Random, Abstract Poetry - 02/12/09

Background: I take the Brooklyn Rail newspaper and underline words and phases in the articles that catch my attention. Then circle a word or phrase for the title. It's more of a subtractive process, taking a page of words and editing down to a poem or maybe several. It's kind of backwards from the traditional process of adding words to a blank page, but it works for me. The pieces of newspaper with these random abstract poems get used as collage material in my artwork. I create the artwork. My darker, semi-schizophrenic alter ego creates the poetry.

The concept of taking something that already exists and turning it into something new was inspired by a Richard Prince exhibition I visited at the Guggenheim - 2008. His re-photography, nurse paintings, and deKooning woman, collage paintings were my favorites.

Examples: You can see actual articles from the Brooklyn Rail with the poetry on my website at - www.ErikVP.com/poetry


Door-to-Door Salesmen
The creators, looking to deceive.
Intellectual principles all centered on,
A devotion to the idea.

Peddled to the curious.
People bought complex, scientific theories.
This was decidedly odd.

Odd or ridiculous.
Unorthodox as much as sarcastic.
Hilariously hilarious.
Orchestrated ideas with humor.

It really is hilarious.
It might even be great.

It is strange to think,
But that's what happened.


Harmless Except To Himself
You talk literature with them.
Actually English.

You talk about anything?
He didn't talk much.
A very quiet, ominous language.

It wasn't literary,
But very intelligent, of course.

What were they like?
Sometimes, usually a psychoanalyst.
Concentrated on one person.
You get the idea?
Then next time,
It would be somebody else.

One thing was funny.
He didn't like Ireland.
It was a long story, I remember.
And I didn't notice the manuscript.

So strange.
The pauses taught silence.
He taught in silence.
This woman stood up and said,
This is terrible.

I wouldn't call that a great success.
But I guess it was successful.



The Way It Functions
This is a common thing.
People who don't believe.
When I believe.
Who really believes?

People are hostile.
Like Wal-Mart before they come in.
It's not planned cynicism.
But cynicism is not.

If you think it's a good thing,
To make people cynical,
What are you going to do?

There are two ways of looking at that.
Which never changes.
A laissez-faire state.
Sort of anti-ideology.

All the stuff gets tossed away.
Things, stuff,
And the red stuff.
That stuff has very little place.
You rarely hear about it.

Just a cynical maneuver?
I think so.
The magnetic power has exerted itself.