April 19, 2011
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Operators (artist not known) – foto by Smith
from Bone:
“My biggest and best scar though is the six-inch curve below my right knee. When I was nine, I was running and jumped a block wall and crashed leg first into the top edge of a second hidden block wall, ripping my flesh open down to the fibula. I got up and had trouble walking, so sat down and pulled my pants leg up. My flesh had separated into a six-inch open bloodless “V” all the way down to bone. The exposed bone was an incredible pure glowing whiteness in the sun. I was so fascinated I touched it, touched my own living skeleton bone with my finger flesh—it felt cool, hard, slick.
“About then I discovered the sensual side of flesh.”
— excerpt from chapter three of Stations of the Lost – a true tale of armed robbery, stolen cars, outsider art, mutant poetry, underground publishing, robbing the cradle, and leaving the country by Smith & Lady (to be self-published in 2011).
I’m entering the Meat Machine — checking myself into a local human repair body shop for a hip replacement May 11. Before that there will be blood drawings, pre-surgical meetings, and watching a film of what to expect. Then the old bone cut and paste shuffle, three days in hospital, and a three month window of pain rehab to a place far better than where I am now.
I hate pain. Hate knowing I’m going in to get worse pain; but at least this worse pain has an expiration date, which will be an incredible improvement over the ever constant constantly worsening current pain which is 24 / 7 / 365 times 6 years so far which I am fluxing tired of because it drains my spirit daily.
I wanna whine but that ain’t fine cuz it’s an ego crime and me-me mime that eats folk’s time so they walk away from my rhyme saying “get a better line cuz this one’s not sublime.”
I’ll be out of the poetry reading scene for awhile, and will even miss an art show opening next month at the Wall Eye Gallery in which I’ll have one piece (see foto below).
They wanted to operate a week earlier but I pushed it back so we could attend Jawbone 2011.
The Jawbone Open Poetry Readings is Major Raigan’s annual 3-day gathering of poets from across the country. Maj, one of the best poets I know, teaches at Kent State University and has been hosting Jawbone for over 25 years. Jawbone is a no sign-up sheet totally open mic affair which runs May 6-8, starting Friday night May 6 at 8pm at the North Water Street Gallery at 257 N. Water Street, Kent, Ohio — it is a grand affair with a greater density of fine poets than you can shake a simile at.
My Back Porch, 1996, 13″ x 13″ – assemblage & foto by Smith
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