Do I need to remind you it’s Friday.. the weekend.. el fin de semana?
Last post I talked about the straight edge (no drugs, no drink, etc.) movement and being all healthy and stuff, so I feel the need to balance things out.
So to help me do that is Florida resident Ale Gasso, who some call the “Punk Poet” or perhaps more aptly the “Party Poet”. Ale reached out to me last week with some of her poetry dedicated to… drinking. Hmmm… I knew drinking was a mind altering experience but I never really thought of it as poetry worthy.
Ale.. AKA the "Party Poet"
In general I’m not a big fan of hearing someone spouting poetry, no matter whether it be beat poetry or the more recent Hip Hop Poetry movement like the Def Poetry Jam that used to air on HBO. I’m not sure why but ever since I once saw Russell Simmons on MTV’s cribs bragging about his Gold Plated Toilet seat, I can’t help but associate him with the caricature of the new face of ignorance with money.
But reading poetry about something as simple as drinking, well that sort of opens up the deeper meaning to what I consider to be a fairly normal and mind numbing pursuit, and let’s face it we all need our minds numbed once in a while.. some more than others.
And God knows there are more than a few ditties from punk bands like NOFX or The Real McKenzies or dozens of others dedicated to drinking that could pretty much fill more than a few compilation CDs… so why not some poetry dedicated to it?
So without further adieu here is the punk poet or the party poet, you decide.. enjoy.
She walks in
all tattooed
and been there…
trailed by silence
taking a stool
so certainly
something she’s
practiced
the way she
orders
two fingers
tapping
the slant of
a brow.
After the After-Party
When everyone’s falling
or fighting
or both
or too-close
talking those
damp promises
of future
dates
forever hugs
you get used
to that sudden
horizontal
smack
all that broken
glass
usually blood
the punchline
that last
hilarious feat
setting tomorrow
night’s bar
even higher.
It’s the weekend! So for more poetry to drink to visit Ale’s site at http://www.poemstodrinkto.blogspot.com
Have fun!