S is for Smith (my favorite poets from A to Z - volume 19)
Smith3 - by Steven B. Smith
I like to call this image Blue Brahma
When I initially conceived of this favorite poets series, Smith was one of the first folks to come to mind. I stumbled across him for the first time, oddly enough, while I was doing my Weekend Tao Te Ching blog series on MySpace last year. Looking for more male friends with similar interests in the area, as well as hoping to boost my readership, I searched for "Tao Te Ching Cleveland" on MySpace and Smith's profile was the first to pop up. Checking out his site, I was awed by his collage art, intrigued by his colorful (even chequered) history and brilliant photography, and especially fascinated by his daily blogs about his life and travels with his übertalented wife and partner in ArtCrime Lady K. It took a little more exploring before I discovered his poetry - a rich mind mine, and (by design or not) a minefield to keep bullshit at bay. Smith's "work," in all senses of the word, is consistently bold and original. And though his poems can be quite playful, they are always powerfully profound. Even his prose and "fotos" (he seems to prefer the more sensible Spanish spelling) speak (and reek of) pure poetry. He also strikes me as one of the most honest, ethical men I know.
When Smith and Lady stayed in our home last year, my wife and I were impressed by how "down to earth" and real they seemed. I remember the four of us communing over Geri's chocolate fondue fountain, Smith's ability to communicate wordlessly with our dogs (who loved him), and then my waking up the next morning to make coffee and discovering Smith and Lady at our dining room table brewing poetic potions of their own out of el sol de mañana (the morning sun). I say it in Spanish not because they now live in Oaxaca, Mexico, but because mañana can mean "tomorrow," too, and sol (sun) always reminds me of the English word "soul." Not just that morning at my house, but every day in their "real" dream lives, they make poetry out of morning sun-stuff, as well as the world's night-dark flip side and the past, present, and "soul of tomorrow" both inside and out of each of us - often without even writing a word. Their lives are poetry.
Here is one of my favorite Smith poems, snatched from his website (www.agentofchaos.com) with his permission:
Now Zen
It aint age.
It ain't sex.
It ain't race, religion, height,
gender, color, class or learning.
It's path, progress and position.
The road not not taken.
Be here now.
Hear now
o eyes unseeing
o ears unearned.
We're all perfect potential
cept maybe republicans, lawyers,
the true organized crime called police
the true whores called priests.
You can walk on water IF water wants.
Just ask.
Walk willing.
There ain't no dark night's ungentle light.
Ain't nothing outside but lies.
But even lie true ain't for you.
Walk within.
Don't need no god.
No catholic pimp pushing blood feast.
My lie's mine.
Walk my own walk.
Fuck the talk.
Grasshoppers gone wrong become ants.
Bad ants cry uncle, cry wolf, cry baby.
Goats goad sacrifice to sun.
Ritual requires repetition, release.
Nothing stays river's run
but drought's dry dirt
(and river still runs).
Rub your ears together.
Start a fire.
Flesh alarm.
Let gone go.
Lock lip.
Listen.
It's interesting that I found Smith while looking for the Tao Te Ching, because in many ways he is now living the Tao - comfortable and confident flowing with the flux and talking life as it comes. Perhaps this wasn't always true with him. But it seems so today. Meeting him was instrumental in enabling me to speak openly about my prison past (as he has done about his own). Getting to know him also played a key role in resurrecting my faith in poetry as more than just an art, much more than mere clever words on a page. And that in turn led the muse I thought was dead and long gone back to me. He may find this amusing, but I consider him a poetic father.
Hi, Daddy!
Smith not only writes great poetry (he wrote his first poem 44 years ago and has never stopped evolving artistically). He lives poetry, makes his life poetry, makes poetry live, and inspires poetry in others. He was recently honored by the editors of Cleveland Poetry Scenes: A Panorama and Anthology
, who selected him as one of our eight most important poets born in the 1940s and included several of his finest poems. Other contributors to the volume remark throughout about Smith's unique influence and achievements (including publishing ArtCrimes for twenty years and creating www.agentofchaos.com, recently very nicely remodeled by Lady K, which might be the largest art/poetry website in the world.
Cleveland 2004 - foto by Steven B. Smith
I like to call this image If You Meet a Cracked Buddha on the Crosswalk
I just finished reading Cleveland Poetry Scenes and believe it is a must-read for all poets and poetry lovers. Forget the Browns, Indians, LeBron James, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Cleveland is one of the best places in the world for Poetry. Smith and Lady K are two of the many great reasons why.
For more, please check out these links:
www.agentofchaos.com - thousands of pages of some of the best art and poetry you'll find online
www.walkingthinice.com - a blog following the always-interesting adventures of Smith and Lady
http://www.deepcleveland.com/artcrimes.html - to order back issues of Smith's ArtCrimes
http://www.myspace.com/smithcrimes - Steven B. Smith on MySpace
http://www.myspace.com/shadygravylady - Lady K on MySpace
And click here to order Cleveland Poetry Scenes from my Amazon book store.
Good news: Smith and Lady will be back in Cleveland for a week or two this month, which means you'll have a good chance of catching them reading their poetry live. We'll keep you posted as to where and when that might happen. And I will certainly be there and blog about it when it does.
Posted by Jesus Crisis at 7/2/2008 9:46 AM 
Categories: Cleveland, Poetry by Others, Favorite Poets from A to Z
Categories: Cleveland, Poetry by Others, Favorite Poets from A to Z
Great tribute to Smith! I love his poem that you posted here. I've read it twice. Great stuff Steve! I love the pics you chose also.Why is "Blue" by Lee Ann Rimes going through my head....So, Smith is my father in law? lol I'm glad he inspired you to be creative again.
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Thanks for commenting, Geri Lynne!
Believe it or not, I don't believe I know that song. Maybe if I heard it, I'd remember. Might've come out while I was "away".... It sounds like a good name for a Patsy Cline song. But the one 've got going through my mind this morning is "Forever Blue" by Chris Isaak. I need to dig out that CD.
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This is such a nice post. Thank you so much!
We got in last night - three flights - much stress - but everything's OK.
The immediate difference I perceive between Cleveland and Oaxaca is that breathing air here is like breathing water. Not so in Oaxaca. So humid here!
We're planning to go to these poetry events, but we haven't arranged any "featured" readings. We'll participate in the open mics:
Wednesday, July 9 - 7 p.m. Mac's Backs
Thursday, July 10 - the Lit (Tremont) - 9 p.m.
Saturday, July 12 3-5 p.m. - Brandt Gallery
See y'all soon.
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Thank you, Lady! Glad you made it in safely....
For anyone interested in attending these events, here are the addresses:
Mac's Backs
1820 Coventry Road
Cleveland Heights, Ohio 44118
Literary Cafe
(featuring David Smith & T.M. Gottl )
1031 Literary Road
Cleveland, Ohio
Brandt Gallery
Looking forward to seeing you!
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wow. what can i say. it's all true. you're a good son (from one ex-con to another).
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lol... thank you.
For some reason I have this bastardization of a song from Disney's Jungle Book movie going through my head this morning: "If you pick a pawpaw, pick a prickly pear."
Looking forward to seeing you and Lady....
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Awesome! I'm not up to leaving a cogent comment yet been under the weather..... but I will be back... hot darn.. Glad you finally put Steve on here!
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Thanks, Chris! Hope you're feeling much better today.... And I look forward to hearing how last night's open mic went (maybe you've posted a blog about it already, but I just got up and haven't had time to check yet).
Steve's the main reason I decided not to do the Poets series in alphabetical order. Otherwise, he might not have appeared until next year... lol. I started the blog a few times before, but always got interrupted by other things - and then when I'd return to what I'd written it didn't feel right. This time, it flowed despite interruption - so I let it stand. I'd also been waiting until I'd finished reading Cleveland Poetry Scenes. That they were also returning to Cleveland made yesterday seem like the perfect time as well.
I did forget to mention one thing, however: their forthcoming joint memoir of Steve's life: Criminal. From what I've read about it, I think it could be a smash. An fantastic story compellingly written - folks won't want to put it down. If they make it into a movie, I wonder who would play Smith - too bad a Citizen Kane-era Orson Wells isn't available.
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that is VERY interesting casting.
i hope you won't mind me mentioning this. when you click on the link for "cleveland poetry scenes" the main amazon page says it's out of stock. however, if you click on the "used and new" link on that page, you can buy the book directly from "bottom dog press" by clicking on "lsmithdog". this way, even though amazon still gets a cut, you and the publisher will still get coins.
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Thanks! that's good information to have.
And "lsmithdog" is Larry Smith, one of the book's editors and the head of Bottm Dog Press
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smith and lady are 2 of my most favorite people that i've met through myspace. i'm glad you found them, or might not have ever met them.
they are both inspiring to me. a poem of theirs that i have on my profile even inspired me to write a poem about the way theie poem was written, and when i wrote a tagged blog several months ago based on the 7 deadly sins, i used them as my envy; they are living the life i would like to have someday.
bravo on the blog, and to steve and lady for being such wonderful influences.
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Amen! And thank you, Meribeth!
By the way, I appreciate your submission to my online library - great piece - and hope to have it posted there later today.
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Smith and Lady are probably the most interesting people on My Space. It just makes me so happy that you blogged them.
Of course I know Oaxaca since I spent a week there all by myself after a Far Horizons Mayan Hieroglyph tour when I was on sabbatical leave. So I can relate to all their art and especially the photographs they have posted. It amazes me how much they have accomplished in both art and poetry together. So a big fat kudos to you for letting us all know more about them.
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Thank you kindly, Elena! I want to visit the Mayan heart of Mexico one of these days, if Uncle Sham (er... don't I mean Sam?) will let me have a passport.
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I think it is possible to get a passport. Just apply.... I always wanted to take you to Mexico or Spain with the students I had at LCCC. Now is now and it is never too late. The future is never something to wait for. It never happens. Does it? It is just the same day happening over and over again. This is my opinion, of course, unless YOU make it happen. Have passport (not gun) and will travel is my motto. Freedom doesn't come by somebody giving it to you. Just ask Smith and Lady. Oaxaca isn't Mayan country but ask my nephew Mike what it was like when I took him to Mexico. He will never ever forget it. I want you to meet him also someday soon. And Marcus and Miriam and the others I know. Chris is now a friend and I hope to get to know Steve also and his lovely and talented wife. Why is the only thing I have going to keep in contact these comments? Please get in touch soon.
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I've been following Lady & Smith's blogs on myspace for awhile now, and let me say - the world feels so much better with them in it. This is a lovely post and a moving description.
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The world does feel better with them in it.
Thank you, Courtney, and welcome! I've seen your comments on their blogs before, and it's a pleasure to finally "meet" you.
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you folks are going to swell our heads with such comments. gonna have to get me a bigger hat.
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Geez.. I can only say what a wonderful tribute this blog is to Steve Smith, John. You can see he's had a lot of influence on you... a good influence.
I think that's why I've taking the time enjoy his almost daily blog offering every morning... because they are often thoughtful, sometimes playful.. but alway refreshing to read. So I personally am pleased to enjoy this blog with Steve's poetry and fotos...
And hoping to finally be able to meet them myself too. That will be a treat...
A really fine blog...
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Great tribute to Smith and Lady. I have always been intrigued by Smith's work, his poetry and photography. I like to get to know more about a poet to understand the poetry and I think I am going to do some of the homework that you did so that I can better understand these fascinating people.
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