WEBVTT

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I wrote that first section or
finished that first section

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of the book by
thinking I'd write

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this book about time and sex.

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And then the Gulf War
happened and became

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about time and sex
and the Gulf War,

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and then it became about
time, sex, the Gulf War,

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and depression.

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Then it became time,
sex, war, [GIBBERISH],,

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and it kept adding themes.

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So they're about 20
themes in this book,

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but I have a friend who--

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I have an argument with him
about whether there are themes

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in contemporary poetry or not.

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There are themes even if
you're a post-modernist writer,

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I think.

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My themes are mixed up and
messed together, but anyway,

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in the Gulf War section,
there's a poem about the '80s.

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This is called "No Problem."

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"The expression
'no problem' began

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to be used around the
time silk plants became

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more realistic, even being
made with silk aphids and silk

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diseases.

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Only a few shopkeepers
used no problem in 1985.

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The man in the aquarium
store uprooted violet algae

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with a small spade.

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When pieces of the
wall began to be sold,

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there was a lot of no problem,
but it was mostly a food service

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expression.

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By the time Romania hit,
the delivery people used it,

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and the 'noooo' had
a water slide in it.

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Problem was quicker.

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After Bush offered Mrs.
Chamorro $100 million,

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and, surprise,
surprise, she took it,

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he might have said it
to mean you're welcome.

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When they started selling
uniforms of dead Iraqi soldiers,

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people in doorways whose eaten
out tennis shoes lined up

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with their dogs' Styrofoam cups
used it, and so did poets."

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