that thing

"shit is hard."

and I too feel that. beat. hate,

the words I

use because I can feel them

stuck to my hands.

im getting turned down

and over

and off

and getting spanked

for being too much

in too little a space

that I can’t or won’t leave

and I can’t and won’t love

like my hands pressing something that isn’t mine

into my chest

that thing

thump

one. two.

I’m getting turned down by smiles.

why does she try?

when I don’t and won’t and

it’s that we both.

lied and though

I knew

and she knew

what it was

it is still

a surprise everytime,

that thing.

On November 19th Mei Mei Berssenbrugge and Tao Lin are coming to read in Baton Rouge. They are crazy people, who we are lucky to have. Mei Mei is a very well-recognized and unfortunately soft-spoken poet, and Lin is a blizzard of funky gizzards. This reading is part of my move to make the Baton Rouge literary community not a piece of shit. We're spending some money to have these two high-caliber poets come and read in a very nice venue with the hope of really opening our community's interest in writing. .

I have decided that my Bruit Flow project is Baton Rouge. I would like to give a presentation in the future on my work developing the literary community here.

Sam

Mei Mei Berssenbrugge is the author of ten collections of poetry, including Fish Souls, Summits Move with the Tide, Random Possessions,Sphericity, and The Four Year Old Girl. Her work has been described as "spiritual exercises in physical form." Ms. Berssenbrugge has received fellowships from the NEA and two American Book Awards from the Before Columbus Foundation.

Tao Lin is the author of two collections of poetry, you are a little bit happier than i am and cognitive-behavioral therapy, as well as two novels, Richard Yates and Eeeee Eee Eeee & Bed, all published in the past four years. Gawker magazine has called him "maybe perhaps the single most irritating person we've ever had to deal with."