the need gotta be
so deep words can't
answer simple questions
all night long notes
stumble off the tongue
& color the air indigo
so deep fragments of gut
& flesh cling to the song
you gotta get into it
so deep salt crystalizes on eyelashes
the need gotta be
so deep you can vomit up ghosts
& not feel broken
till you are no more
than a half ounce of gold
in painful brightness
you gotta get into it
blow that saxophone
so deep all the sex & dope in this world
can't erase your need
to howl against the sky
the need gotta be
so deep you can't
just wiggle your hips
& rise up out of it
chaos in the cosmos
modern man in the pepperpot
you gotta get hooked
into every hungry groove
so deep the bomb locked
in rust opens like a fist
into it into it so deep
rhythm is pre-memory
the need gotta be basic
animal need to see
& know the terror
we are made of honey
cause if you wanna dance
this boogie be ready
to let the devil use your head
for a drum
- yusef komunyakaa
blue light lounge sutra for the performance poets at harold park hotel
Friday, January 30, 2004
dancing off the gin and weekend in hell, the starry lies of poets through cigarette smoke, major jackson brags breakdancing and denounces dope but i'll believe his stories like i believe an's in a corner vietnamese restaurant in the middle of nowhere ok i lied in the middle of the dfc but one thing's for sure major's one helluva poet he can read his poetry like 3rd grader for all i care his words will always give our hips hickeys like hey ya in college bars IF YOU GO I WILL SURELY DIE i can't read other people's love poems without feeling jealous or regretful or awwww shit that was dope jose did a fine job at that last slam andinh too the way he gnarfed down that last piece of dim sum what's with the way we're all losing our credit cards atm cards but the worst thing to lose is your self esteem sorry that was cheesy like bad chair designs naw i'm kidding jean did a nice job sorry i couldn't go drinking with yall or watch the cure that sickass japanese film oh man i must have a japanese film festish happy 9 months you beautiful person you i have nothing else to say except that i bought a painting for 2500 dollars and i am damn happy with it
Monday, January 26, 2004
i've been procrastinating like crazy. all my new poems suck, at least 2 rewrites away from coherent thought. lazy la is not good for the wordplay. got a poetry slam tomorrow. might have to grab from my bag of old poems. would a joint poem with jimmy work without jimmy? we'll find out soon.
tonight was a delight of saltless pea sprouts and half-man-half-pigeons at ben and jerry's.
tonight was a delight of saltless pea sprouts and half-man-half-pigeons at ben and jerry's.
with only a few minutes before i rush out the door to get to my 12:30 city planning at wurster, now would be a good time to announce that i love my classes.
monday and wednesdays: city planning 118 (the urban community) and african american studies 156 (poetry for the people), both prompt a slight regret in me for not exploring city planning as a major. the construction of our community, our urban fabric, the policies and economic factors that shape them, i find it all so fascinating and vital.
tuesdays and thursdays: architecture 160 (construction) and environmental design 100 (the city), this day brings me face to face with with two professors i admire and respect: prof buntrock and prof roy, both are passionate teachers with so much knowledge to drop. i am privileged to share the same room as them. the reader for ed 100 is a mindfucking joy to read (i am a nerd.)
friday: architecture 139x, if i get into it. a study of the multimedia tools of documenting architecture and the environment (photography, video, etc...) so very exciting. this might be the first class where my aspirations in architecture, filmmaking, and multi-media arts finally benefit each other.
yes. if i decided to graduate this semester, i imagine that this would be a good way to end my undergraduate career, leaving berkeley with a desperate appetite for more.
monday and wednesdays: city planning 118 (the urban community) and african american studies 156 (poetry for the people), both prompt a slight regret in me for not exploring city planning as a major. the construction of our community, our urban fabric, the policies and economic factors that shape them, i find it all so fascinating and vital.
tuesdays and thursdays: architecture 160 (construction) and environmental design 100 (the city), this day brings me face to face with with two professors i admire and respect: prof buntrock and prof roy, both are passionate teachers with so much knowledge to drop. i am privileged to share the same room as them. the reader for ed 100 is a mindfucking joy to read (i am a nerd.)
friday: architecture 139x, if i get into it. a study of the multimedia tools of documenting architecture and the environment (photography, video, etc...) so very exciting. this might be the first class where my aspirations in architecture, filmmaking, and multi-media arts finally benefit each other.
yes. if i decided to graduate this semester, i imagine that this would be a good way to end my undergraduate career, leaving berkeley with a desperate appetite for more.
Sunday, January 25, 2004
i was whining to s the other day that i had no concert to look forward to. damn boy, was i wrong. i was just dissapointed that smokey and miho weren't coming back to the bay this year, that's all.
crazy short list of the things i wanna hit up:
1/31 - the skyflakes, cast of thousands, artists hellen jo + derek kim - stork club
2/04 - the shins - fillmore
2/07 - atmosphere, blueprint, eyedea & abilities - fillmore
2/14 - hollertronix - milk bar
2/16 - the notwist/themselves - slim's
2/21 - aceyalone/visionaries/bus driver - slim's
2/28 - sage francis - slim's
3/12 - phenomenauts, rock n' roll adventure kids - gilman
3/16 - yeah yeah yeahs - fillmore
3/29 - get up kids - slim's
the skyflakes groundhogfest will be damn fun and full of friends (check out jericho in 3d over at dino's website), the shins will be quite pleasant, atmosphere's dvd "sad clown dub" was horrible and really turned me off to them but heartbroken hip hop is too much to pass up, hollertronix are going to turn valentine's night into one of those nights where you dance and don't stop til the break of dawn, notwist with themselves will be unbelievably way way over our heads, aceyalone, visionaries, and bus driver will throw us a powerful night of hip hop and spoken word, sage francis should satiate the rage in all of us who think too much, phenomenauts and rock n' roll kids are gonna make for one of the funnest and happiest nights ever, the yeah yeah yeahs has a hot exotic hapa lead singer, and the get up kids are kind of whiney but i still have a soft spot for em.
i can't afford the time or cash to go to half of these concerts but who's down for some fun?
crazy short list of the things i wanna hit up:
1/31 - the skyflakes, cast of thousands, artists hellen jo + derek kim - stork club
2/04 - the shins - fillmore
2/07 - atmosphere, blueprint, eyedea & abilities - fillmore
2/14 - hollertronix - milk bar
2/16 - the notwist/themselves - slim's
2/21 - aceyalone/visionaries/bus driver - slim's
2/28 - sage francis - slim's
3/12 - phenomenauts, rock n' roll adventure kids - gilman
3/16 - yeah yeah yeahs - fillmore
3/29 - get up kids - slim's
the skyflakes groundhogfest will be damn fun and full of friends (check out jericho in 3d over at dino's website), the shins will be quite pleasant, atmosphere's dvd "sad clown dub" was horrible and really turned me off to them but heartbroken hip hop is too much to pass up, hollertronix are going to turn valentine's night into one of those nights where you dance and don't stop til the break of dawn, notwist with themselves will be unbelievably way way over our heads, aceyalone, visionaries, and bus driver will throw us a powerful night of hip hop and spoken word, sage francis should satiate the rage in all of us who think too much, phenomenauts and rock n' roll kids are gonna make for one of the funnest and happiest nights ever, the yeah yeah yeahs has a hot exotic hapa lead singer, and the get up kids are kind of whiney but i still have a soft spot for em.
i can't afford the time or cash to go to half of these concerts but who's down for some fun?
Saturday, January 24, 2004
what's with ronnie always wanting to murder everyone in the room, or cyrus' exceptional fondness for pizza and beer, or jimmy's sweeping desire to see movies about mutilation, or chong's rounders luck with cards, or diane's obsession with wacking the balrog, or denise's cheating to get a full house, or an's wanting to always be everybody's maid of honor, or andinh's secret ability to save people as a doctor, or brian's love of throwing dick eating parties? and why did sara call me "jesus"?
Friday, January 23, 2004
the democratic primaries jolts with excitement, it's the same old shit every four years but it makes real good television. the surprise win by kerry and edwards in iowa wows me (how did the edwards do it?) and dissapoints me (kerry bugs), but it just goes to show how unpredictable it all is. if anything, it how fluid the bases of all the candidates are and how the pigskin could still fall into anyone's hands. i scoff at anyone who thinks dean is over just because he came in third. don't let the dissapointment drown you. new hampshire's next and i think it's kerry's for the taking (he's riding real high from the iowa win.) the more interesting (and perhaps vital for some) question is, who will come in second? edwards keeps on surprising and surprising (and woos people with his southern belle looks), clark has found a way to raise hella money (i heard he was raising 150k a day) and has that cool michael moore endorsement, but dean still has that revolution thing going for him.
what revolution thing?
i'm not sure, but how would you explain these startling numbers from monday's iowa caucus:
- 55% of those who voted in iowa said that it was their FIRST TIME they had ever voted in a caucus. 55%! the electorate has woken the fuck up!
- the overall turnout in iowa has DOUBLED since four years ago. that not only means more democrates are voting, but also more republicans, greens, and independents are switching over with the sole goal of getting bush out of office.
- the youth turnout has DOUBLED since four years ago too. our generation has been rejected time and time again as a generation of apathy. the tide is turning, our generation is becoming something we've always wanted.
- 75% of those who voted in iowa said that they were ANTI-WAR.
wait until the primaries get to california.
[by-the-by, apparently bush went A.W.O.L. in 1972-1973, something that you and i would do hard time for. ain't it cute that our beloved war monger is also a war deserter? ... michael moore has some interesting articles documented online on his website.]
what revolution thing?
i'm not sure, but how would you explain these startling numbers from monday's iowa caucus:
- 55% of those who voted in iowa said that it was their FIRST TIME they had ever voted in a caucus. 55%! the electorate has woken the fuck up!
- the overall turnout in iowa has DOUBLED since four years ago. that not only means more democrates are voting, but also more republicans, greens, and independents are switching over with the sole goal of getting bush out of office.
- the youth turnout has DOUBLED since four years ago too. our generation has been rejected time and time again as a generation of apathy. the tide is turning, our generation is becoming something we've always wanted.
- 75% of those who voted in iowa said that they were ANTI-WAR.
wait until the primaries get to california.
[by-the-by, apparently bush went A.W.O.L. in 1972-1973, something that you and i would do hard time for. ain't it cute that our beloved war monger is also a war deserter? ... michael moore has some interesting articles documented online on his website.]
Thursday, January 22, 2004
"During this year's Super Bowl, you'll see ads sponsored by beer
companies, tobacco companies, and the Bush White House. But you
won't see the winning ad in MoveOn.org Voter Fund's Bush in 30
Seconds ad contest. CBS refuses to air it.
Meanwhile, the White House is on the verge of signing into law a deal which Senator John McCain (R-AZ) says is custom-tailored for CBS and Fox,3 allowing the two networks to grow much bigger. CBS lobbied hard for this rule change; MoveOn.org members across the country lobbied against it; and now our ad has been rejected while the White House ad will be played. It looks an awful lot like CBS is playing politics with the right to free speech.
This is not a partisan issue. It's critical that our media institutions be fair and open to all speakers. CBS is setting a dangerous precedent, and unless we speak up, the pattern may continue.
To check out the ad and ask CBS to air ads like this one, go to:
http://www.moveon.org/cbs/ad/"
- from moveon.org
companies, tobacco companies, and the Bush White House. But you
won't see the winning ad in MoveOn.org Voter Fund's Bush in 30
Seconds ad contest. CBS refuses to air it.
Meanwhile, the White House is on the verge of signing into law a deal which Senator John McCain (R-AZ) says is custom-tailored for CBS and Fox,3 allowing the two networks to grow much bigger. CBS lobbied hard for this rule change; MoveOn.org members across the country lobbied against it; and now our ad has been rejected while the White House ad will be played. It looks an awful lot like CBS is playing politics with the right to free speech.
This is not a partisan issue. It's critical that our media institutions be fair and open to all speakers. CBS is setting a dangerous precedent, and unless we speak up, the pattern may continue.
To check out the ad and ask CBS to air ads like this one, go to:
http://www.moveon.org/cbs/ad/"
- from moveon.org
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