~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Desire Street October, 1996 cyberspace chapbook of The New Orleans Poetry Forum established 1971 Desire, Cemeteries, Elysium Listserv: DESIRE-Request@Sstar.Com Email: Nancy Cotton, Editor ncotton350@aol.com Mail: Andrea S. Gereighty, President New Orleans Poetry Forum 257 Bonnabel Blvd. Metairie, La 70005 Publisher: Robert Menuet Copyright 1996, The New Orleans Poetry Forum (9 poems for October, 1996) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Contents: A Fine White Powder Hairdryer Imaging Name Recognition Parole Plus Ca Change Prance St. Nanomel's Crusade Five Fiery Rings -------------------------------------------- A Fine White Powder by Andrea Gereighty It's three a.m.; as usual, I do not sleep But count the number of times the train Whistles like the wailing of that sax at The inauguration. Sometimes I awaken at this hour To the scream of the water softener A machine that yells "quiet alarm" Digital flashes of the computer 3 a.m., 3 a.m., reset, reset. I exit by the storm door, surprised by rain Having its way with gravity again falling in hesitation, not to use its entire allotment Before the light. But I know no one padlocked to the sea With that invisible longing, only Jerry, in jail One last deal to pay off the boat, one last kilo of a fine white powder in exchange for imagined Years of freedom in the islands. He got instead the dull, grey clang of the pen Not buoy bells that charter the sea. These fat globules of rain feel sacred, like holy oils I imagine they anoint my skin in benediction. I want to pocket the familiar moonscape But it has turned from me the face I knew. -------------------------------------------- Hair Dryer by Bob Rainer She had danced in Sydney and London, and on top of the long bar at Tip's, and when she and Peter were married she danced with the crowd for the dollars she paid for with kisses on lips that wished them the best their lives could offer. She was a princess of the heart, and she drew a heavy coffer of blessings from those who gathered to send them together on their way. She straddled the floor furnace, her breasts goose-dimpled all over while her small smooth bottom enjoyed the balmy air that arose from the grate and gathered beneath the apex of those dancy legs, the ones from Sydney and London and Tipitina's, to surge upward through the shining strands that glowed in the light of the rising sun that shone through the cut-glass doors that led out to South Cortez Street that took Peter and me to work. She leaned over to the side and hummed while she combed, split apart below the waist to draw in the heat and be the flue that sucked warmth from the burning oil and let it caress the still-dimpled flesh before escaping into the sky. And looking in wonder and questioning my eyes I could say nothing but only ask why my best friend's wife was doing a naked split over my floor furnace and she told me her pussy was wet and she wanted it powdered but first it must dry. -------------------------------------------- Imaging by Cedelas Hall Have you ever written any porn? ( * Flash! * "Oo-oo-oo.") No, I prefer a more subtle approach. (* Flash! * "Ah-h-h-h-h.") Have you ever lived any? (* Flash! * "OH-H-H-H-H, GOD!) None that I'd care to share with you. -------------------------------------------- NAME RECOGNITION by kevin R. johnson when I was little I thought god had little fingers, he used forceps to give us ideas, wore gloves to plant hope; ravaged by inspiration my fingers are ink-stained from research, eyes pinched and dry from looking through old telephone directories on microfiche for my father who only exists as a shadow answering my mother "when can I see you? isn't he beautiful? I need money", he handed me a roll of candy dots which turned my tongue into a rainbow as I picked up flattened pennies off the street; "Every name is fake" shines through the clarity of melting ice in my third tequila on the rocks as I watch a talkshow with people like me, their tongues neatly butchered by the edges of missing words from licking envelopes with letters politely requesting more information, I watch thinking maybe I'll find a new approach but reading the credits I see that a guest has my father's name & since many unrelated events happen for the same reasons, now I think god probably closes his eyes too cries even if it isn't raining, curls his hands into fists -------------------------------------------- Parole Denied by Paul Chasse the prophecy is spoken but once Be steadfast in your determination To keep me clad in outcast's robes Here in the palace of exile Your fear is justified For this tomb is but a womb Which has given birth to my hatred A lesson you teach, oh so very well -------------------------------------------- PLUS CA CHANGE by Barabara Lamont The day you died they changed the blue neon sign "HOTEL DIEU" atop the hospital, as if to mark the moment. For the first five years I lived in New Orleans, I marveled at this sign, thinking this a Cajun place where one could go to rent a room for the night. A place where God would watch over weary souls. Since the day you died I have not been able to look at this place so it was not until Friday a week later that I saw the new UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL blue neon sign, and blinked through my tears. It was like 1972 all over again when Dick Nixon beat Jimmy Carter. Standing on a snowy balcony overlooking Central Park's skyline that cold November midnight every Manhattan skyscraper turned on all its lights to mark the moment. The hairs rise on my arms, bristle in the sleet as I drive through this torrid, salty, ninety degree night crying for Jimmy, and me. -------------------------------------------- The Trip to Prance by Cynthia Borchardt I wrote the poem that won the trip to prance I bought shoes so I could dance and dance and dance My Mama said I was sure to find romance since I wrote the poem that won the trip to prance -------------------------------------------- St. Nanomel's Crusade. by Clara C. Connell Hopscotch on the sidewalk At Aunt Grace's house. Sucking lemons with sugar That brought the ants -- Lemon ants Who knew things. You see, it was like this: St. Nanomel of the Lemon Ants led a crusade of Tiny Messengers From the sidewalk Into Aunt Grace's big old house On Church Street. They carried the sugar On their backs Like trunks of gold. Aunt Grace didn't like this invasion. She swept the Lemon Ants Off the front gallery Again and again, shooing Them away with the men Who came to visit. But St. Nanomel's crusaders Kept coming back, Crawling off the sidewalk In scribbles. Muttering at first. . . Marching. One by one they labored up the dark steep stairs to the lost attic, Carrying their sweet heavy gospel. Aunt Grace now lives in a pile of earth. The Lemon Ants still live in her attic. They tell me things -- Secrets from the piles of earth they once lived in. -------------------------------------------- Five Fiery Rings "Scars, Tempests, Floods, The Motion of Man's Fate. . . ." TK. Roethke by Alfredo Ocampo On a few lines five fiery rings stick together spinning out of selfhood, whirling for survival from depression, while standing in one spot out of each moment's agitation, where Mozart slips, mesmerizing the long road ahead, attempting to bring the man together through his poetry. . . ringing five bells of his own life out of delirium Five Fiery Rings "Scars, Tempests, Floods, The Motion of Man's Fate. . . ." TK. Roethke by Alfredo Ocampo On a few lines five fiery rings stick together spinning out of selfhood, whirling for survival from depression, while standing in one spot out of each moment's agitation, where Mozart slips, mesmerizing the long road ahead, attempting to bring the man together through his poetry. . . ringing five bells of his own life out of delirium Five Fiery Rings "Scars, Tempests, Floods, The Motion of Man's Fate. . . ." TK. Roethke by Alfredo Ocampo On a few lines five fiery rings stick together spinning out of selfhood, whirling for survival from depression, while standing in one spot out of each moment's agitation, where Mozart slips, mesmerizing the long road ahead, attempting to bring the man together through his poetry. . . ringing five bells of his own life out of delirium Five Fiery Rings "Scars, Tempests, Floods, The Motion of Man's Fate. . . ." TK. Roethke by Alfredo Ocampo On a few lines five fiery rings stick together spinning out of selfhood, whirling for survival from depression, while standing in one spot out of each moment's agitation, where Mozart slips, mesmerizing the long road ahead, attempting to bring the man together through his poetry. . . ringing five bells of his own life out of delirium ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THE POETS OF DESIRE STREET Cynthia Borchardt Paul Chasse Clara C. Connell lives in the country with her cat Sniffles. She is a psychotherapist. Andrea Saunders Gereighty owns and manages New Orleans Field Services Associates, a public opinion polls business and is currently the president of the New Orleans Poetry Forum. Her poetry has appeared in many journals, as well as in her book, ILLUSIONS AND OTHER REALITIES. Cedelas Hall is from Brookhaven, Mississippi. Her chapbookBefore They Paved the Road recounts her experiences in that state. A writer/actress, she appeared as "M'Lynn" in "Steel Magnolias" at LePetit Theatre du Vieux Carre. Kevin Johnson, Piscean, enjoys Tequila under the stars and writes about the physiology of nothingness. Barbara Lamont writes about fear. Alfredo Ocampo Bob Rainer ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ABOUT THE NEW ORLEANS POETRY FORUM The New Orleans Poetry Forum, a non-profit organization, was founded in 1971 to provide a structure for organized readings and workshops. Poets meet weekly in a pleasant atmosphere to critique works presented for the purpose of improving the writing skills of the presenters. From its inception, the Forum has sponsored public readings, guest teaching in local schools, and poetry workshops in prisons. For many years the Forum sponsored the publication of the New Laurel Review, underwritten by foundation and government grants. Meetings are open to the public, and guest presenters are welcome. The meetings generally average ten to 15 participants, with a core of regulars. A format is followed which assures support for what is good in each poem, as well as suggestions for improvement. In many cases it is possible to trace a poet's developing skill from works presented over time. The group is varied in age ranges, ethnic and cultural background, and styles of writing and experience levels of participants. This diversity provides a continuing liveliness and energy in each workshop session. Many current and past participants are published poets and experienced readers at universities and coffeehouses worldwide. One member, Yusef Komunyakaa, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for 1994. Members have won other distinguished prizes and have taken advanced degrees in creative writing at local and national universities. Beginning in 1995, The New Orleans Poetry Forum has published a monthly electronic magazine, Desire Street, for distribution on the Internet and computer bulletin boards. It is believed that Desire Street is the first e-zine published by an established group of poets. Our cyberspace chapbook contains poems that have been presented at the weekly workshop meetings, All poems presented at Forum meetings may be published in their original form unless permisssion is specifically withheld by the poet. Revisions are accepted until the publication deadline of Desire Street. Publication is in both message and file formats in various locations in cyberspace. Workshops are held every Wednesday from 8:00 PM until 10:30 at the Broadmoor Branch of the New Orleans Public Library, 4300 South Broad, at Napoleon. Annual dues of $15.00 include admission to Forum events and a one-year subscription to the Forum newsletter, Lend Us An Ear. To present, contact us (Andrea Gereighty, 504-833-0641) for details and bring 15 copies of your poem to the workshop. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ COPYRIGHT NOTICE Desire Street, October, 1996 Copyright 1996, The New Orleans Poetry Forum. 9 poems for October, 1996. Message format: 12 messages for October, 1996. Various file formats. Desire Street is a monthly electronic publication of the New Orleans Poetry Forum. All poems published have been presented at weekly meetings of the New Orleans Poetry Forum by members of the Forum. The New Orleans Poetry Forum encourages widespread electronic reproduction and distribution of its monthly magazine without cost, subject to the few limitations described below. A request is made to electronic publishers and bulletin board system operators that they notify us by email when the publication is converted to executable, text, or compressed file formats, or otherwise stored for retrieval and download. This is not a requirement for publication, but we would like to know who is reading us and where we are being distributed. Email: robmenuet@aol.com (Robert Menuet). We also publish this magazine in various file formats and in several locations in cyberspace. Copyright of individual poems is owned by the writer of each poem. In addition, the monthly edition of Desire Street is copyright by the New Orleans Poetry Forum. Individual copyright owners and the New Orleans Poetry Forum hereby permit the reproduction of this publication subject to the following limitations: The entire monthly edition, consisting of the number of poems and/or messages stated above for the current month, also shown above, may be reproduced electronically in either message or file format for distribution by computer bulletin boards, file transfer protocol, other methods of file transfer, and in public conferences and newsgroups. The entire monthly edition may be converted to executable, text, or compressed file formats, and from one file format to another, for the purpose of distribution. Reproduction of this publication must be whole and intact, including this notice, the masthead, table of contents, and other parts as originally published. Portions (i.e., individual poems) of this edition may not be excerpted and reproduced except for the personal use of an individual. Individual poems may be reproduced electronically only by express paper-written permission of the author(s). To obtain express permission, contact the publisher for details. Neither Desire Street nor the individual poems may be reproduced on CD-ROM without the express permission of The New Orleans Poetry Forum and the individual copyright owners. Email robmenuet@aol.com (Robert Menuet) or ncotton350@aol.com (Nancy Cotton) for details. Hardcopy printouts are permitted for the personal use of a single individual. Distribution of hardcopy printouts will be permitted for educational purposes only, by express permission of the publisher; such distribution must be of the entire contents of the edition in question of Desire Street. This publication may not be sold in either hardcopy or electronic forms without the express paper-written permission of the copyright owners. FIN *********************************************** FIN