XV: Station of Imaginary Civilians by Alan DeNiro can be found in the inaugural issue of Hot Metal Bridge, a literary journal affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh Creative Writing Department. I've previously had the pleasure of reading DeNiro's short stories, but this was the first poem of his that I've read.
The poem is quite long, 111 lines long to be exact. 76 sentences, each ending in an exclamation point. Each line yelled? Shouted? Said with great excitement?
Update: Per Mr. DeNiro himself in the comments - This is only a section of a 165 page long poem!
"I don’t say anything
during my lunches!
No one speaks to me!
But I’m not desperate!
Does living in the moment
involve straining the eyes!
Or any other body part!
We are all leopards!
We are endangered!
Shut up!
I didn’t mean that!
I love you!
And also your goat!
Do you herd!
I’ve fallen asleep in a
restroom! I bet this
happens to everyone
when they’re asleep!
I have a little captain in me!
It’s from appamatox!
Sadly all lovers
will leave you!
Next time I’m quiet
I’ll buy dinner
for everyone!"
I'll be upfront, or back ended, and admit that I'm not sure exactly what's going on in DeNiro's poem, but I kind of love the boisterousness of this one.
Those are complicated thoughts expressed with vehemence, good if they are good. There are also a lot of them.
Posted by: Brian Hadd | April 04, 2007 at 05:36 PM
FWIW, the whole poem, whence this section is taken from, is 165 pages...
Posted by: Alan | April 05, 2007 at 03:52 PM