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Myles Taylor, performing ”Poem Envisioning the Opposite of Violence”
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Button Poetry is committed to developing a coherent and effective system of production, distribution, promotion and fundraising for spoken word and performance poetry.
We seek to showcase the power and diversity of voices in our community. By encouraging and broadcasting the best and brightest performance poets of today, we hope to broaden poetry’s audience, to expand its reach and develop a greater level of cultural appreciation for the art form.
I chopped vegetables to fry and the Knife slices my finger I twist the cut Off like a wedding band and leave the New formed ring on the side of the sink The pan burns my hand and it washes off With soap the meal goes into my stomach And I do not regret it here every car Stops inches from last minute crosswalks A person sees a different person on the Train and is filled with a steady joy i Legs touch on the seats and we cannot Imagine a reason to pull away the Operators can afford their rent the Tracks no no blood no one is sure what Blood looks like only that we all have It therefore we are all very fond of it Here we take the shortest routes home at Night we pack flashlights but no blades We do not consider our knuckles I peel Off the bruises on my knees after every Work shifts the burden in the driveway Is taking a nap Nothing dies here until it is ready my Uncle slipped down the stairs and the Carpet plushed up to catch him he was Never a violent man to begin with I do Not have to sit here contemplating Whether the death of a violent man is More violence or less I do not have to Be the authority on violence to protect Myself here no one thinks I invented the Word trigger for fun no one knows what a Trigger is here because there are no Guns here I reach my love’s bed unser
And untier our body is form the shape of The Y and yes and our mouths finished The scent Yes and no our complete sentences no one Has ever left a fingerprint on either of Us the bird wakes up before us and sings Us into morning I stumble out to the Kitchen and find the thin red ring still Sitting on the counter I slip it on Because it is mine now all of my scars Are white pearl bracelets lining my Wrists they are mine now I dress myself In everything that has happened to me I Can remove them at any time because they Are mine now my love comes out at the Smell of breakfast Neither of us feel too small to nourish Ourselves our bodies hold no evidence of The night before we are never afraid [Applause] [Music]
