Another South You are reading copyrighted material published by the University of Alabama Press. Any posting, copying, or distributing of this work beyond fair use as defined under U.S. Copyright law is illegal and injures the author and publisher. For permission to reuse this work, contact the University of Alabama Press. MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY POETICS SERIES EDITORS Charles Bernstein Hank Lazer SERIES ADVISORY BOARD Maria Damon Rachel Blau DuPlessis Alan Golding Susan Howe Nathaniel Mackey Jerome McGann Harryette Mullen Aldon Nielsen Marjorie Perloff Joan Retallack Ron Silliman Lorenzo Thomas Jerry Ward You are reading copyrighted material published by the University of Alabama Press. Any posting, copying, or distributing of this work beyond fair use as defined under U.S. Copyright law is illegal and injures the author and publisher. For permission to reuse this work, contact the University of Alabama Press. Another South Experimental Writing in the South Edited by Bill Lavender Introduction by Hank Lazer THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA PRESS TUSCALOOSA AND LONDON You are reading copyrighted material published by the University of Alabama Press. Any posting, copying, or distributing of this work beyond fair use as defined under U.S. Copyright law is illegal and injures the author and publisher. For permission to reuse this work, contact the University of Alabama Press. Copyright © 2003 The University of Alabama Press All rights reserved Manufactured in the United States of America Cover and interior design by Bill Lavender Typefaces: Gill Sans, Universe ∞ The paper on which this book is printed meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Science–Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1984. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Another South: experimental writing in the South / edited by Bill Lavender ; introduction by Hank Lazer. p. cm.— (Modern and contemporary poetics) ISBN 0-8173-1240-4 (cloth : alk. paper) — ISBN 0-8173-1241-2 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Experimental poetry, American—Southern States. 2. Ameri- can poetry—Southern States. 3. Southern States—Poetry. I. Lavender, Bill, 1951- . II. Series. PS551.A56 2003 811’.608011’0975—dc21 2003009188 British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data available You are reading copyrighted material published by the University of Alabama Press. Any posting, copying, or distributing of this work beyond fair use as defined under U.S. Copyright law is illegal and injures the author and publisher. For permission to reuse this work, contact the University of Alabama Press. Contents Acknowledgments ix Editor’s Introduction xi Poetry Scouting Mission:At the Intersection of Southern and Experimental,by Hank Lazer xv Ralph Adamo New Orleans 1 Roches Moutonnees 1 from The Bicameralization 2 Sandy Baldwin [basic system code] 7 Heralds of the hurricane.) 8 Artificial Terra-cotta Skin Mutagen Mask of Humbaba/Humwawa 9 Jake Berry from Brambu Drezi,Book III 12 Holley Blackwell New Poem 19 Message No.32 19 Law of Trichotomy 20 (August 2000) 20 Another 20 Message No.44 21 Message No.57 21 SEEing yu 21 Message No.69 22 Dave Brinks The Secret Brain 23 The Halo Factory 24 Proscenium Moon 24 Please the Carrots 25 The Story Pillow 26 Any Blue Movie 26 The Tao Sequence 27 Joel Dailey Poetry fro Dummies 28 Ride the High Country 28 Dear Bubble 29 Call Me ‘Shortchange’ 29 Thong 30 Rio 31 Right Away 32 S’what Up 33 Brett Evans K-Doe Codas 35 Skip Fox The Most Notoriously Absent North American Bird in Her Face 44 In Referring to What Does Not Exist 44 sic transit gloria mundi 45 sic transit 47 Sic Transit 48 Economics of Metonymy:sic transit 48 sic transit 50 Economics of Metonymy 51 I cannot observe myself unobserved. 52 another 52 sic transit 52 You are reading copyrighted material published by the University of Alabama Press. Any posting, copying, or distributing of this work beyond fair use as defined under U.S. Copyright law is illegal and injures the author and publisher. For permission to reuse this work, contact the University of Alabama Press. vi contents Jessica Freeman Bayou Arabic Argot 54 Slate Roof Blues 54 Garden District Soubrette 55 Mourning dove ragpicks bargemen 56 November 1st 56 Part Evil 57 Customer #! 57 Houseboat Ferry 58 Ewe’s Candy Canes Red Sea Outerbank 59 Up Tchoupitoulas Nom de Guerre 59 Bob Grumman Cryptographiku No.1 60 Cryptographiku for Wallace Stevens 60 Cryptographiku for Jim L5ftwich 60 Mathemaku No.16 61 Mathemaku No.17 61 Mathemaku for Beethoven 62 Reality 68 Summer Rain 69 Ken Harris A in I as was Blackening Read (Mandala) 70 A Bough Well Bounds The Vowel Bounds Well 71 Vigil 71 The Fire After Fire 72 Poem In Progress 73 The Old Poetess Makes a Child 74 Directions to the Maze 75 Call and Response 75 Honorée Fanonne Jeffers Eatonton Tableaux 76 You Don’t Know What Love Is 77 Five Note Range of Sorrow 78 Ezekiel Saw de Wheel 79 i am your courtier 80 Ellen Craft 80 Eyes of Soon Children 81 Marla Jernigan A Palm at the Entrance to the Arm 82 Glorious 82 Kind of Ransom 83 Past Qualm of Hours 84 Put together how it will 85 This is Still Life 86 Who are you 86 Joy Lahey White Soil 87 Cattails Along Red River 88 Cotton and Gladiolas 89 Habitat Photo 90 Buckles 91 U-turn 92 .22 93 Bill Lavender A Note to Skip on Max and Maxine 94 frompentacl 97 You are reading copyrighted material published by the University of Alabama Press. Any posting, copying, or distributing of this work beyond fair use as defined under U.S. Copyright law is illegal and injures the author and publisher. For permission to reuse this work, contact the University of Alabama Press. contents vii Hank Lazer fromDays 99 fromThe New Spirit 100 Jim Leftwich Eleusis 111 )ohn Lowther ASLEEPING 119 Dana Lisa Lustig big guns go boom! (for Mark Prejsnar) 129 plane song 129 barefoot/extinguish at will 130 “and I am lonely and small in all this,goodnight” 131 Camille Martin [untitled] 133 to abcs and from rimbaud 134 fromno truck 136 solfège parasite 138 Jerry McGuire Not A Ton Notation 141 The Cages 142 Feeling Rosemary 143 Plate Pieces 144 Gongula 145 Thomas Meyer The Merchant’s Daughter 149 Dancing There 154 Uranium Ore 155 A. di Michele About the Extinction Of 156 Solstice / Surgery (12-21,22-99) 159 Unica Zurn’s Loam Bowl 160 Archipelago (Interra Diocesan) 162 Mark Prejsnar Composition with Wire 166 Ode to Toge 168 assuage bane 171 Government and Binding 172 abusive! that’s the word! 173 Randy Prunty Trigger D’evolution 174 Alex Rawls “H.S.Mauberley (Life and Contacts)” Part I by Ezra Pound 183 “Song of Myself” by Walt Whitman 184 “The Marriage of Heaven and Hell” by William Blake 185 fromWhat’s Your Sign? 186 “Romance Somnambulo” by Garcia Lorca 189 David Thomas Roberts Toward Mena 191 Tiff Belt Parley 191 Rodeo 192 Little Pilot Knob 193 I Mandate Ridges Raving 194 Kalamu ya Salaam SOUND is ProFound Sense 195 THE MOMENT OF THE FIRST DAY 200 You are reading copyrighted material published by the University of Alabama Press. Any posting, copying, or distributing of this work beyond fair use as defined under U.S. Copyright law is illegal and injures the author and publisher. For permission to reuse this work, contact the University of Alabama Press. viii contents James Sanders Poem with Referees 204 From the Mark Prejsnar Playbook 207 Christy Sheffield Sanford Rachel’s Recovery (Fucking with the Angels). 214 Lorenzo Thomas An Even-Tempered Girl Holds Her Breath 226 Dangerous Doubts 227 Blues Variations 228 Foolish Treasures 230 Back in the Day 230 Flash Point 232 Magnetic Charms 232 Stephanie Williams Peerage 234 A Drunkard Promise 235 Of Riches 236 Duchess of Dogs 237 coarse rigors 238 Hope Chest 239 A Maid of Need 241 Andy Young In Anguish,the Heart Finally Prays: 242 Foxfire 245 Ghost of Me 247 Vodou Headwashing Ceremony 248 Seth Young fromriver we are caried by 250 Contributors | Poetics 261 You are reading copyrighted material published by the University of Alabama Press. Any posting, copying, or distributing of this work beyond fair use as defined under U.S. Copyright law is illegal and injures the author and publisher. For permission to reuse this work, contact the University of Alabama Press. Acknowledgments Some of the poets and poems collected in this anthology also appeared in New Orleans Review,The Other South:Experimental Writing in the South 21,no.2 (Summer 1995),and New Orleans Review,An Other South: Experimental Writing in the South,Part II 25,nos.1 and 2 (Spring 1999). Special thanks to New Orleans Review editor Ralph Adamo,and Loyola University for their early support of this project. Ralph Adamo: “Roches Moutonnees” appeared in The Quarterly,and “New Orleans” in Southern Review. Sandy Baldwin:The Little Magazine published “[basic system code]” and “Heralds of the Hurricane,” in versions different from those below. Jake Berry: The exerpt fromBrambu Drezi,Book IIIappeared in Lost And Found Times. Joel Dailey: Some of the poems included here have appeared in Fell Swoop,Prosodia,Exquisite Corpse, Hangman,and Fuck! Skip Fox:“sic transit gloria mundi” and “Economics of Metonymy:sic transit” appeared in Exquisite Corpse 8. Honoree Fanonne Jeffers:“Big Mama Thornton,” “Eyes of Soon Children,” “Ellen Craft,” “i am your courtier,” “Ezekiel Saw de Wheel” from The Gospel of Barbecue (Wick Poetry Series/Kent State University Press, 2000).“You Don’t Know What Love Is,” “Five Note Range of Sorrow,” Massachusetts Review (Summer 2000).“Eatonton Tableaux,” Obsidian III(Summer 2000). Joy Lahey: "White Soil," "Cattails Along Red River," and "Cotton and Gladiolas" were published in Mesechabe and then in Abandoned Premises, a chapbook from Lavender Ink, 1999. "Habitat Photo," "Buckles," appeared in New Orleans Review. Bill Lavender:pentaclwas published in chapbook form by Fell Swoop.“A Note to Skip” appeared in New Delta Review. Hank Lazer:“Days 28” appeared in Days(New Orleans:Lavender Ink,2002). Dana Lisa Lustig:“plane song:” was published in 108:98. Camille Martin:“fromno truck” appeared in perspektive,“solfége parasite” in poethia,“to abcs and from rimbaud” in baddog. Jerry McGuire:“The Cages” appeared in Prosodia 8and “Gongula” in Swift Kick 2. Thomas Meyer:“Uranium Ore” appeared in Tight No One(December 2001),Whit Griffin and Andrew Hughes,eds.,Bennington,VT. Mark Prejsnar: “Assuage Bane” appeared in Mirage #4/ Period(ical). Randy Prunty: “Trigger D’evolution” appeared in 108. David Thomas Roberts: The piece beginning “Zinc-jangled pencil of groves” first appeared in Experimental Press. A version of “Rodeo” in unillustrated verse form first appeared in The Experioddicist. James Sanders: “Poem with Referees” appeared in 108. Lorenzo Thomas:“Flash Point” and “Magnetic Charms” first appeared in Combo(Fall 1999);“Dangerous Doubts” appeared in Gulf Coast:A Journal of Literature and Fine Arts (Summer 1994);“Foolish Treasures” and “Back in the Day” appeared in Kente Cloth:African American Voices in Texas(1995);“An Even-Tempered Girl Holds Her Breath” was originally published in Lungfull!Magazine(1998);and “Blues Variations” originally appeared in New Orleans Review(Spring 1999) Stephanie Williams: “A Drunkard Promise” was previously published in Mungo vs.Ranger 1 (Spring 1999). Andy Young: “Vodou Headwashing Ceremony” appeared in Exquisite Corpse;“In Anguish,the Heart Finally Prays” in New Orleans Review;and “Foxfire” and “Ghost of Me” in Mine(Lavender Ink,2000). Seth Young: Some of the poems from river we are caried byappeared in 108and Facture. You are reading copyrighted material published by the University of Alabama Press. Any posting, copying, or distributing of this work beyond fair use as defined under U.S. Copyright law is illegal and injures the author and publisher. For permission to reuse this work, contact the University of Alabama Press.