#94 – With All The

old babies, the plagiarist moon has its teeth in the new day
tea in China, a cup of distance poured between us.
chi in China, two lumps or three?
sounds, let's create a new silence

with all the visual poetry in the world why don't i hear nothing
gin joints...

with all the bubble and squeak in a pea soup fog
sun comes balloon popping




Gary Barwin, Bryne Helen Lewis, Pearl Pirie, Amanda Earl, Garry Thomas Morse, Linda Steer, Catherine Heard, Sarah Cunningham

Something outside order

I wasn't able to make it to participate in the G20 protests in Toronto yesterday, but some of my writing popped up around town: h/t Shannon Maguire

These are clips from the three-words-per-poem project:


More on Shannon's project here.

#95 – Faceless But Booked

Faceless but booked
on the site, in the mud
word after word after word after word
all transparent charlatans
steams, thirsty

Faceless but booked
fences invade my dreams

the Western Marches
we only have one script
what do I do with that meatball?

make it detox
detox veg

smorgulon, smorgulax

Faceless but booked off the plane from Tulita
I land, I almost faint
the people (400 people, no restaurants)
the rush
I am cured
of my fear of marigolds

I Claudius
I borrow your bike
(don’t trust Greg Betts)
I borrow your beer and friends
coffee pot
table top
telephone

Faceless but effacing
the matriarchical peace
we’ve called the doctor
the crown, the architect’s erection




Allan Briesmaster, Claudio Gaubio, Michael Christopher Holmes, Aaron Tucker, Jenny Sampirisi, rob mclennan, Frank Davey, Gary Barwin, Lindsay Tipping, Jim Johnstone, Babar Khan, others.

"I saw a figure like myself lying dressed in my clothes on a bed."
Charles Dickens, Our Mutual Friend

#96 – In My Clothes

In my clothes,
perhaps,
but never my shoes
resides a king,

dangling modifier,

language so uncomfortable
the moths
thwart
my dreams
(re) surrection.




Priscilla Brett, Sarah Cunningham, Tom Cull, Andrew Topel, Nadine Flagel

“But in truth all their gods were unknown gods.”
G.K. Chesterton, The Everlasting Man

98 – But in Truth

But in truth
I lie and only
by lying can I
bear the truth

I stow away
boxlocked
my best intentions,
an honest linen dress
folded with care.
Oh Derrida,
I love you,
I wish I had chosen the alligator.

But in truth, the world ended the universe,
God, fabrication.






Andrew Waldie Porteus, Bryne Helen Lewis, Linda Steer, Priscilla Brett, Andrew Topel, Amanda Earl

“The view had changed considerably since the G8 ministers last met in the Kananaskis country of Alberta, Canada, almost 40 years ago. Gone were most of the lush green forests of the foothills of Alberta’s Rocky Mountains. Replacing it were dozens of tasteless buildings and row houses with manicured lawns and gardens up to the concrete sidewalks and paved streets. Of course, this made it much easier for protesters to gather at the doorstep to the G8 summit; not like the last time a summit was held here and protesters had trouble getting past the provincial park gates.”
Lawrence Nault, Jubilee.

99 – Since the G8

Since the G8
the H
I've been keeping a list

1.26 million five star meals,
5,000 limos,
15,000 politicians,
20 bear-proof dumpsters,
3.5 km of three metre tall fence,
5,000 government funded employees,
1 entire downtown core,
and a pool that no-one can use

Since the G8
my assignment,
can I have an extension?

I can’t seem to score
a single Bingo
in this stupid game.




Ross Priddle, Priscilla Brett, Linda Steer, Christian Bök

“The smoke goes up the chimney just the same.
Smoke of a city sunset skyline,
Smoke of a country dusk horizon”

Carl Sandburg, “Smoke and Steel”

100 – The Smoke Goes

The smoke goes
through the smoke hole
through the glass darkly
to yoga on mondays
where the fire can’t

The smoke goes
merrily merrily merrily merrily
life is but a screen
as smoke does

babble babble
the smoke goes entropic
the smoke goes to the guy with the tie die socks
whoosh
up my nostrils
in search of fire
as the wind
it goes
like: so many ostensible keepers
evolving
whispering through each
of our dreams



John Barlow, Susan Barbour, Tom Cull, Morgan Lucas Schuldt, Nikki “Rip Van” Reimer, Linda Steer, Sarah Cunningham, Nicholas Power, Lillian Allen, Lisa Ambus, Nadine Flagel, Amanda Earl, Satu Kaikkonen, Roland Prevost, Andrew Topel

Three Words Per Poem

This blog is the record of an ongoing experiment conducted in Facebook wherein a story I wrote has been opened up piece-by-piece to the comment stream. The texts here are the result, with my contribution limited to three words per poem.