I don't remember finding out about Matthew Shepard's slaying. I was seventeen when it happened, a self-hating closeted gay Mormon, halfway through my I don't remember finding out about Matthew Shepard's slaying. I was seventeen when it happened, a self-hating closeted gay Mormon, halfway through my first semester at Brigham Young University. Did I think he deserved it, the way I thought gays deserved to die of AIDS for their sins? I hope not, but I'm afraid to remember too well.
I am the failure of the body to remain a boy, I am the remains of a boy, the body of his failure. ("I Am the Boy Who Is Tied Down", p. 7)
The first section�"Safe"—interweaves various viewpoints on Matthew Shepard's last moments with three poems describing Venus's grief at the death of Adonis. The language is brutal, visceral, and the tone moves from cold and dissociated to immediate and passionate. Reading this section, it was like I was hearing about the killing for the first time. And this time, at least, I know I didn't think he deserved it.
* * *
When I finally came out to myself as a gay man, and began to accept myself and to stop blaming myself for who and what I was, I took an entire summer to watch what I saw as the "gay canon," films I had been too afraid to watch until that point. One of the first of these was Almodóvar's masterpiece, All About My Mother.
I tell you, chica,
If you want something done, Do it with a knife. ("La Agrado Explains Plastic Surgery", p. 25)
The second section�"City of the Sad Divas"—is a collection of poems associated with All About My Mother and its characters: Manuela, who has lost her son; La Agrado and the other transsexual hookers; Huma Rojo and her heroin-addicted lover, Nina; and the city of Barcelona itself, where much of the action takes place. In these poems, the reader does not relive the film; rather, the violence and passion and filth of the film are held at arms length, looked over with a dark and dubious eye, considered, and then let go.
* * *
I've always hated Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo, although it is often gorgeous to watch, because I never believed for a minute that any of it was happening. All of the characters annoy me, the plot annoys me, and Scottie's obsession and eventual unraveling annoy me.
To be golden-haired means you are destined to be idolized;
brunettes have less fun but keep better secrets. ("Hair and Make-Up Notes, Scene 92", p. 50)
The fourth section�"The Double Bind: A Critical Text"—presents a critical analysis of Vertigo, and includes all kind of tantalizing details about the cast, director and the narrative and directorial choices in the film. I have no idea if any of these details are true; that is not the point: they are simply too delicious to resist. Each snippet, naturally, is accompanied by an associated poem. One thing that must be said in Vertigo's favor is that it is beautifully shot, composed and scored. Unlike the previous collection, these silky little poems do much more to evoke the actual feel of parts of the film.
One result of reading this section is that I have the sudden desire to see Vera Miles play the Kim Novak role (and, really, anyone else play the Jimmy Stewart role).
* * *
I've already reviewed the fourth section, "The Strange Case of Maribel Dixon," elsewhere on this site. I have nothing to add to that review except this:
I've never been a fan of Charles Vess's illustrations. He's a good choice for drawing fairies and sprites, but there always seems to be something feliI've never been a fan of Charles Vess's illustrations. He's a good choice for drawing fairies and sprites, but there always seems to be something feline and goblinlike about his characters, even the normal human ones. In fact, that's why I prefer the unillustrated version of [title:Stardust] to the graphic novel, and why I was less than enthused when I found out he was doing the paintings for this book.
But there's a first time for everything, I guess. I loved everything about this book, including the illustrations. Vess has turned Gaiman's simple poem into a paean to a young girl's audacity, curiosity and innocence. The paintings are gorgeous, with rich, colors and the fine, delicate details Vess is famous for. And the humans seem relatively human and the Ladies invoked in the poem seem properly otherworldly and strange.
Gaiman's poem has always been beautiful, but in this form maybe it will finally get the attention it deserves....more
Gabeba Baderoon's voice is clear and usually quiet, whether she is describing the coat her father made for her mother or the sinking of the Estonia, aGabeba Baderoon's voice is clear and usually quiet, whether she is describing the coat her father made for her mother or the sinking of the Estonia, and she seeks out and lays bare in plain, unadorned language the small details and feelings that give meaning to her subject--her father's garden, a library visit gone wrong, a photograph of her mother or of her lover's former lover.
Read Jessica's review for an example of Ms. Baderoon's poetry. Visit for many more examples, including a playlist of twelve poems read by the author.
Really excellent, breathtaking poetry. Cannot recommend her highly enough....more
"How do you love a lightning bolt? The answer: you do it quickly, and once."
This chapbook felt purposely uneven, but scattered through the 21 pages of"How do you love a lightning bolt? The answer: you do it quickly, and once."
This chapbook felt purposely uneven, but scattered through the 21 pages of mixed writing were flashing, lightning-birthed gems such as this one.
Like Maribel Dixon (and, the text more than hints, like her husband), the various segments are disconnected and dissociated, both in time, voice and style, and it took me two slow read-throughs to begin to absorb the whole. And I'm not even talking about the story.
I haven't decided whether this is good poetry. But parts of it are brilliant....more
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