Lens is a poem I wrote on March 23rd 2012 and published in a limited edition chapbook (30 copies) for free distribution at the NIA Coffeehouse event “Poems of Power, Words of Life against Violence and Brutality” on March 27th at St. Alban Episcopal Church in Cleveland Heights. I am grateful to Kathy Smith, Cavana Faithwalker and Steven Smith for putting this special event together and including me. That day’s good words were accompanied by the lively musical stylings of Vince Robinson and the Jazz Poets, and I am happy Dianne Borsenik captured this video of me sharing the stage with them while debuting “Lens.”
Link to video: http://youtu.be/q5NtkZxBKB4
Lens
by John B. Burroughs, 3/23/2012
[cues in brackets allowed but not meant to be aloud]
Chorus:
[violent] VIOLENCE [soft] silence
[stern] Violence [stern] Silence
[soft] violence [violent] SILENCE
Verse:
Less is more and more is less and silence
is most golden to the rich and oppressive
and would be impressive if not for the give
gone missing from nature’s desired balance
Give and take and
give and take and
give and
take and
take and
take and
take [make a scratching sound as though roughly removing the needle]
The record keeps skipping
time to pull out the needle
Chorus:
[violent] VIOLENCE [soft] silence
[soft] violence [violent] SILENCE
Stuck in the same groove
Verse:
Sometimes I feel like an acquisition
infected by a controlbot
running as my masters intend
whenever anyone sticks coins into my slot
like I’m programmed
to consume and consume
subsume
take a nap
and resume
consume subsume
Size matters
bigger is better
stronger faster
forget impending disaster
I want to be the sixty million dollar man
when I grow down
Can’t wake up
need to drink more coffee
Can’t go to sleep
need to drink more wine
Always hungry
need more mine
all the time in between
Never satisfied
I dine and dine
on more and more swine
prove the proverb true
I am what I eat
maybe you are too
Chorus:
[violent] VIOLENCE [soft] silence
[stern] Violence [stern] Silence
[soft] violence [violent] SILENCE
Distinction blurs
Verse:
Kill ‘em all and let God sort ‘em out
We human would-be gods
can’t wait to start sorting
the money and land and command
you dead leave behind
but first we need your ass [cough] assistance
Be all that you can be
join
consume
follow
consume
collect
consume
kill
consume
die
consumed
Submission accomplished
Chorus:
[violent] VIOLENCE [soft] silence
[soft] violence [violent] SILENCE
Coda:
Contract the compound
distill its essence
sigh, violence
vie, silence
contract it further
vi… ’ce
vi…’se
you can spell it either way
with an S or a C
violence silence
vi… ’ce
vi…’se
vice vise baby
the record keeps skipping
the handle keeps turning
The head I’ve been helping
to squeeze is my own
and my children’s
Time to pull out the needle
stop churning the handle
look in a mirror
for a moment
put my vy-
ing and my sigh-
ing aside
and focus
my lens.
#
One of the most powerful unrehearsed music/poetry pieces I’ve seen; outshining even Kerouac/Allen (
). Shine on!
Thank you so much, brother! A deep bow in your direction…
Always enjoy your wordplay.
Thank you, Tracy!