Hi, everybody.
Thanks for coming out.
And thank you to everybody at the Poetry
Center for having me.
Truly, it is a delight to be back in Tucson, a city which
I really, really love.
This reading is going to be around my newest book,
called Explosion Rocks Springfield.
It's a book of poems written in 72 variations
in a sort of fugal format.
It's conceived of as an oratorio with sort of breakouts in song,
breakouts in recitative, if you will,
and then chorus elements as well.
I'm going to be reading maybe like--
how many?
Well, like 30 movements of these 72.
And I've chosen this particular set
of variations for this particular reading tonight.
So this is from Explosion Rocks Springfield.
"The Friday evening gas explosion in Springfield
leveled a strip club next to a daycare.
What is explosion to a slab of drywall?
What is drywall exactly?
HEIGH-HO Why do people strip?
What is day care?
Why day?
What is night care?
Why daylight why daylight why daylight.
What is care exactly?
Gas.
Wherefrom gas?
Why gas in cylindrical hollows?
Friday?
The day after Thursday?
The day before Saturday, always.
How goes gas in there, surging, surging,
surging, in predetermined patterns for bodily
needs and discomforts."
"The Friday evening gas explosion in Springfield
leveled a strip club next to a day care.
I remember the breeze right before.
Burs of-- was it willow--
slant-falling.
The gray sidewalk, schist granules, scattering.
A brown dumpster lid smushing its green plastic, sandwich
meat.
A rat made its debut, but for a moment.
I remember an awning string's knotted tip
soft-thudding a window pane-- tympani's uneven beat.
The rustle of stray trash-- bass strings, almost rising--
but never.
And the chopper, the chopper--
spittletatootling, spittletatootling--
a proud boot landing on obedient asphalt. The stern,
uncrying chrome.
The flighty flames decorative gas tank.
I can't forget the beryllium blue sunshades--
orange hued at a glance.
And the stars and bars, starched, pressed, bandana.
Nation Idol Gorge.
But for a moment then boom."
"The Friday evening gas explosion in Springfield
leveled a strip club next to a day care.
The gas explosion in Springfield on Friday
evening spared a day care next to a strip club.
At the beginning of every day, what is to be spared?
What is to be felled?
HEIGH-HO.
At the end of the day, are steel buns
equal to municipal zoning definitions?
At all times, what is fire?
Is fire on fire at every moment of every fire?
Give it a break.
We're burning up here.
Is fire keen on burning?
Is fire alert?
Is fire hopelessly, beautifully distracted?
Or is fire itself in the act of stripping?
Or is it fire's thing to make others strip?
Frabba jabba.
In approximate patterns, surging.
Amassing.
Escaping.
Culture.
Planning.
Accident.
Conciliation.
Life.
Doink."
"The Friday evening gas explosion in Springfield
leveled a strip club next to a day care.
I remember the plume right after.
Orbs of-- was it cinnamon--
black-rising.
Vapor gray whitening shingle powder rain.
A dumpster lid sheered off a gravestone's angel face.
A hawk's claws claimed the stump.
I remember two spouts of thin flame, blue, making an X--
mind's waking dream.
The hissing of gurgling plastic, supplicant--
sick-- stomach's inner eyeball.
And the bathtub, the bathtub--
sittin' pretty-- sittin' pretty--
the hysteric roof flopping on an unfazed floor.
The wise, ever-wakeful steel beams.
The cheery glass-- beaming--
everywhere.
I can't forget that purple doorknob-- horny at a glance.
And the plump couch stuffing foam, blazing, angry.
City's Final Chorus but for a moment then shsh."
"The Friday evening gas explosion
in Springfield [? perdepistaiplode ?] to a day
care.
What is leveling to a bit of stability?
What is stability exactly?
HEIGH-HO.
Why do people slink?
What is it to have slackness?
To sleep.
What gives slack its slickness?
What is schlook it up and slick and slimy care?
What is doink precisely?
Croink.
Wherefrom foink?
Why doink and croinky foinkiness?
Priday, the day after Pursday.
The fray before Paturday, always.
How goes pssh in there?
Escapes in random patterns.
For?"
"The Friday evening gas explosion in Springfield
leveled a strip club next to a daycare.
Four million pieces of frabba jabba, as one wet.
In the downpour of a conflagration
douser's cylindrical hollow, beautifully distracting flame,
as to give comfort to daytime and night needs,
as perdepistatiplode comfort to Sprit,
beauty Buns of beauty Buns of Pour la lutte ouvrière,
twilight prime, foink.
I just heard that too.
[LAUGHTER]
The Friday evening gas explosion in Springfield
leveled a strip club next to a daycare.
I don't remember the very moment, flashes of,
was I daydreaming?
Biloxi-bound.
The termites swarm at dusk, balling up, sprinkling.
The skeeter swirling in its hotel pool the first time.
A no-see-um bug popped out from nowhere, but for a moment,
to romp.
I can't say I recall Cleopatra's hairpiece flying off
in a speeding four-cylinder vehicle,
empire of the great somewhere, but never.
And the flying fish, the flying fish,
hither flopping, hither flopping,
the carefree palms twerking, injured.
The bald, unyielding sun, giddy.
Tentative feet in knee high water, gripping.
Have I forgot the name of that triple IPA,
something like Rondez the Moon a la Bat Shit?
And the ample-sized black polka dots
in my eyes twerking carefully.
Empire of the great somewhere.
But for a moment, then, then.
The Friday evening gas explosion in Springfield
leveled a strip club next to a daycare.
Four million pieces of frabba jabba, dry,
at high noon in the downpour of sun's beam,
wistfully forget pieces of one.
Pulse, swept up for to take refuge at twilight's urge,
double back, sorrow at evening calmly.
As when Sapiens "the knower" feels it.
Eyes of jewels, alert the others once, as daybreak's new demands
seek tribute.
The Friday evening gas explosion in Springfield
leveled a strip club next to a daycare.
Bleed it here, the gas, watch.
Gauge zero, see?
Both ends.
Cinch is there, both pools.
Gauge should be 25.
Double tap it.
Why not?
Eight has to be eight feet.
Go two tanks in this one.
5 foot wall between.
Now, that's premise regs, right.
C.O's have their own regs.
Zones, each one has its reg.
Same principal, you'll see.
Double strap it, always.
These trucks, they shake, awful.
Brewskis at the Bouillon, nah, stick a fork in me.
This shift, always.
Cooked, Thursday, right, at the hall.
You should chair it.
Why not?
All right, buddy.
Be safe.
Don't let them gals fleece ya.
The Friday evening gas explosion in Springfield
leveled a strip club next to a day care.
Unbutton here, this strap, even jugs, see?
Real nice.
Now, clip on this red tail 1 minute into it, double flare,
why not?
Five can only be five for booth, including you.
Or eight, if two of you.
Now, that's this club's reg, right?
Got it?
Other clubs make their own.
Boss, each one has a vision.
Same old dance.
Count well, maybe two buttons.
These strobes, they blind, crazy.
Night owl shots at The Coop?
Nah.
Scoop me on a cone.
This shift always, I'm licked.
Thursday, right, at my house.
You should chair it, why not?
All right, honey.
Be safe.
Don't let them guys steer you.
The Friday evening gas explosion in Springfield
leveled a strip club next to a daycare.
Spread out the ice like this.
12 chocolate, 3 white milks, watch how I wedge them in.
Roster should say 15.
Do a roll call, why not?
4, only 4 can go this bathroom and that one.
That's this center's regs.
Right?
Other ones have their own.
Counties, each one decides.
Similar norms.
You'll see.
Yeah, check the leaky ones.
These cartons, they rip tons.
Rum shake shooters at Ski's?
Nah, crunk on without me.
This shift always, I'm zonked.
Thursday, right, at the rec.
You should chair it.
Why not?
All right then, girl.
Be safe, don't let these kids crank you.
The Friday evening explosion in Springfield
leveled a strip club next to a daycare.
Hmm.
[LAUGHTER]
The Friday evening gas explosion in Springfield
leveled a strip club next to a daycare.
Spartacus sprinklers, top rail, serial number 218A,
inspector 48F.
Jiangxi Quality Products, Nighthawk importers, San Bruno,
California.
Roman roads distributors Phoenix, Arizona.
Port of entry, Tacoma, Washington.
Tankard 1018F, inspector 4201.
ILO quarterly report, case study 1124.
Tintin Liu, 23 female, ID 4312.
Platform 12, line 8, station 4.
Muscular paralysis, 3rd metatarsal
taped to 2nd phalangeal.
4th proximal splinted to 5th distal OSHA region
1 final report, incident 2267, explosion gas.
Inspector 505F, sprinklers inoperable.
Logic tree branch 20.
System of safety failure, mitigation device.
16 drill hole stoppered.
Weld burs not filed.
Citation 29CFR.1910.156(c)(12).
DOL budget sequestered.
Public law, 112-25.
District 2, 112th Congress, United States of America.
The Friday evening gas explosion in Springfield
leveled a strip club next to a daycare.
Face the bar, poon Jack don't matter all ash.
The Friday evening gas explosion in Springfield
leveled a strip club next to a daycare.
Spartacus sprinklers, top rail.
Serial number 2180A, scrap metal yard F2.
Strip steel tanker 28.
Simpson recyclers Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
Steelworkers Local 4128, smelting furnace 48,
slab beam roll out batch 8148.
Simper 40 steel precision court Brooklyn, New York.
Steelworkers 4218, section cutting station number 12.
Steel cylinder holotype 2B.
Sore and send to department 4.
Spirit of 76, commission version course, Slidell, Louisiana.
Steelworkers Local 3178, Sargon sprinklers, bottom rail.
Serial number 312B8.
Sss.
Zip coding station 12, sending unit 25,
seal testing station number 7, sprinklers
standard specification [INAUDIBLE]..
Station inspector number 13.
Sales packaging room H, sort and storage garage 4,
second incident of forklift crushing worker's toes.
Spirit of 76, personnel motivation, free cupcakes.
Director Chet Baker.
Steelworkers Local 375 chief steward Marynella Fernandez.
Section 5 calls to management shall
comply with all state and federal standards
safety committee agreements number 78.
Unannounced station rotations, inadequate training.
Staff training regulation, arbitration hearing number
501P36.
Sargon sprinklers 1st annual wet t-shirt contest,
supersonic dance club 3rd floor, Picayune, Mississippi.
The Friday evening gas explosion in Springfield
leveled a strip club next to a daycare.
Thank you.
I wear it, strong.
The print fits, and foink's all over it.
As the event recedes, It's echo-ey with words.
But here's a stage for it, the head space for it,
shit, nobody noticed.
Nobody popped from the blown off, takes that word.
Somebody could have spread it all, called forth far, so I do.
Echo-ey, and the word and me, well.
We work in the ears, deep.
Make what seemn seem to be, evening gas explosion.
Stone cold bitch, phrase leashing,
leveled a strip club next to a day care.
But the word slips between evening, gas, explosion.
Unseen for all to see.
Unheard for all to hear.
He passed onto this blouse.
I wear it strong all day.
It's perplexing.
Bright.
The Friday evening gas explosion in Springfield
leveled a strip club next to a daycare.
This barter pie tattoo, it's for the discerning,
flashed while in cat crawl after the eyes of jewels,
before the limb tossing, as the lyrics settled.
Siphoning up the beat, is fire, fire?
Is fire fire?
Love it, because by then, discerning gentle folk
are inside the duct work.
Soshies prate on concern.
Cappies straight up applaud.
We just say sapienized meaning, mother's keepsakes cloaking
frabba jabba, set to plode left or right.
That's how I girl up to make this am puh, puh, puh, assing.
My real name is Lulu Chateau.
Yes, I publish poems.
No, I have never heard of you.
[LAUGHTER]
The Friday evening gas explosion in Springfield
leveled a strip club next to a daycare.
Lips among the living.
That's the title of it, of what it was, at least.
In the VIP room, hung high, lorded over, did its thing,
never flinched.
All charred.
But if you look still, the gargoyles stare out some
folks--freaked the frick out.
What it was, was a pain.
A silence been reached deep the moment the door closed.
Look at it, crumpled, can't quite make out its soul.
50 cocked female hawk, from its beak,
flung towards us, a sort of sausage links, rope
made of human lips.
Life.
It cradled some life.
The place was, otherwise, pure machine for product.
All emotions packaged, cube after cube after, guess.
I will take it home.
The Friday evening gas explosion in Springfield
leveled a strip club next to a daycare.
4, 2, lane, D, pipe, high, ho.
As 2, plode, per pound, prime, pumps.
As per force of flow, fill flange.
For to make fire flame strip plode.
The Friday evening gas explosion in Springfield
leveled a strip club next to a daycare.
What is blood to constrictive tissue?
What is constriction exactly?
HEIGH HO!
Why do people nation idol gorge?
What is engorgement?
Why gorge?
What is disengorge?
Why vascularity?
Why mascularity?
Why femascularity?
What is nation idol gorge precisely?
Flame.
Where from flame?
Why flame in both nostrils ploding?
Friday, the day within Friday, the day within Friday.
The day with-with-within Friday.
Always.
How goes flame in here?
Spittletatootling, spittletatootling,
spittletatootling.
In guageable patterns, for?
Regulated flow and frabba jabba.
The Friday evening gas explosion in Springfield
leveled a strip club next to a daycare.
Porcelain shards tenderly gash plastic bags.
Silica dust droplets bashfully queue up.
Rubber toilet float gaily oops out.
Couch stuffing cinders friskily fly away.
The Friday evening gas explosion in Springfield
leveled a strip club next to a daycare.
Echoey.
Springfield, Massachusetts, Massachusetts, USA, USA.
Planet Q, near miss.
On target, in the cards, random shuffle.
Decision makers, process takers, God bless the fuckers, theirs.
God bless the fuckers, ours.
Pipefitters local, 11:38.
Perdepistatiplosive.
The Friday evening gas explosion in Springfield
leveled a strip club next to a daycare.
What is fantasticality to a neuron of gray matter?
What is gray exactly?
HEIGH HO!
Why do mitochondria insist?
What is death dodge?
Why dodge, what is undodge?
Why quasars why quasars why quasars?
What is it to quase out, exactly?
Plasma, where from plasma?
What plasma in cylindrical hollows?
Friday, a light year after Thursday,
The tetra-millisecond before Saturday.
How goes dun dun dun dun dun dun dun doink in here, squirming?
Squirming, squirming.
In quantum jittery patterns.
For?
Cosmic potential and actualization.
The Friday evening gas explosion in Springfield
leveled a strip club next to a daycare.
Echoey.
Gluteus medius to rectus femoris.
Rectus femoris to piriformus.
Piriformus to adductot longus.
Off-kilter, on the beat, in sequence, connective patterns.
Erotic taskers, account adjusters.
God damn the shift work, theirs.
God damn the shift work, ours.
Amalgamated adult entertainers.
Coiled cobra, AAE local 39.
Will strike if provoked.
The Friday evening gas explosion in Springfield
leveled a strip club next to a daycare.
The Juptiterian midday lead effusion
on Ganymede liquefied a zinc bed next to a crater rim.
The uranium morning argon ionization on Oberon
dispersed a helium cloud next to an ammonium pool.
The Neptunian magnetosphere at dusk on Triton
catalyzed carbon dioxide to glow red
next to a haze of methane blue.
The subterranean midnight hydrogen fission of the core
vaporized iron sludge next to a vent of nucleated nickel.
This is pretty porny.
[LAUGHTER]
The Mercurian afternoon potassium excretion
at the crust sucked sodium into a xenon vacuole
next to a krypton spouter cone.
The Martian nitrogen de-misting at daybreak in the Mare
Erythraeum made visible a silicon chunklet next
to a silicon chunklet.
The Venusian early evening volcanic updrafts
into the troposphere rained down sulfur clouds
into a neon whirlpool next to the Venera Eight refuge heap.
The Friday evening gas explosion in Springfield
leveled a strip club next to a daycare.
Drywall on its back, flat.
Drywall on its side, horizontal.
Drywall standing vertical.
Drywall, side by side, flush.
Drywall, capped by ceiling mortar slab.
Drywall, received a layer of primer gray.
Drywall, accepts a coat of moonless midnight sable.
Drywall, with a film of sweat, saliva, semen,
and commodified cooch nectar without a contract.
Drywall, stoic and expressive, conceptual and lyrical,
engaged.
And the seated drywall about to strip.
The Friday evening gas explosion in Springfield
leveled a strip club next to a daycare.
What is compulsion to a sliver of free will?
What is free will exactly?
HEIGH HO!
Why do people jack?
What is cosmic trust?
Why cosmic?
What is the Planet Q plan?
Why first shift?
Why second?
Why third?
Why fourth?
Why fifth?
What is jack, approximately?
Ovule, wherefrom ovule?
Why spermatozoa and diamond coated superhighways?
Thursday bashing into Friday.
Friday bashing into Saturday, always.
How goes sapiens up in there?
Flaking, sliming, frothing.
In regulated patterns, for?
Postcards from Springfield and beauty cake
frozen bar wrappers.
The Friday evening gas explosion in Springfield
leveled a strip club next to a daycare.
Porcelain chips.
Rubber toilet float, rolling east.
Last night's imminence elsewhere.
Bits, shards, scraps, charred.
Spartacus sprinkler.
I hate writers who self jack.
Midday sun coursing West.
Shards, sensational.
Scraps, overwhelming.
Bits, demure, seductive, I hate writers who self jack.
Silica run off sludge puddle.
Polyvinyl off gassing ellipses.
Springfield, poking about, peeking in.
Log it, perdepistatiplosive.
All around.
The Friday evening gas explosion in Springfield
leveled a strip club next to a daycare.
Compañeros, obviamente el peligro presente no fue
adequadamente identificado, prioratizado, y, compañeros,
no seguido por control del peligro actual; compañeros,
todo esto resulto en que la eliminacion del peligro actual
no fue posible, compañeros.
Compañeros, su atención por favor.
The Friday evening gas explosion in Springfield
leveled a strip club next to a daycare.
Companiers, obvious the peril present identity inadequate,
priority making absence add, companiers,
unqueued to action control potential of peril.
Companiers, resultant, in whole was elimination none
of peril actual therein.
Companiers, attentions yours, for a favor.
[LAUGHING]
Great to be in the Southwest.
The Friday evening gas explosion in Springfield
leveled a strip club next to a daycare.
The love implosion in New Orleans on Sunday
morning gave rise to a twilight care next to a mausoleum.
At the beginning of every hour, what is to be conjured?
What is it to be spell struck?
HEIGH HO!
At the end of every year, are weary eyes
equal to standard computer screen definitions?
At all times, what is vision?
Is vision visionary at every moment of every vision?
Give it a rest.
We're booked up here.
Is vision bent on betting?
Is vision in house?
Does vision helplessly, goofily entranced?
Is vision itself in the act of guessing?
Or is it vision's thing to make others blind?
Frabba jabba.
In preternatural patterns, flickering, flashing, floating.
The arts, sciences, politics, humanities, death, doink.
The Friday evening gas explosion in Springfield
leveled a strip club next to a daycare.
Fracked your sense of choice.
Fracked your choice of choice.
Fracked your choice's choice.
Fracked your choice's choice's choice.
In cylindrical halls, the idea--
in cylindrical halls, the application.
In cylindrical halls, the conversion.
In cylindrical halls, the freedom.
Twilight care when you don't.
Twilight when you can't.
Twilight care when you won't.
Twilight care when you most definitely certainly, I'm not.
Frabba jabba, because the prime minister says so.
Frabba jabba because the press secretary of state said so.
Frabba jabba because the president's press secretary
said so.
Frabba jabba because Sargon, Lord
of Sumer's punctured bronze mask seems to say so.
The Friday evening gas explosion in Springfield
leveled a strip club next to a daycare.
That's next to a house of worship,
next to the house of pets, next to a firehouse,
next to an ale house, next to a house of comfort,
next to the Historical Preservation Society's poet's
house.
Next to Bob's house of finance, next to the House of Costumes,
next to reclamation project housing, next to a meth house,
next to a safe house, next to the House of Hope.
Next to the House of Action, next to the House of High
Minded Adult Naughtiness.
Next to a gas pipe distribution hub, next to pipe
fitters local 11:38, next to a cupcake shop.
The Friday evening gas explosion in Springfield
leveled a strip club next to a daycare.
And there's a chorus here, jank.
So you all say jank when I cue you.
This brand of cupcake mix.
Jank.
This Velcro snap garter belt.
Jank.
This old control panel.
Jank.
This new contract.
Jank.
This strategy session.
Jank.
This form of prayer.
Jank.
This place of operation.
Jank.
This dope right here.
Jank.
This title deed.
Jank.
This bullwinkle rave hat.
Jank.
This investment's vistas.
Jank.
This venerated pauper's diversifications.
Jank.
The style of comfort.
Jank.
This Crooked Rooster IPA.
Jank.
This fire station eurotrance party.
Jank.
This hamster ferris wheel of blinking lights.
Jank.
This pastor's elevator metaphors.
Jank.
This kind of care.
Jank.
This way of stripping.
Jank.
This town in Missouri.
Jank.
This evening and all evenings before it
and after forevermore.
Jank.
Thanks folks.
[APPLAUSE]