




This is new puppy (along with old puppy, just to ease you in). Her name is Jojo. She likes sleeping, being super cute and the R&B group Jodeci, though, if you asked her today she'd tell you Salt n' Pepa.

This has nothing to do with puppies, which was nice after the last few days, but tonight I went and watched Joshua Marie Wilkinson and GC Waldrep. It was an outrageous entertainment. I bought GC's book, "Archicembalo." One thing you may not know about GC Waldrep is that he once had an aunt that lived in the town I grew up in. Also, I did not know her.

Have you ever read Max Jacob? He's French. He hung out with Picasso. He wrote funny poems that all have secrets...I didn't tell you, but the secret is that they break your heart. Here is one of them translated by Elisa Gabbert and Kathleen Rooney:

Poem of the Moon

There are on the night sky three mushrooms, which are the moon. As abruptly as sings the cuckoo from a clock, they rearrange themselves each month at midnight. There are in the garden some rare flowers which are little men at rest that wake up every morning. There is in my dark room a luminous shuttle that roves, then two … phosphorescent aerostats, they’re the reflections of a mirror. There is in my head a bee that talks.


There are also some of new translations of Raul Zurita up at the spankin' new Action Yes. It was at a Daniel Borzutzky reading that I first heard of Zurita. It was at a Daniel Borzutzky reading that I first heard Daniel Borzutzky read these translations. I was smitten during these firsts.

Have gotten the chance to see Zach Schomburg's poem films? They are amazing with a capital a. Get them here. Really.

2 comments:

Erika Jo Brown said...

You and the dogs should probably compromise on K-Ci and JoJo. Trust me, this is from an experienced hand.

Also, I bought that book, too. Smart and modern and lyrical.

B.J. said...

"Smart and modern and lyrical," was what I used to say about the album, "Love Always," by K-Ci and JoJo.

But I was young then...