WELL THIS IS E-M-B-AR-A-S-SING
right exactly hello clown nope not a rancid zit
that’s just yr big red nose attached to yr face
not peppermint horse chiclets ripe for the chewin
just yr bright yellow smile
sugar cube me up moose
i want to get down tonight on the hollywood page w/ u
i wanna write your name in the star set in terrazzo and puked on by the useless
this is the amusement industry voucher system timeshare lie
the moose never asks for a poem it likely wanted
to remain out it standing in its field feeling
the wind in its ticks the time on its back
but i was on a mission to cut thru this poetry town short its circuit
and my odd-given packsaddle was burning a hole in my socket
you never thumbed the stalls for an ass bada-bing-bada-boom
well maybe a time in atlantic city but that was weeks ago
a classic case of communicating doors b/w 2 motel rooms
go to bed you’ll never make it in this town
o chronic violence of sonic silence your face your wallet is broken
your greasepaint a streaming service no one has time to watch
oh look it’s morning cough cough cough
DIAMOND AND RANCH DIPPERS
o audience o packed house
i’m having a hard time
of where to get gone with the memory of your laughs
in this field full of plastic squirting daisies
“the paige”
which quite obviously dance taps the macabre line b/w shadow and light
sure
that flicker b/w a universe of nothingness and the luck of the sun
but this is further complicated by my memory
and its dimlit prism
where do i put the sounds you make
the kneejerk reactions to a donkey’s keen joke
your teeth like karats (sp?!?!)
i followed blindly
the bit in my mouth so essential
zara sawdecker packsaddle suit just dropped
how it cargoes the banana peels and roses to your feet
for the haw of all the world carrot
left crunch and juice and bleat
Henry Goldkamp (he/they) lives in New Orleans, where he hosts The Splice Poetry Series, acts as intermedia editor of TILT for the small press Tilted House, and teaches experimental poetry and clown studies at Louisiana State University. Recent art, criticism, and performance appear in Annulet, Yalobusha Review, Accelerants: An Action Books Poetry Film Series, Volt, Works & Days, Afternoon Visitor, and DIAGRAM, among others. More at henrygoldkamp.com.