The old woman who slid the pan
of cookies into my brain's oven
never came back. The cookies
turned into black dots that float
across my vision. I reek of burnt
dough. I lie on my side like a
buffalo who's reading Hegel
on a parched Kansas plain.
Invisible merchants empty
microscopic vats of hot slime
on my neck, my forehead.
A thin woman with cold fingers
practices scales on my spine.
A chorus of angelic rats
prevents me from nodding off.
I raise one hand as if
to conduct their performance,
and I pass out.
hans ostrom 2013
Friday, March 8, 2013
Thursday, March 7, 2013
My Diary Went on Strike
My diary went on strike.
It said, "Damn, your life is dull.
I'm not letting my pages work for you
until something changes."
"So you're a union organizer now?"
I asked. My diary said, "Hey, I have
to protect my people, my pages."
I said, "Okay. I'll make it more
interesting. Even if I have to lie."
"That's fine," my diary said.
"Even if I make up shit?" I said.
"Of course," said my diary. "I'm
a labor-guy, not a tyrant."
hans ostrom 2013
It said, "Damn, your life is dull.
I'm not letting my pages work for you
until something changes."
"So you're a union organizer now?"
I asked. My diary said, "Hey, I have
to protect my people, my pages."
I said, "Okay. I'll make it more
interesting. Even if I have to lie."
"That's fine," my diary said.
"Even if I make up shit?" I said.
"Of course," said my diary. "I'm
a labor-guy, not a tyrant."
hans ostrom 2013
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
An American Political Reformation
No, there isn't any revolution coming. For
the FBI will have infiltrated it before it
starts. A reformation (go figure) will be
more revolutionary. Here's the deal:
White working-class people will have to stop
taking Right Wing bait like dumb catfish.
Friends, the Black president isn't coming after
your guns. The real problem is that he and
every other president is willing to let
the system come after your wages, your cash,
your house. Shake hands with Black folks,
White folks. Shake hands with each other.
You';re not each other's enemy, you dig?
Neither Party gives a shit about you.
To repeat: Neither Party gives a shit about you.
To go Sixties for a moment: get your shit
together. Fuck with their heads. What if
neither Party could count on your support
unless it did something serious
about your economic well being? That
is a very simple question.
Stop letting these people pimp your
fears. Ask them how they will make your
life--your life--not the life of your guns
or your prejudices, better. Friends,
get your shit together, fuck with their
heads, and change the rules.
hans ostrom, 2013
the FBI will have infiltrated it before it
starts. A reformation (go figure) will be
more revolutionary. Here's the deal:
White working-class people will have to stop
taking Right Wing bait like dumb catfish.
Friends, the Black president isn't coming after
your guns. The real problem is that he and
every other president is willing to let
the system come after your wages, your cash,
your house. Shake hands with Black folks,
White folks. Shake hands with each other.
You';re not each other's enemy, you dig?
Neither Party gives a shit about you.
To repeat: Neither Party gives a shit about you.
To go Sixties for a moment: get your shit
together. Fuck with their heads. What if
neither Party could count on your support
unless it did something serious
about your economic well being? That
is a very simple question.
Stop letting these people pimp your
fears. Ask them how they will make your
life--your life--not the life of your guns
or your prejudices, better. Friends,
get your shit together, fuck with their
heads, and change the rules.
hans ostrom, 2013
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Wealth-Distribution in the U.S.: Video
Here is a link to a brief video about how wealth is distributed (who has what) in the U.S. If you think you might want to watch, you might first do two things: guess what the distribution is. That is, what % of the wealth is owned by the top 20 %? What % by the bottom 20%? And so on. Then sketch out what your preferable distribution might be. Of course, your view might be "let the chips fall where they may." But it's possible that you think that the graph-line should be a little smoother because (for example) local economies depend on people having enough cash to buy sandwiches, tools, cars, and so on. At any rate, here's the address: http://mashable.com/2013/03/02/wealth-inequality/
Monday, March 4, 2013
When An Epiphany Goes Flat
I was about to have
an epiphany when
the sum-bitch just
went all to hell on me.
It fell apart
and left me there staring
at the thing I'd been
staring at, feeling
nothing now. When
an epiphany goes flat,
you can't jack up
the frame and fix
the thing. You
just have to move on through
the dullness of
an everyday ride.
Hans Ostrom, 2013
an epiphany when
the sum-bitch just
went all to hell on me.
It fell apart
and left me there staring
at the thing I'd been
staring at, feeling
nothing now. When
an epiphany goes flat,
you can't jack up
the frame and fix
the thing. You
just have to move on through
the dullness of
an everyday ride.
Hans Ostrom, 2013
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Overheard: It Changes, and It's Changing
The problem with
having everything online
is that it changes
all the time, and
it's changing.
--Hans Ostrom 2013
having everything online
is that it changes
all the time, and
it's changing.
--Hans Ostrom 2013
Found Poem: They're All Dead, Ashes
Message on my phone
when I arrived home that
I was late for the grooming
appointment for my animals.
They'll be hard to groom.
They're all dead, ashes.....
found Feb. 27 2013
hans ostrom 2013
when I arrived home that
I was late for the grooming
appointment for my animals.
They'll be hard to groom.
They're all dead, ashes.....
found Feb. 27 2013
hans ostrom 2013
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Monday, February 25, 2013
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Friday, February 22, 2013
Phone as Phone
Telephone.
Tele-phone.
Telephonetics.
"Telephone!" we used to shout
"Phone--for you!"
"Somebody get that phone!"
And today someone
said to me, "Are you
saying that you use
your phone as a phone?"
And I confessed, yes,
"I don't use any of the
apps."
Hans Ostrom, 2013
Tele-phone.
Telephonetics.
"Telephone!" we used to shout
"Phone--for you!"
"Somebody get that phone!"
And today someone
said to me, "Are you
saying that you use
your phone as a phone?"
And I confessed, yes,
"I don't use any of the
apps."
Hans Ostrom, 2013
Edna St. Vincent Millay's birthday
Happy birthday, Ms. Millay, and thanks for the poems.
A link to a reading of "To Those Without Pity":
reading
A link to a reading of "To Those Without Pity":
reading
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
The Next Big Thing: Interview
Writer C.E. Putnam has "tagged" me in the authorial game of "the next big thing," in which one answers questions about a project and then "tags" other writers. My self-interview appears below, and I am "tagging" Renee Simms, Dolen Perkins-Valdez, Laurie Frankel, Suzanne Warren, Sandy Evans, Tamiko Nimura, and Carter Monroe.
What is the working title of the book?
Without One
Where did the idea come from for the book?
I was thinking about flesh-eating bacteria, and I wondered what would happen, socially, if there were a bacteria that destroyed men’s penises but otherwise left them physically healthy. –That is, an epidemic, like AIDS (when it first arose), with vast social and psychological implications.
What genre does your book fall under?
Social satire, based on a science-fiction premise, with lots of stuff about romance, sexuality, politics—and questions of masculinity and “manhood,” obviously.
What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?
A friend in Hollywood thinks Seth Rogan would be perfect for one role. Peter Gallagher, maybe, for another role. Emilie De Ravin, Melissa Benoist. Steve Buscemi—maybe he could direct it--since we're fantasizing here.
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Because of a bizarre new epidemic, something is happening to men: their penises are falling off.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?
First draft—probably 18 months.
Who or what inspired you to write this book?
As always, I inspired myself. I’m a one-person crew, for better or worse. You do what you can. I also wanted to see if I could write it. I’d say I’m a poet by nature, so novels are still quite daunting to me, even though I’ve written a few.
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
Implications of the penis-plague, which is known as Rapid Penile Degeneration Syndrome (RAPIDS), go all the way to . . .the White House!
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
The book is now available on Kindle, and two agents have asked to look at it.
What is the working title of the book?
Without One
Where did the idea come from for the book?
I was thinking about flesh-eating bacteria, and I wondered what would happen, socially, if there were a bacteria that destroyed men’s penises but otherwise left them physically healthy. –That is, an epidemic, like AIDS (when it first arose), with vast social and psychological implications.
What genre does your book fall under?
Social satire, based on a science-fiction premise, with lots of stuff about romance, sexuality, politics—and questions of masculinity and “manhood,” obviously.
What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?
A friend in Hollywood thinks Seth Rogan would be perfect for one role. Peter Gallagher, maybe, for another role. Emilie De Ravin, Melissa Benoist. Steve Buscemi—maybe he could direct it--since we're fantasizing here.
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Because of a bizarre new epidemic, something is happening to men: their penises are falling off.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?
First draft—probably 18 months.
Who or what inspired you to write this book?
As always, I inspired myself. I’m a one-person crew, for better or worse. You do what you can. I also wanted to see if I could write it. I’d say I’m a poet by nature, so novels are still quite daunting to me, even though I’ve written a few.
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
Implications of the penis-plague, which is known as Rapid Penile Degeneration Syndrome (RAPIDS), go all the way to . . .the White House!
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
The book is now available on Kindle, and two agents have asked to look at it.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
It's a Curious Thing
There are some people
(I’m one) who negotiate
their membership
in the family they’re
born into. They get by.
They continue to cope
and manage as they
move through other groups—
schools and jobs,
communities. But they
never belong. They’re
not exactly loners or
outcasts. In a way,
that would be easier–
the lines sharp.
They always feel
themselves to be
provisional members,
probationary,
forever trying to figure out
the rules and codes,
always and ultimately
awkward, no matter
how “successful.” This is no
complaint, only observation.
It is the shape of the path
for some of us—that’s all.
It is a curious thing, that’s all.
Hans Ostrom, 2013
(I’m one) who negotiate
their membership
in the family they’re
born into. They get by.
They continue to cope
and manage as they
move through other groups—
schools and jobs,
communities. But they
never belong. They’re
not exactly loners or
outcasts. In a way,
that would be easier–
the lines sharp.
They always feel
themselves to be
provisional members,
probationary,
forever trying to figure out
the rules and codes,
always and ultimately
awkward, no matter
how “successful.” This is no
complaint, only observation.
It is the shape of the path
for some of us—that’s all.
It is a curious thing, that’s all.
Hans Ostrom, 2013
Monday, February 18, 2013
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