September's Harvest

Fresh off a move that was great minus a boxspring not making into my room on Sunday where I slept on my mattress in a room full of clutter. And tomorrow I am gone to the beautiful Bay area.

I didn’t want to make a post about it until the ticket was purchased, but the long and short of it is a few of the beautiful big wigs at The Steel City Poetry Slam said that I should go to Individual World Poetry Slam, held in Berkley California. So I am going. I am blessed with the humbling opportunity to represent for Pittsburgh on an international stage and connect with my West Coast Sole Vibe Family, my brother minus the blood, Mike who goes to school out here and a few other great friends.

I am a healthy mix of anxious, intimidated and hungry…

I’ll have pictures and video and stories coming up.

Until then… keep your nose clean

Lank

Joe, who is my main poem editor told me that this needed to be beefed up more . And it does, but I was stirred into wanting to put this version into the atmosphere.

for what it’s worth we do need reminders sometimes.

Elasticity

On the coffee table:

Magazines and books

I fully intend to read,

empty candle holders

doubling

as full ashtrays,

poems begging

for revision,

four different devices

used

to smoke weed,

and your mug,

which is forest green,

and stolen.

Inside:

One three-day-old

gulp

of tea.

We can argue

about our fight

all day,

as long as you remind me

of our elasticity.

And how we have not gone far enough

away from each other

to snap.

On the coffee table:

My feet.

Body stretched out on the couch,

As I reposition the pillow

that caught my wailing

and fists

hours ago.

I need to clean.

First:

The coffee table.

I study the prints

your fingers

and your lips

left

on your stolen, forest green mug,

knowing that, at least for a few sips,

the quivering stopped.

My apartment:

at least it always feel like

my home

when I walk in.

..thumbs down for the Green Day reference?

September of 2009 was one of my most memorable and powerful months of my short life.

Yesterday I wrote a long witty blog entry about how late I was in giving a 2nd post. I was going to make up a lie about the hidden metaphor within my only posts being the first and last days of September on a site called SeptembersHarvest. That plan collapsed on itself when the word document I was working on shut down without saving… probably for the best.

September was an amazing month.  I launched this site thanks to an amazing team I have with me. I was  supposed to follow my first post up with one dedicated to a man named Bill. That will still happen.

I also turned 25, which means maturity and focus and far less physical exertion.

My amazing friends helped me with a celebration that involved several great meals and a surprise kidnapping road trip from Pittsburgh to DC. The celebration lasted for about 10 days (praise whoever for that surprise week off starting with my actual birthday) which all blur together in a sticky haze. Ha.

Also I have been wrapped up in moving from my apartment. I thought I had another month. Not the case. Luckily producer/DJ extraordinaire and good friend Johnny Fishscale and I found a real nice house in Lawrenceville. Emily is taking bets on how long it will take for me to be a full blown hipster. Not happening. I can’t ride a bike and don’t have a strong enough grasp of irony.

Fish is trying to get me to get a scooter, but Mario Dones has made it very clear how clowned I will get.  So I might just battle Mario and take his pride from him before I get clowned.

This passed Tuesday, I got to help bring in The Elephant Engine High Dive Revival tour to Pittsburgh. The tour brought Derrick Brown, Buddy Wakefield, Anis Mojgani, Andrea Gibson and Shira Erlichman to The Shadow Lounge. I am blessed to say I got to open up with my friends William James and Rabbit…they are good poets and better people. Find them here – www.whatis174.com

The night was stressful because of how quickly the show came together. The pressure made a diamond though. The crowd left glowing and I am still riding a ridiculous high.

Love to the Revival.

Albums came out this month that I am amped to digest that came out in September:

Nicolay, Mayer Hawthorne, Jay-Z, Raekwon, Rain Machine, Brother Ali. I’m sure I’m missing some things too

October has amazing things on the horizon, but this post is too long already. Stay tuned. Stay with me and we’ll build something worth passing along.

Brian

Welcome to September’s Harvest. I just wanted to use my first blog on my site to say thank you. Thank you to not so small group of close friends that had direct hands in making this happen, to the countless sources of inspiration and whoever takes the time to look through the site. I will update it with writing and music and witty banter as time goes on, but for now thank you will have to do.

love,

Brian