Andrei Codrescu

Sometimes it takes an outsider to see the things everyone else overlooks. Andrei Codrescu has played this role for many years. Born in Sibiu, Transylvania, in Romania, he immigrated to the US at the age of 19. He got involved in John Sinclair’s Artists and Writers’ Workshop in Detroit before moving to New York in 1967. Here he became part of the literary scene on the Lower East Side, making the acquaintance of Allen Ginsberg, Ted Berrigan and Anne Waldman. At this point he also published his first poems in English.

Paul Hoover describes his style as a peculiar mix of the “sardonic, […] Eastern European sensibility”, Dadaist surrealism and New York cool – a very fitting description for all of the five poems of Codrescu which are included in the anthology.

Codrescu is the founder of the literary magazine Exquisite Corpse and has been working as a commentator for the National Public Radio since the early 1980s. In addition to dozens of books of poetry he has also authored several non-fiction works and a documentary film entitled Road Scholar (1993), for which he won several documentary film awards.

My response to Andrei Codrescu below is based on his 1978 poem “Against Meaning”.

Links:
http://www.codrescu.com/livesite/
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/andrei-codrescu
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrei_Codrescu
http://www.npr.org/people/2100359/andrei-codrescu





~ - ~


FLES

*Jowl :
Smiling pouting smiling pouting smiling putting smiling pouting swelling pouting spilling pouting spilling putting cutting smiling pouting smiling pouting smiling pouting putting swelling smiling outing cutting cutting cutting
[ somewhat dislocated at an odd angle ]

*Picnic shoulder :
Crouched bent huddled hunched cowered cowered cowered cowered
[ blue light on my face at 2:45 am watching still typing still reading still ]

*Spare rib :
Bitch whore slut cunt 2nd to bitch whore slut cunt 2nd since bitch whore slut cunt 2nd by bitch whore slut cunt 2nd just bitch whore slut cunt 2nd justification – right ?
[ quotes Genesis 2:22 to me ]

*Loin :
GET THINNER IN HOURS drink mainly water GET ban white bread and THINNER pasta do cardio 30 IN minutes a day HOURS have nightly GET you-on-top THINNER IN sex do HOURS 36 push-ups and GET lunges every other THINNER day IN HOURS sleep 30 minutes GET more THINNER a night IN HOURS make HOURS one food GET sacrifice GET don't let IN HOURS the camera IN HOURS add pounds IN eat IN GET salmon GET THINNER for lunch GET stand THINNER IN up GET straight GET IN do HOURS IN squats IN IN and GET IN sit-ups THINNER pop THINNER IN an antigas pill
[ I push my chin forward, hold my arms away from my body, and turn slightly sideways from the camera with one foot in front of the other ]

*Boston butt :
Move pop arch straighten place point face shake help get move pop arch straighten place point face shake help get move pop arch straighten place point face shake help get move point arch pop shake pop move arch place point face shake help get move pop shake arch place point face pop move arch shake move pop arch face help get move pop shake arch pop arch shake arch point arch face pop face pop shake pop place point face pop arch pop shake arch face get pop get face point get face shake mooch arch cake face point pop cake mace help hove arch gave shake pop march race pop place point gaze help shoot shake place arch smooch pop rake gave march pop cake arch point help get help point face place move march pop race smooch top ratch cake place pop place face ratch cootch get face pop top help raze smooch shake cake face
[ always trying to keep up with the beat out of breath swollen ]

*Round :
B O O B S A R S E B O O B S A R S E B O O B S
[ circular motion ]

*Shank :
gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap graps gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap gap
[ on the train staring down on the screen as if nothing happened ]

*Foot :
Barcelo Burberry Burch
Caovilla Casadei Charlotte Chloe Choo Christopher
de Havilland Dolce
Fendi Ferragamo Francesco
Geiger Gianvito Gina Givenchy Guiseppe
Isabel
Jimmy
Kane Kirkwood Kors Kurt
Lanvin Laurent Loriblu
Marant McCartney McQueen Micheal
Nicholas
Olympia
Paloma
Rene Rossi Rupert Russo
Saint Salvatore Sanderson Schutz Simmons Sophia Stella Stuart
Tabitha Terry Tod’s Tony Tory
Valentino Versage
Wang Webster Weitzman Whistles
Zanotti
& Gabbana
[ a mile as in someone else’s ]

*Plate :
Still life
[ fruit flies ]

*Epilogue :
[ remembering Andrei Codrescu ]
Mostly to 
avoid myself 
while everyone watches
everyone watching updating hovering
God watches us faking it
all