1. |
SIXTH OF JANUARY
05:13
|
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they arrived, with pitchforks at the ready, to alter the vote.
the corporals and captains had an attack sorted out.
the floorplan of congress was in the public domain, security forces
had become one and the same- a single moment defining the state of the nation.
evidenced by a display of tribalism amongst a misappropriation of the flag,
draped over the Capitol steps- A Confederacy in Process.
the rally preceding insurrection would expose this selfish process,
as if there were no other method to counteract an actual vote.
the assembled crowd who volunteered to be in The District could flag
their inherent abhorrence toward an hidden agenda that they would spell out,
as if this call to arms could create a new nation
of their own making, utilizing their most vicious forces.
citizens of our Televised reality experienced society in absolute time, the forces
of this tribe gathered and had stormed the steps, their process
exhorted over bullhorns to a crowd expecting a re-born nation.
multitudes of volunteers worked to secure the vote,
people who poured over information, and disinformation to out
an heist of objective political reality, were threatened by the brandished flag.
it was an aggrieved display, and desecration of the flag
will be remembered as treasonous sedition. the boat parade that forces
the vessels upon our river to be evacuated; instructed to stay out.
a distinct attempt at security while the process
of their gathering threatened to call in to question the actual vote.
each citizen would need to declare their confirmation of our nation.
confrontation within the myth of the American nation
has always existed, in some form. when people flag
grievances, the irregularity of equality; we are told to vote
despite the evidence of corruption, which forces
a re-examination of the entire process,
wherein actualization of the point of completion leaves no one out.
as initial momentum, stunted by Capitol Police faded out,
the assassination plot never materialized in the Nations
Capitol. The Peoples House; a building that affords the process
of the improbable to be occasionally attainable, where intruders would flag
the building with propaganda, and untruth, in an attempt to force
A Cancellation of America, as if all citizens might forget the power of the vote.
surrounded by symbols of a nation- the staffed flag
and the wooden gavel, congressional members would return that night, to force
a delineation- one person, one vote.
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2. |
THE HOUSE IS ON FIRE
03:40
|
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the local hook & ladder company
sat at the junction of
Ocean View Avenue
and the old Post Road
at the top of my neighborhood
I always thought
If there was a fire,
I was protected.
we would be protected.
our house was on the
Ocean View Avenue
there was a backyard
gathering, I wasn’t interested.
neither was my brother.
our parents were preoccupied
when the fire broke out
I heard my mother’s muffled voice
“have you seen Jeremy?”
they found him standing,
under the tire hub
of a firetruck.
on Overlook Avenue.
I’ll never forget
the older kids
pointing in laughter.
|
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3. |
||||
a pop star
simply getting on with it
sells her
record collection
I was there
to catalog it all
circle color decals
imprinted with a sharpie D
a capital letter
the collection
evaporated
over time
Liz Phair wrote about an estate sale
that defined a life
I was also a witness.
what did I do with that reflection?
would it be an affirmation? I know one thing
it may have saved the store
but the vinyl revival started right there
|
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4. |
ROUGE
02:38
|
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I remember being fascinated
with my mother’s limited CASH of makeup,
hidden from my father.
In the utility bathroom
on the second floor
where I slept.
the rouge-
what was it for?
I had seen Dolly Parton wear it on TV
but my mother was no star….
she told us about sitting at the bar
I swirled my finger into the
tiny glass jar,
and smeared it on my face.
looking into the mirror was a revelation
as was the knock on the door
“what are you doing?!??!?!?”
the clink of the glass jar on the porcelain
would shape me.
|
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5. |
DEAFENING
03:55
|
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we moved into the new neighborhood
and my best friend’s parents were both deaf
they met at the Oral School
a repository for the children
of a lesser God
I understood.
I understood their language
the teletype phone.
the electronic calls
they could respond to
she chastised me
for reading the family mail
but I never opened an envelope
she asked me why
“it’s the words, it’s all I have” I replied, when asked
“you seem to value them?” she noticed
“don’t you?”
Their oldest arrived home in a late 70’s haze
One night during a sleepover
I had never heard someone scolded
By a parent
Quite like that
Quite like that
It was deafening
|
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6. |
S. B. BUTLER
02:36
|
|||
it was a village
not yet suburbia
but there was always an element
of danger
we were expected to pay attention
on our own
the jungle gym was leaving
blisters on our fingers
if july was my friend.
Jimmy Donch broke his elbow
playing touch football
and we never saw him again
we learned curse words
from our parents
but we knew how to use them
by listening at the school playground
I witnessed friends
fight over street hockey etiquette.
the weakest among us
ran home heaving heavy breaths.
but, when the older kids fought,
you could feel the ground shake :
after a body was slammed
into home plate
|
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7. |
||||
I have lived here
my entire life
the highway was a definition
my parents would traverse exit 89
to exit 90
for a trip to
the fast food joint
I placed my bicycle
into the bed of my pickup truck
and parked it In a distant neighborhood
feet on pedals and made my way
to the bridge, spray paint in a satchel
the steel girders were
vertical supports, placed every four feet
I had to grab the next one with my left hand
the tractor trailers
created a vacuum
that threatened to pull me under
onto the highway
after making my way to the opposite side
I time my script
with the rhythm
of the road
a life saving course correction
what’s gonna set you free?
It was a message I thought should be seen
beyond the LP
beyond what it meant to me
“What’s Gonna Set You Free?”
|
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8. |
ELECTRIC BOAT
02:22
|
|||
it was our last
conversation
I was in Pennsylvania
and you were in hospice care
at my childhood home
“hey man, we made it in good time!”
“that’s great. when is the show?”
“tomorrow at 4, a spring gig”
“i know you know….
but, stay back. on the beat. don’t push the pace.”
he was a musician.
I could barely make out the words
or their inclusion
grown men weeping
the same men who I told you about before
filling the bars at lunch
they were shaken to the core
and knowingly realized
they could be next
in defense of the nation
|
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9. |
CELLAR DOOR
04:19
|
|||
I heard you knocking
at our cellar door
shakey made a run to New York
and he had scored
and you were desperate
how did you know?
acceptance proceeds at
its own pace
perception is constantly
a step behind
a step behind
the bottle,
empty.
friday evening.
the needle,
empty.
thursday night.
it was a secret
until it wasn’t
the neighborhood kids didn’t hear our warnings
they were simply kids
tired of warnings
tired of fighting
tired of trying
some survived
some were revived
and some of you died
|
Ellery Twining Connecticut
the second solo LP from the 17 Relics, Low-Beam, and Slander drummer
Ellery
Twining.
photography by Michelle Gemma
michellegemmaphotography.com
cover design by Mat Tarbox
Portfire.org
... more
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