Albany Poets Presents!, November 2

Our most political night at yet at Valentines started off with Kirsten Gillibrand (her hair was perfect!) first on the sign-up list (I graciously -- for a favor to be named later -- let her go first, in my usual spot) reading a poem about babies & dieting & the health care legislation.

She was followed by Andrew Cuomo (who arrived with a bevy of young 20-somethings handing out flyers & coupons for Red Bull). Andrew's poem was about smashing Wall Street & about pizza & cheese steaks & even referenced Mary Panza's poem about the Virgin Mary in Macy's. A great performance in his sonorous New York voice.

I couldn't help but do my annual Election Day poem, "Put Down the Government Rag" though it's message of "Don't vote … it's a corporate hoax…" was a bit late in the last hour of voting (at least on the East Coast).

Carl Palladino came bursting into the room, bug-eyed & anemic, screaming that he wanted to read too. Thom (el presidente) Francis calmed him (slightly) by directing him to the sign-up sheet, & then he was up with a long, incoherent rant about gay hasidim & the plot behind the burning of the Lark Tavern. The applause was polite (as it is for everyone) but it was perhaps the worst poem read since the last time William Robert Foltin showed up, 7 years ago.

Mary Panza ended the night appropriately with a poem that ended with the repeated line, "shut the fuck up, shut the fuck up…"

Then we drank a lot of beer, talked about the sexual practices (& partners) of those that weren't there, the street-corner assignations, whiny requests, the arrogant self-inflations, someone's domain-name problems, & The Job (not mine, not any more, phew) -- then went out for cigarettes (not me). In other words, a typical 1st Tuesday at Valentines, on New Scotland Ave. in Albany. Sponsored by AlbanyPoets.com.