Calling All Poets Reading, October 2

CAPS does this regular first Friday reading/open mic & a cluster of others, formerly in various locations in the mid-Hudson area now everywhere on Zoom. I was pleased to join them this night as a pinch-hit featured poet, along with poet Susan Chute, & a panoply of open mic poets. Greg Correll served as the technical guy while Mike Jurkovic was the host. I got there around 7:00, as the invitation has said, but it was a slow entry of open mic readers until about 7:30.

The featured poets went before the open mic, with Susan Chute the first feature, “poet, librarian, book-binder…” She is also the coordinator of a poetry series called “Words” for which I signed up for information & will pass it on to those of you on my list when I get notices. She described her reading as being “poems from the outside, then some from the inside, then poems of solace…” Her poems included one on the death of George Floyd, another on racism titled “If We Shadows Have Offended.” There were also a couple on COVID-19, “Wild Creatures Seen in Habitat,” & “Inquiry in 12 Unanswered Lines” written a while ago but with last lines like today’s news, a poem about recovering from a broken elbow incorporating song lyrics, & one titled “While” about waiting. The final section, the “solace” poems, included the gratitude poem “Not a Lover,” “Thread Like Elements” (referencing Mid-Summer’s Night Dream) & her goodnight poem “Compline.”

The program I prepared began with poems written in Gloucester pre-pandemic, then a couple of more recent poems written in the time of COVID-19. Most of the poems I read were from my ongoing project of poems inspired by Chinese poets, ancient & contemporary, that I call “Peeing in the Yellow River.” These include poems written during my trip to China in 2004, a selection of poems based on translations of the poems of Han-Shan, “Cold Flat, & some recent imitations. I ended with a new political piece inspired by a Trump insult “Radical-Left Maniac.”

On to the open mic with John Martucci up first reading a selection of Haiku. Then Don Krieger reading poems of a different culture, a COVID-19 poem from the Jewish text “Legend of the Golden Calf” as well as “In the Beginning” on Lot’s wife, in between one titled “Sunday Morning Surgery.” Gary Siegel had some compelling titles for his poems, “Soft & Dark Sublime,” “Life is Such a Bohr” invoking Neils Bohr, & a conversation with a spider “Predator’s Dream.” Ken Holland liked the reference to Neils Bohr read the very short “MC Squared,” then a longer piece on Death “When Sleeping Dogs Lie.”

Addison Goodson had some good advice, “Laugh ’til It Kills You,” then another poem titled “A Wave.” Dan Brown read “Just After” a COVID poem on the gifts of living in Upstate NY, then a piece inspired by the  anniversary of the 16th Street church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963 “Passage.” Tim Brennan said he was reading a poem inspired by the work of poet Lyn Hejinian, & perhaps there was another run together or it was the same poem continuing, then another discursive piece was titled “A Palace for the Poor.” Penny Brodie read a piece that had been published in High Rock Review #4 & that was dedicated to poet William Stafford, followed by a Stafford poem “A Conversation.”

Roger Aplon, editor & publisher of the poetry zine Waymark: Voices of the Valley read a grim piece in 3 voices dedicated to the spirit of Senator John McCain “They Came,” then one titled “See No Evil Hear No Evil the Monkeys” another political piece, on the lack of vision. Jim Eve who is one of the originators of CAPS read some Haiku. Thomas Festa had 3 poems for us, “Lines for a Shredding Editor Written On a Stolen Letterhead,” “Field Trip” about a hiking trip with his son who hates poetry, & a love poem “You of All.” Guy Reed began with Ada Limon’s prose poem “The Quiet Machine,” then his own “Head in the Stars,” & his take on these readings “Zoom Existence.”

Joann Deiudicibus also read a poem by someone else, this “The Gift” by Ocean Vuong,” then one titled “Book of Hours.” Our host, Mike Jurkovic, read about an encounter with a psychic “Where The Light Sneaks In,” then “Longhand” about re-writing his poems during an MFA graduation ceremony. Ron Bremner read what he called “a nonce sonnet” on the seasons, then from Nightmares, his book of horror poems “Nightmare #44” & #55 (with apologies to Robert Frost). Greg Correll, who is also vitally instrumental in bringing us this event read a poem from 2012 “The Best Gifts to Give Your Child” written as his youngest daughter went off to college.

This particular reading & open mic from CAPS takes place on the first Friday of each month, but there are other poetry events each month that you can find out about from the Calling All Poets website, or on Facebook.