Poetry Unscene
Poetry is like
oxygen. Why does it need
to be visible?
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About Jesus Crisis
John Burroughs,
a.k.a. Jesus Crisis, is a pacifist, poet, playwright, musician, composer, bibliophile, and seeker in Elyria, Ohio.
Co-founder (with Dianne Borsenik) of the monthly Lix and Kix Poetry Extravaganza and the annual winter wordfest known as Snoetry, John is also the founding editor and publisher for Crisis Chronicles Press and a regular contributor to the Cleveland Poetics and Ohio Poetry Association blogs. Since 2011 he has served as the OPA's webmaster pro tem.
John founded a loose association called Poets of Lorain County, under whose auspices he's hosted regular open mic and featured poet events at the Avon Lake Public Library and the Lorain Arts Council's 737 Gallery, as well as the PoetryElyria series at Jim's Coffeehouse and Diner, the Scott M. Duncan Photography studio and other venues in his hometown.
John's work has appeared on stages in four states, as well as in numerous journals, and he is the author of six poetry chapbooks, including:
Water Works (Recycled Karma Press, 2012)
Electric Company (Writing Knights Press, 2011)
6/9: Improvisations in Dependence by Jesus Crisis (Crisis Chronicles Press, 2009)
Identity Crises by Doug Manson, JC and Bree (Green Panda Press, 2009)
Bloggerel by JC (Crisis Chronicles Press, 2008)
Two broadsides featuring his work, For Change Is and Low Kay Shun, are available from NightBallet Press.
Visit the Crisis Chronicles home page or his Crisis Blog to learn more about John.Subscribe Via Feed
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The Tao of Jesus Crisis: Poetry Unscene
Poetry is like
oxygen. Why does it need
to be visible?
Oh.. you are a quick draw artist John. I feel of two minds on this one..
I'll come back when I have time to articulate my thoughts.
But coming from you.. this is a bombshell.
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Many thanks, Chris.
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Poetry like oxygen isn't always visible when it is just hot air blown into the wind.
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Poetry Obscene
Like Oxygen needs to be
Quite Invisible
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Maybe your calling
poetry obscene is the
real obscenity.
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poetry is all around us - it is only sometimes we stop and make it manifest.
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Sounds good to me!
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Because the *good* poems create substance and are less like air and more like:
"...fires for the cold, ropes let down to the lost, something as necessary as bread in the pockets of the hungry."
— Mary Oliver
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Interesting response, Melanie. Hmm.... Before you said that I was thinking of Emily Dickinson:
To see the Summer Sky
Is Poetry, though never in a Book it lie —
True Poems flee —
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The Unscene poetry is Fuck poetry that is both not seen at this point in time and has an obscene title. lmao
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From Thich Nhat Hanh:
"If you are a poet, you will see clearly see there is a cloud floating in [a] sheet of paper. Without the cloud, there can be no rain; without rain, the trees cannot grow, without trees we can not make paper. The cloud is essential for the paper to exist."
So, in other words I think poems when they are "poems" may exist in words on page but they bring into mind the clouds. Without the cloud, would the poem still exist? Of course, capturing it on paper only changes the form of the poem not the essence of it, no?
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I like these thoughts, Melanie. When we see clouds and rain and complain we also have to realize that without both water and sun life would not exist on this planet. And if life didn't exist neither would poetry nor language nor love. So don't be in an "existential vacuum" Feel, believe and be grateful.
And also breathe in the oxygen deeply and just keep living and writing.
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