Contradicta

Every moment you have ever lived lives on, and will one day visit or receive you, if only you would make it welcome.




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Ride Pegasus hard into the present so its wings can sweep the future and the past.

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Boppin' at the Bowery PC

Last night's reading/ book party at the Bowery Poetry Club for Elaine Equi and Patricia Smith's new Coffee House Books was introduced by the mighty Bob Holman. Before the reading, Bob had noticed that he and Toni were both wearing Yoko Ono *Imagine Peace* buttons and then he remembered that the date, December 8th, was the day John Lennon died 26 years ago. (By the way, Toni and I had just come from the opening of the PS 122 benefit where my collage *Di Pace*(*Of Peace*) was newly on display.) Bob's observation was moving, as were his introductions for both Patricia Smith (her new Coffee House book is titled *Teahouse of the Almighty*) and Elaine Equi (her forthcoming title is *Ripple Effect: New and Selected Poems*). Both readings were excellent. Elaine read some of her greatest hits, including her confessional poem about her life being, unfortunately, not sinful enough, including a line that read approximately -"my father did not even find me exciting enough to molest me"; and *Detail*, about the particularly inspiring beauty of details of paintings in art books; and a pair of poems in pink, for her friend David Trinidad who had promised to read a poem for her decked out in the same color that same night. Patricia Smith read a memorably powerful poem composed of 34 haiku-like miniature dramas, concerning the innumerable tragedies surrounding hurricane Katrina, as well as other body and soul jolting lyrics . Bob Holman was at his maximum witty, inviting all to order some of the revolutionary war style mulled wine called *Glug* available at the bar, and introducing Allan Kornblum, as the publisher of Coffee House books, "where the corn blooms."