WEBVTT

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If it's OK with you, I'm
going to start off with a poem

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by another poet.

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I found out the sad news that
a poet that I know passed away,

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the poet Nick Carbó.

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Nick was a
Filipino-American poet.

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And Nick came to Pittsburgh,
where I was getting my MFA

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at the University
of Pittsburgh many,

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many years ago when
I was in my 20s.

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And I was a young poet
and very unsure of myself.

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And Nick was extremely generous
and warm and kind and supportive

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and stayed in touch
over the years,

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in fact, contacting
me to congratulate me

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when I received this prize.

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And so I want to read a
Nick Carbó poem this evening

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to start off.

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For my friend who
complains he can't dance

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And has a severe case
of writer's block

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Then take this tambourine
inside the sheep barn

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Listen to the
anaconda's intestines

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The shark's walking stick

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Learn the river insect's
secret neon calligraphy

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Swim through Frida Kahlo's hair

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And come out
smelling like orchids

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Lift your appetite towards
the certified blue turtle

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Feast on Garcia
Lorca's leather shoes

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And taste the sun,
the worms of Andalusia

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Don't hesitate in
front of a donut

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A Ferris wheel, the Crab Nebula

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Excavate diamond-eyed demons

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Chaucer's liver, Minoan helmets

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Paste Anne Sexton's
face on $1,000 bill

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And purchase a dozen metaphors

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Beware of the absolute scorpion

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The iguana with the limping leg

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Permit indwelling

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White words around the eyes

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The confrontation of windows

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Never feed your towel
to the alligator

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He will eat you and
eat you and eat you.

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Nick Carbó.

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[APPLAUSE]

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Thank you, Nick.

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Thank you.

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