breasts are luminous
I grab them exaggerate their orbs
loaves of heaven
nutmeg-flecked, exuding light
Frank
10.28.06
First Video: Music & Poetry
http://frankshome.org/YouTube-1.html
“Movie Music-Improvisation” by The Electric Flag, Dec. 1967
The POEMS:
1. old time religion
2. the whole dream
3. a mantra means
4. from Frank's Home: Part II
5. Language
6. My daughter enters
7. words go out
8. A Convertible Galaxy
9. red blooms on yellow
10. O My Words
11. Chorus Through My Veins
All poems copyright 2011 Frank Parker.
using dashes, same color as background, as spacers
Moon Flowers Sky
sparrow
----------clouds
--------------------dust
bowls
---------breasts
-------------------step
gate
--------hinges
------------------grain
spiral
-------lightning
------------------rain
Frank Parker
from Win Po: a work in progress
Audio of our reading now available!
GEORGE MATTINGLY / FRANK PARKER with LYON LEIFER
Saturday, March 26, 8 PM @ the Drawing Studio
33 S. 6th Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85721
Audio of our reading is now available for your listening pleasure on POG Sound! George Mattingly’s poetry is brilliant. His delivery immaculate. Lyon Leifer’s ragas on the bansuri are masterful. One person said to me afterward, “Finally! The way your poetry should be heard.”
a night of poetry and music
GEORGE MATTINGLY / FRANK PARKER with LYON LEIFER
Saturday, March 26, 8 PM @ the Drawing Studio
33 S. 6th Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85721
$5 General, $3 Students
George Mattingly is a book designer, writer of fiction, essays and poetry, photographer, and one-time letterpress printer and typographer. He has been a columnist for msnbc.com and taught publishing at The New College of California, San Francisco. He edited the literary magazine Search for Tomorrow (1969–1974) and founded Blue Wind Press (1970–). His books are Darling-Bender(1970), Breathing Space (1975) and the forthcoming new & selected, a while (2011).
Lyon Leifer is recognized in Europe, the Americas, China and India as a master flutist who performs both on western flutes and on the bansuri (north Indian keyless bamboo flute). After early studies in Chicago with Emil Eck and Walfrid Kujala, Mr. Leifer attended the Juilliard School of Music where he studied with Julius Baker. After graduating, he became a member of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. Pursuing an interest in improvised raga music and flute playing in India, he then accepted a Fulbright Grant to study there with Devendra Murdeshwar, the inheritor of the legacy of the great Pannalal Ghosh. Remaining in India for five years, Mr. Leifer won the praise of Indian audiences and critics for his authentic renditions of raga melodies.born
into aworld
I
would not
could not
know
•
gravity
waves
hello
— George Mattingly
Frank Parker is the author of three books of poetry, Heart Shaped Blossoms: 1993-2007, zig-zag journeys (2009), and Win Po: a work in progress (2011), all from his Obscure Press. He edits the online journal Frank's Home: An Active Anthology of Verse and publishes widely on the web. He’s on the Board of Directors of POG and is the sound technician for POG and Chax Press readings. Frank maintains the web sites for POG and POG Sound.
Frank will collaborate with Lyon Leifer, bansuri master, for this reading.
O My Words
for Luis Garcia
a flute, a reedcut from roots
a ring of bone
everyday air
skinny bird song
Palo Verde limbs
cats walk up and down
adobe yellow wall
— Frank Parker
from Win Po
Lyon Leifer's web site
POG Directors Group Reading
Tomorrow, THURSDAY, Sept. 23rd! - POG Directors Group Reading - 7 PM, Club Congress at Hotel Congres, 311 E. Congress, Tucson. Most POG Board Members and, new this year, the POG Assistants will delight all with their literary talents. $5 General, $3 Student.
Samuel AceCharles Alexander
Lisa Cooper Anderson
Laynie Browne
*Whitney DeVos
Tony Luebbermann
Cynthia Miller
*Sean Munroe
Tenney Nathanson
Frank Parker
A Review of "Win Po" by KEN BULLOCK
Three poems into his chapbook, Win Po, and three lines into "O My Words," Frank Parker invokes long-gone poet Lew Welch: "a ring of bone," from the title of a touchstone lyric by Lew, and of his posthumous Collected Poems.
The last line is in diction Lew would've dug: "adobe yellow wall"
But its not just little homages that make the poem. Line by line, in any case, Frank makes 'em fit together, with a touch light enough it seems careless at times, part of his humor: "a flute, a reed/cut from roots/a ring of bone/everyday air/skinny bird song/Palo Verde limbs/cats walk up and down/adobe yellow wall"
That's it. It's dedicated to Luis Garcia, another humorous, spare poet, but Lu's gone out on a different sort of limb: living to sing about it.
Frank Parker sings about it from living, breezily sometimes, the lines directed to this or that friend, family member ... some of them poets.
David Gitin, poet and Frank's longtime Monterey neighbor--a crosstown neighbor--and frequent presence on frankshome.org, a website hosting a community of poems and poets, is dedicatee of "Letters from Tucson," where Frank's corresponding from, now: "when I wake it's dark/light coming soon//see you then//your friend"
Another poet, Michael McClure, is recipient of "Song": "breathe deep/blue sky//feathered edge/of nitrogen"
Finally, "Mirror in a Garden," for his daughter: "I reach for my cup/and the birds scatter."
Eleven poems, an odd number, with the qualifier, "a work in progress."
It's progress, in the sense of moving through the landscape, one he came to late, where he's seen much, once settled in.
What's exhilarating in Win Po is that rare sense of somebody finding himself, his voice--both at once--yet taking another step, and another, not stopping.
These are perceptions on the move, not snapshots so much, like the often-faded imitations of Imagism. No scent of the workshop; more like witch hazel. Bracing.
Frank's book's from Obscure Press, 34 1/2W. Kennedy St., Tucson, AZ. 85701-2202. If you get it, ask for it signed--and get him to initial the colophon, too: Frank's the printer.
The last line is in diction Lew would've dug: "adobe yellow wall"
But its not just little homages that make the poem. Line by line, in any case, Frank makes 'em fit together, with a touch light enough it seems careless at times, part of his humor: "a flute, a reed/cut from roots/a ring of bone/everyday air/skinny bird song/Palo Verde limbs/cats walk up and down/adobe yellow wall"
That's it. It's dedicated to Luis Garcia, another humorous, spare poet, but Lu's gone out on a different sort of limb: living to sing about it.
Frank Parker sings about it from living, breezily sometimes, the lines directed to this or that friend, family member ... some of them poets.
David Gitin, poet and Frank's longtime Monterey neighbor--a crosstown neighbor--and frequent presence on frankshome.org, a website hosting a community of poems and poets, is dedicatee of "Letters from Tucson," where Frank's corresponding from, now: "when I wake it's dark/light coming soon//see you then//your friend"
Another poet, Michael McClure, is recipient of "Song": "breathe deep/blue sky//feathered edge/of nitrogen"
Finally, "Mirror in a Garden," for his daughter: "I reach for my cup/and the birds scatter."
Eleven poems, an odd number, with the qualifier, "a work in progress."
It's progress, in the sense of moving through the landscape, one he came to late, where he's seen much, once settled in.
What's exhilarating in Win Po is that rare sense of somebody finding himself, his voice--both at once--yet taking another step, and another, not stopping.
These are perceptions on the move, not snapshots so much, like the often-faded imitations of Imagism. No scent of the workshop; more like witch hazel. Bracing.
Frank's book's from Obscure Press, 34 1/2W. Kennedy St., Tucson, AZ. 85701-2202. If you get it, ask for it signed--and get him to initial the colophon, too: Frank's the printer.
A Pleasent Surprise from Heather Nagami
A surprise email regarding Win Po from Heather Nagami:"Frank, thanks for sending me the link to your work. Wow, I really enjoyed reading it. I'm so impressed. I love the cover, too--the beautiful colors and texture. The poems themselves are so beautifully "textured" too in their layers of sound and meaning. I enjoy your subtle rhymes, the consonance, and the sparseness of the lines in terms of the number of words, but the fullness in terms of the feeling and image that is created. I think "Mirror in a Garden" struck me the most, esp. "the hundred wounded sparrows/ fly like arrows," but really all of it. It seems like a technical masterpiece--how the images next to each other create something new and how they seem to elegantly carve out such emotional depth, but then I feel bad talking about it like it's just a technical endeavor because it seems full of such pain, so I'm sorry if that's offensive. I just am in awe." -Heather Nagami (Tucson poet and web designer)
Updates over at frankshome.org
Win Po - a work-in-progress, by Frank Parker. Poems written since December 2009. I'm excited to see where this journey will go over the course of 2010!
From "This Tiniest of Fish", audio of parts 1, 2, and 3 read by the author, Kristina Erny. From her bio note:
"Kristina Erny grew up in Asia, & has lived in West Africa, as well as Kentucky, Indiana, and Arizona. She is interested in dialect, storytelling, language acquisition, spirituality & community (insiders vs. outsiders). In 2010, she completed her MFA from The University of Arizona. She currently lives in South Korea with her husband and son."
I appreciate Kristina's efforts and the cooperation of the U of A Poetry Center to record this outstanding young poet before she moved to South Korea!
Recorded 12 May 2010 by Frank Parker at the University of Arizona Poetry Center to whom we extend our gratitude.
2009 @ frankshome.org
Five Poems - Gloria Avner
Gloria Avner lives in Bar Harbor, Maine in the summer where she writes, paints, and tends her gallery of art from other cultures. In the winter she teaches, writes, and paints in Key Largo, Florida. Gloria is a new member of the frankshome.org family and we are delighted to host her poetry!
Greek Islands - Joan Cofrancesco
Joan enjoys hiking, reading poetry, visiting art museums, and traveling. Her recent trips to Greece and Italy have inspired many new poems. We are just thrilled to host her Greek islands series. This is Joan’s second set of poems to find a home with us. We couldn’t be happier!
3 Songs from the '70s - David Gitin
Performances of his poems are often in collaboration with musicians, including Leonard Paschini (electric guitar), Preston Houser (shakuhachi), John Tchicai (saxophone), Laszlo Gardony (piano), and John Cortes (saxophone). Here are 3 rare poems from June 1977 in which his lyric interests are clearly stated. David is one of the first poets frankshome.org ever hosted! (Thank you for believing in us all along, David!)
Nine Poems - Luis Garcia
“I listened to a lot of jazz,” Garcia continued, “the notions of improvisation, of the transformation of notes—hitting them in a different way—of inflection and intonation influenced my style, one of brevity and lyricism,” and we welcome this selection of Luis Garcia’s poetry to frankshome.org by standing up on our chairs, clapping and shouting, “BRAVO!”
Sunday Suite - Frank Parker
The poems begin Heart Shaped Blossoms: 1993-2007, and comprise the Monterey, CA, section of my first book. The reading is from October 27, 2007, at the Stone Ave. Gallery, Tucson, AZ, sponsored by POG. Here each one of the three parts is set to music.
3 Poems, December 2009 - Frank Parker
The first two weeks of December 2009 found me in a groove with the word and these three poems are the result, the first of which became our holiday poem for 2009.
Zig-Zag Journeys - Frank Parker
Completed in June of 2009, Zig-Zag Journeys seems so distant now. Yet it was the basis of multiple memorable performances and a chapbook I’m very happy with no matter the year!
Rites by David GitinMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Like the music of Miles Davis or Thelonious Monk, silence is as important as choosing just the right notes, or words in this case, to play. David Gitin's words, or notes, grace the space that surrounds them. If grace is an economy of motion, and I think it is, the dance of these poems compliments the air in which they are staged. To paraphrase George Oppen, "this is the level of art, there are other levels, but this is the level of art". One minute in the presence of art can impact the meaning of a life more than a career bent to mundane purpose. In fact, such an encounter is healing. I find myself renewed in the company of this master's art.
View all my reviews >>
Modern American poetry begins with the determination to find the image, the thing encountered, the thing seen each day whose meaning has become the meaning and the color of the POG Directors Group Reading, September 26, 2009 - 7 PM, The Drawing Studio, 33 S. Sixth Avenue, Tucson (map)!
Potluck to follow at Barbara Henning's, 1940 E. 2nd St., Apt. #2 (map). Bring a dish and join the celebration! (I hear martinis will be mixed!!!)
POG Poetry in September!
Thursday, September 17, 2009 - Norma Cole & Charles Alexander / Chax 25th Birthday - 6:30 PM, Club Congress at Hotel Congress, 311 E. Congress St, Tucson. Poetry Reading & Celebration co-sponsored by POG.
September 26, 2009 - POG Board of Directors Group Reading - 7 PM, The Drawing Studio, 33 S. Sixth Avenue, Tucson (map). The members of the POG Board of Directors present their work in what promises to be an electric evening of poetry, art, and performance! This will be one of those events talked about long after it's over. Don't be left out of the conversation!
POG Benefit Potluck and Open Mic!
August 15, 2009 - Pot Luck and Open Mic - 7 PM at Sue Carnahan's house, 3425 E. 3rd Street, Tucson. Click the link for details Map and directions. $10 door, $5.00 Students.
Please join us for a casual evening of good company, food, and poetry. Bring a dish or beverage and your favorite poems (your own or a favorite poet's) and share in a special benefit evening for POG!
This is an opportunity to support POG's ongoing programs and share in some fun and food, some poetry and comradery. Click here for our Collectors Edition Flyer!
Larry Eigner at Light and Dust Poets
Air the Trees
by Larry Eigner
According to the blurb at the bottom of the web page, “Air the Trees” by Larry Eigner was “Originally published by Black Sparrow Press. Long out of print, the text presented here complete. The original edition contained a suite of drawings by Bobbie Creeley.” While we miss out on the drawings by Bobbie Creeley we do have the pleasure of reading this out of print work by a twentieth century savant.
Once again I am reminded of what matters to me in verse, what engaged me in Larry’s work to begin with, that pure observation, that naming of his world. In the glut of rococo-language passing off as poetry these days, Larry’s sharp focus on the facts at hand/eye are a refreshing return to what matters, the materials of a life sketched in verse.
I can understand why some people ignore or write Larry’s work off anymore. To be as plain in vision and simple in verse is hard, really hard work! Few are up to the challenge.
My thanks go out to Light and Dust Poets for reprinting Larry Eigner’s “Air the Trees”.
Zig-Zag Journeys
frank AT frankshome DOT org
8.5 X 5.5
12 pages
100% rag cover (honest!)
Fascinating stuff…
toot-toot-cha-boogie
Newly minted work over at my web site, Frank's Home. And, oh yeah, it's by me, Zig-Zag Journeys. Many thanks go out to Barbara Henning and Charles Alexander for their astute feedback which helped smooth the rough spots.
Sonoran Desert: Winter ‘09
A full moon in the birdbath, a perfect circle of ice blunting sparrow beaks. Cold stings the first knuckle of each finger breaking small pieces of bread from a slice now half its original size. I laugh out loud at the morning headlines, "St. Francis of Tucson, Bread Man to the birds, found wanting for nothing ever again, a freeze in the cactus garden of the Tucson basin."
•
a plum, happy lungs, a radio in touch
Frank is . . .
a hungry ghost gripping the wheel
old man saguaro, the hum of blood, the sun, a glow
pajama sleeves, morning's radiance, unspeakable things
the compass in my pocket, whatever
the wheel, fallen leaves
-- Frank Parker
Books in the Mail
I love going to the mail box and being surprised by a package containing a new book by a friend. I've received two books over the past few days:
a
l
l
s
a
i
n
t
s
...by John Martone, self-published
"String Parade"...by Jordan Stempleman, BlazeVOX [books]
"all saints" is a small, 4.25 X 5.5, handmade chapbook of light green Cambric Linen 65 lb. cover with black tape neatly covering the stapled spine. The inside ends pieces are delicate lavender handmade Japanese paper. The inside pages 24 lb. Cambric Linen Natural. The tactile experience coincides with the delicate poetry of a writer who has disciplined mind and spirit to note only what is essential in a poem. John Martone's work is one of those secret finds I could only hope for prior to getting acquainted. Light falls from the pages of his book.
all these old couples
out for a walk
& me
the elderly
couples walk
the young ones
lie down
under maples
- John Martone, from "all saints"
"String Parade" by Jordan Stempleman is a BlazeVOX [books] production, 6 X 9, four color process, acquias coated, C1S cover. I'm assuming the cover is a Geoffrey Gatza design, the books is, I don't see a credit otherwise. Anyway, all hail BlazeVOX [books] for kicking and screaming and surviving the economy (the best revenge is to do well and Geoffrey certainly is). I love the cover design. "String Parade" is maroon (you want the PMS number?) PenultimateLight typeface on a 1.25 inch black background above a half inch white bar bearing Jordan's name margin-right above the cover photo: a headless mannequin sitting on a crystal looking construction, in a hot pink, short gown clasping her hands together, her white 'skin' in contrast to the hot pink and Op-art design on the wall behind her (the colors on the wall match the book title).
Why do I bother with all that description? Well, it's the first hint of what's inside, a well crafted book of poems with a view of language as surprising as a well dressed, headless mannequin.
Copied Mist
for Charles
the weather
and the weather
as it comes
and goes
as it seems
able and nowhere
after holidays
taken from towns
beside towns
unlived in
for some time
unheard of
until picked up
and sent
where others live
and announce
where they go
by leaving
and moving in
above all
Each of the 38 poems is dedicated to a person. I'm left wondering if each dedication is Jordan's nod to the people he knows or a riff on dedicating poems in general. Could be both knowing Jordan. Anyway, I've only just begun to read his book which arrived today. I expect a rocking good time.
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