Poem by Michelle Whitchurch
Ed. Gabby Gabby, 2013
……….
my handsareblisteringand drying and cracking
because my heart is not sturdy enough
to endure prolonged existanceinhumanform
iamn very sstressedand worriedand upset
this is why this is happeninganurse on a 1-800 number tellsme
i can rip my skin offin large piecesandleave the underneath exposed
bloody and pinkandrawlike aninfant slick with blood
betweenthe thumb andpointer fingers
the spot that makesan’L’
theplace imakeinto a gunwhen imimic
killingmyself to hheathertomake her giggle when the dayishard
the place your hand grips when we run through the metro platforms
and broode because we can
it is likemothers skin myskin
after the chemo after themasectomys after the radition
my mothers skincracks
icanlickmyfingerand touch the skin
and it comes off in bigpieces
thedoctor at the famous hospital has never seen it before
drying her skin after she showers is difficult
taking care of a sick woman is difficult
i slept on the floor of her bedroom
to listen to herbreath and wake her when it stutters and trembles
like i my voice inaconfrontation
mothers skin rubs off becuzaof her sweater while at mothersmothers house
mothers sweater becomes wetwith blood and something gummy and clearish
mothermothers cries
mother takesoff her sweater to show the wound
mothersmother takes off her sweater to show the healed woulnd only onemasectomy
mothers chest looks concaved mothersmothers chest looksconcaved
i don’t know why they are concaved idon’t think breasts have roots sodeep but maybe cancersdo
mother and mothersmother look at me
mothersmother reminds us that mothersfather used to murmur to me that i was ‘born to suffer’
mothersmother says she finally understands that
this legacy of pain dysmorpia sadness despondancy cancer
“no, it started long before that- it started before women- before my body”
fathersstepmother says “i wish you had some of me in you, just so you had a chance”
everyones face islet withtears all of the matronsof my family
even natalies faceis wet
my faceisnt
mother gets better i sleep inmy own bed not the floor
later i sleep on the floor out of poverty and my hands crack
my hands areaging faster than the restofmy body
.
.
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In just under a week, the planets align ready for CON-HAL LIVE-CON. Check your aura, cast a yogic pose and be ready to attend or live stream, you’re all invited as my guests of honour.
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NAPOREMO DAY 14, ROUND 2: ILLUMINATI GIRL GANG VOL. 3
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“I think the initial thread in my mind when I started piecing together the manuscript was: What is the lowest form of emotional contact two people need to share and still be in a relationship? Probably my most interesting relationships have been the ones I didn’t consciously understand. There were times in my life where I didn’t know if I was dating a person and didn’t know if that person even really liked me. I’ve had a few of those. We’d end up in bed together and the sex in that kind of relationship is so mystifying because there is a barrier between you and yet you are intimately entwined with one another. Your brain thinks weird things. So the Frank and Lili thing is essentially based on a relationship I had with a roommate in University that I think I was probably in love with but the nature of how we related to one another was so emotionless and convoluted that we were unable to define anything beyond physical attachment. It was amazing in the sense that everything was abstract. And the best thing I think was that I never questioned it because I didn’t want to pop that bubble. I liked the strange physics of the entire process we shared. My roommate was in a serious relationship, I was in a serious relationship and yet we would somehow abandon our ‘mature, adult relationships’ and go into this amazing unknowable place with one another. I guess the fact that we were also both cheating on our partners added excitement as well.”
(via popserial)
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Roxane Gay tells us what it means to be a “bad feminist.”
“I fall short as a feminist. I feel like I am not as committed as I need to be, that I am not living up to feminist ideals because of who and how I choose to be. I feel this tension constantly.”
Listen to the full interview here: http://www.litshow.com/archive/season-07/roxane-gay
(via therumpus)
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came home to find that my copy of illuminati girl gang had arrived and i made out with it because it looked so cute and smelled so nice
(this tumblr post acts as an open invitation to any female in the city of/surrounding areas of manhattan to come over my apartment and eat macaroons and listen to beyoncé and drink something vaguely resembling sangria and take turns reading IGG poems out loud)
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(Source: sarahjeanalex, via popserial)
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Work contributed by Charlie Chrobnik
Work contributed by Lucy Hardcastle
Work contributed by Nicole Coson
Work contributed by Aaron ChanYOUNG Charity Art Auction: Raising Money For The Prince’s Trust
Young for Young, an organization that helps to raise money for young people, will be hosting an arts festival and auction at The Atrium at 250 Bishopgate in London on April 21st from 2pm till 6pm, to showcase emerging young artist’s work and raise money for The Prince’s Trust, a charity that specializes in providing practical and financial support for 13 to 30 year olds. The mantra of Young For Young is “to encourage the young to help our own generation” and are hoping to set up new events in the future.
Some artists that will be contributing work are Ryan Humphrey, who will also be doing a short talk about his work at the event, Natalya Lobanova, Lucy Hardcastle, Rosemary Kirton, Nicole Coson and Maisie Couins.
SUPPORT YOUR GENERATION AND THE NEW GENERATION OF ARTISTS.
There will also be a YOUNG Charity Art Auction in Edinburgh on the same day at Pleasance Cabaret Bar, 60 Pleasance, Edinburgh (doors open 6:30pm) to showcase young talent from the area and raise money for The Prince’s Trust. Prices range from £10 and up so there will be something for everyone, and remember, it’s all for a good cause!
Please note: You will have to RSVP for the event by April 18th in order to gain admission and you can do that easily by clicking Attend on their Facebook event page (but if you or a friend don’t have a Facebook page, you can send them an email). There are also spaces for artists interested in featuring their work at the event, and you can send them an email for more information.
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“Love and Family” by Daniela Olszewska — Deerfield Public Library, 4.6.13
Poem topic: “Love/family”
(via tracydimond)
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I nominated Bluebird and Other Tattoos by Luna Miguel for the 2013 Best Translated Book Award (BTBA) in Poetry put on by Three Percent and next week the release of the Poetry short list will happen. Keep your fingers crossed.
And Clarice Lispector’s A Breath of Life (image above) is also up for the 2013 BTBA Fiction award and has been longlisted. That is the fiction book I would vote for, it is great and she is a great writer. Read more about her book here.
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(Source: partywitch)
