W.O.M.P.S., September 13

Back down to Kingston to the ArtBar Gallery for the Word Of Mouth Poetry Series, hosted by Teresa Costa. There were 2 featured poets before a spirited open mic, the scheduled poets had been postponed from last year (I’d come down for that one too).

The first featured poet was Donna Reis. The first poem she read was from a mis-heard prompt at a workshop “Learn to Sail,” then to one about phrases her mother said, “How Do You Like Them Apples?” She when on to poems from her book No Passing Zone (Deerbrook Editions, 2012) “Forgotten,” “Perseverance,” & “Centrifugal Force.” “Shoe” was about the shoes of the shipwrecked on the ocean floor. She ended with poems from a series for her late husband, “Ocean Grove NJ,” “Again” about their dating, & a later “Again 2.”

Janet Hamill had been a featured poet a few years back at the Third Thursday Poetry Night & I am a sucker for poetry rich in images with a surrealist bent. She began with a couple of poems (done from memory) referencing poets upon whom she has a crush, Mayakovsky whose poem “The Tragedy of Vladimir Mayakovsky” her poem “The Tragedy of Janet Hamill” was based, & “Kerouac” in which she appropriates images, phrases, even titles of his work. From her book Knock (Spuyten Duyvil) she read pantoums, one like a travel diary in St. Tropez, another about NYC in her youth. She also read from Real Fire, a collaboration with photographer Richard Baron, including a poem about watching a campfire in the woods on acid “Not an Enraged Aviary” from memory. She ended with another of her crush poems, this on Rimbaud “Universe.”

After a break, Don Haynic began the open mic by reading Donald Lev’s poem “Brokeback Mountain” from his chapbook of movie poems (Donald is in a nursing home). T.G. Vanini performed from memory 2 poems from his new book Dear Cloudface (Post Traumatic Press). Judy Smith read poems of self-affirmation & advice for suicide-prevention month. I read my poem on the 9/11s “Another Tuesday.”  

John Muzak had a sound system strapped to his waist to accompany the poems he read with wacky, electronic sounds. Fred Poole read from his chair at the back of the room, “Thinking of Death” a summary of his world travels. Alison Koffler-Wise read a poem from this Summer’s dog training “Back-chaining.” Dayl Wise read the stunning, surprising “Checkout” (in a supermarket).

Rich Barley said his poem “America’s Choice” (on the AR-15 assault rifle) was his only political poem, but then read a poem about the US/USSR space program, & another poem entitled “Strong.” Don Haynic returned to read one of his own poems, “Pigeons,” from his phone, a descriptive, philosophical essay. Roberta Gould read from a new book, Woven Lightening, “What to Do What to Say,” then a persona poem (not in the book) “Talk When You Can Tell the Truth.” Suze Bottigliero read a just written, rambling piece about Trump & being sleepless at midnight. Teresa Costa read a poem by one of my favorite poets, Bob Kaufman (“you wear my eyes…”), then one of her own on the absent gods & goddesses. Gary Siegel was a late arrival on his birthday (but he brought cake) & finished out the night with the philosophical “Clocks” & the descriptive/romantic “A Dinner by the Sea.”

W.O.M.P.S. takes place on the 2nd Thursday at the Kingston, NY hangout the ARTBar Gallery, 674 Broadway, about 6:30, features & an open mic, all for a donation — give what you can: Support Your Local Poets!