Curbstone Press Poem Praise

Are you a political poet?
No I write about things I am passionate about
And I am passionate about my country -- Claribel Alegria

I don’t care about Miguel Marmol Prize
just want to be in front of Sandra Cisneros’s eyes

La poesia es como el pan, de todos -- Roque Dalton

OPENUP!! openup hope-ope-open
hopenup finfinefunfinally time it's time can only
cannoli prrrrraise rraaise knock knock whose air
      cmon cmon cmon kin can comin time's begin
      begin

Poetry to celebrate participate cultivate at any rate perpetuate tonight at National Arts Club cocktail party for the cocktail party challenged

This is Praise Poem for Curbstone! for poetry! for poets! for Us-- that's where I start we are all poets so you can come up here next, perhaps I should define...

“One of the stones forming a curb especially at the edge of a sidepath, hence, the stone edge of a sidepath First used 1806 in J Beresford’s brilliantly titled Miseries of Human Life, still a main theme of literature at Curbstone Press... 2. a curbstone broker, a broker, not a member of the stock exchange, who transacts business in the streets” -- definition courtesy OED
At this point yr probably wondering what is this guy into/ nuff already with the intro/ let's get on with the poemmmmmmmm
So I hope it won't upset you see martinify yr cup of tea I'm Bob Holman and what you get is me and this is poetry
You see I'm just back from Africa I've been studying with a griot - keeper of the oral traditions --Alhaji Papa Bunka Susso's teaching me how music and poetry originated as one (Blame him)
In The Gambia it's part of the poet's job description to inaugurate events with a praise song celebrating those who make it happen
So hear now the praises of the places and the dayses amazes acrobatic charismatic Willimantic Curbstone Press
Now charitable bountiful munificent and liberal are not things we talk about these days without embarrassment considerable
Ya ya that’s why I've borrowed this praise chant from the Family Dembele of the Djibasso region of Burkina Faso
And now if I keep going on like this/ you'll have a first hand experience/ of why the oral tradition probably died out in the first place
Or maybe today we'll survive it revive it make it live it pass it on and leave this gathering humming hmmhmmhhmm
So I guess I can stop this singing that is if you call this singing though personally I just call it "Reading the Poem"

HERE WE GO

Take a tip from Mahatma Ghandi representin Judy Sandy, the stone that would not be curbed is the stone that rocks the world

For what Curbstone hath unleashed capish? they hath wrought the writers breached the breach given us a lineup of conscious preach
Praises to the writers and their write

Argueta, Alegría, Nguyen Duy, Molina, Gyula Illyés, Ma Van Khang, Huu Thinh, Sylvia Iparraguirre, Valenzuela, Mellibovsky, Garro, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz Prize (sorry that’s a prize)

Ross Rosenthal Jacobs Cooper Philips Barry with 2 L’s and David only one
Huerta Arias Flakoll Lobo/ Darwin Barnet Benedetti Montejo/ Ramírez, Belli, Mármol and the Andersons three: Doug, Thomas P. and Benny (who spells Andersen with an “e”)
Mulligan Bowen William Jay Forche illustrated with Mayan images

Rugama! Dalton! Cardenal! Borge! Urtecho! Randall Stavans, López Vigil Di Masso Viriato Sención Zatz Zamora -- Daisy I love ya
Roberto Sosa Ho Anh Thai Bilingual Vietnamese/Spanish illustrated
      with Mayan images

Not to mention the Danes: Rifbjerg, Ditlevsen, Willumsen, Marx, Nielsen, Fischer, Schnack, Nordbrandt, Jørgen Sonne, Malinowski, Mørch, Thorup, Alpar, Uffe Harder, Brandt, Larsen, Schade,
Quijada Urías, Luis J. Rodríguez my main motorskitess
Ayala, Karlin, Coyne, Nguyen Ba Chung, Le Minh Khue, Truong Vu. González, Rosenwasser, Brugnaro, Victor, Clemente Soto Vélez, Julia de Burgos
Agüeros Quintana Herrera Espada “el abogado oso”
Translators, dicame?
Davie, Daniel Hoffman, Kolumban, Smith, Watkins, et. al.,
Bowen , Nguyen Ba Chung, Forche and Carolyn Forche
Evans, Nguyen Qui Duc, Nguyen Ba Chung, Phan Than Hao and Wayne Karlin, Hirschman, Jack! Normington, Jim! and Hardie St. Martin
Zatz & Hill & Kaufman; J. Engelbert, T. Richards Carpentier, Christopher Leland, M& M Proser, Amanda Hopkinson et al.
Unger Flakoll March Hood, Flakoll, Unger, Flakoll Ross and Schaaf
Bartley, & Yoneda & did I mention Darwin Flakoll? and David Unger?
Fried & Jacques Perera, Randall & Randall Lyons Miles, Weisberg
White Bartley, Johnson, Cohen Espada & Pérez-Bustillo, the author & Camilo Pérez-Bustillo
Jack Agüeros, Bac Hoai Tran and Dana Sachs, Translated by Nguyen Qui Duc et. al. illustrated with Mayan images

These artists see em on a boat afloat now to praise those who provide the boat, the Board of Directors at Curbstone, you get my vote, all Parises to thee!
Adams, Campagna, Gibson, Harley, Newmyer, Rios, Staubach of the Co-op; Von Drasek, Harcourt Bracek; and Stephen W. Welch

Ok grand finale time
let's dive into Curbstone Press c’mon an actual press an olive cum wine press cum freedom of the press this is a poem c'mon C'mon! Dive in
the poem! You dive first. Ok. I'll jump first dive head First into swirl
whirlpool troche moche I can’t swim is ok no need to swim drowning
in poem you cannot drown in the poem man you get spit out like food chunk twanged by whale’s toothpick
to drown in a poem is to save a life
to drown in a poem is to save a life
so let’s drown in Curbstone praise poem today poem now poem
we'll not escape (Chorus: no we'll not escape) (the call & response portion of the oral tradition) we'll not escape (Chorus: no we'll never escape) we get down anti-drown we drown in it not a bad way to go is it, as the oral tradition makes comeback and I'm starting a new poetry club on the Bowery and am currently looking for investors to go in on Real Estate for Art! New Model!
Capitalismo gee what a gizmo
if interested see me after the poem meanwhile who we're still a-swimmin in the book drowning in the poem a pictorial history on foamboard panels we’re talkin Mayan i,agery here it’s just gotta be a Cocktail Manahatta Passa the Hatta please pass the pan y poemas so we give praise Oh yes praise (hey ho I do love this griot job! composing praise poems is as easy as saying) Judith Ayer Doyle Judy Alexander Taylor Sandy we are drowning in your Press and handing over prizes doctorates presents awards flowers love balloons fundraisen like bread fiesta pesos y dollaros and the news flash cold cash for what you give us is Incalculable and all we do in return is praise best as we could can humbly offer this poem which ends here Judy Sandy so typically gratefully
with you