Mimeo / Cordel, Alternative poetry distribution from d.a. levy to Azulao

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Mimeo / Cordel

Alternative poetry distribution from d.a. levy to Azulao

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• “Roses That” by d.a. levy
posted by Selig in our library of favorite poems

In the papers they call it “Music,” but don’cha know “Poetry” can also be an aural art! And in this time of clicks & MP3's, virtual chapbooks & archived performances, we think some research into alternative distribution means of poetry is called for.

d.a. levy, a mythical force for poetry in Cleveland, epitomized the mimeo revolution of the early 60s when there were a total of twenty small, underground presses in the country. A new book, The Buddhist Third Class Junkmail Oracle: the Art and Poetry of d.a. levy was published in 1999 by Seven Stories Press.

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• The Buddhist Third Class Junkmail Oracle

Breathlessly edited by poet Mike Golden, the controversy surrounding levy’s arrest for porn (his poetry) and consequent suicide (or was it?), reminds me of the best investigative rock’n’roll biography ever written: ‘Scuse Me While I Kiss the Sky: Jimi Hendrix, Voodoo Child of the Aquarian Age, coincidentally by another poet, David Henderson. levy’s poetry in Junkmail Oracle is visionary, beat, hilarious, and unstoppable, originally published in the 60s in editions of 50-100.

Which brings us to the Cordel poets of Brazil who stole the show at the first People’s Poetry Gathering. Literatura de cordel is “poetry on a string,” and that’s the means used for distribution: small chapbooks (folhetos) of between 8-64 pages are strung across a market stall. As the poet reads, often with guitar accompaniment, the crowd is induced into buying the books as they flutter in the Brazilian twilight (or whatever light, but somehow twilight seems the golden hour).

Poets, you should try this method, as you dig deep into applets, jpegs and gifs: make a (real) book, string up a clothesline, have all your poet buddies join you in placing their poems “for sale or trade” in real time. Twilight wherever you are, as James Schuyler (read his poems!) says, “It’s spring again / I wonder why.”

And meanwhile, here are a few lines from the great Brazilian poet José João dos Santos, known as Azulao, whose triumphant appearances in New York have again brought to the fore what poetry’s all about, which d.a. levy lived by -- the single voice taking on the society, two ears at a time.

Here’s Azulao letting us take a ride with him on “The Early Morning Train from Madrugada” (translated from the Portuguese by Nancy Cristina Martorana), in progress: . . . . .

It was at Ricardo Albuquerque Station
That one of the best stories happened
One day the train got so full
That one of my pals
Went to scratch his neck
But ended up scratching Juca’s wife!
He really got beat up that time

Some of the innocent travelers hopping on board
Get caught immediately in the giant squeeze
And five more are piling on top of them
Tires, bent, crooked
The train finally sighs in
They jump off, running and shouting!
To hell with comfort!

When you pull into Central Station
All you hear is a block of crying
One guy blurts out: “They ain’t let me get off
I’z spoze to gotten off in Madueira!”
From someone else: Damn!
Someone’ gone and stole my wallet
Course, it contained nothing but holes

. . . . .

Vendors sell their wares on the train
All day you can hear them and sing along
Get your candies sweet, taffy treat
Coconut yummies and peanuts to eat
From across the aisle, Hello! Look here!
Combs made of horn and bone
Guaranteed not to break with kinky hair!

. . . . .

You don’t believe all this happens in one ride?
Just try to shove some space and fit inside
Come up above Rio, my children,
See all the characters take their roles
It’s not a way of life, it is life I’m saying!
Take the early morning train
And you’ll get to see this movie live.