| In his new Chapbook, Art Lessons, Joseph Lisowski
shares twenty-five not so obvious tips about succeeding (or simply
living) in the highly competitive field of Art. A six poem excerpt. |
Pour a glass of red wine
Pour a glass of red wine.
Let it breath
while you scratch
mosquito bites on your legs.
Remember, this is education.
Do not complain.
Dab the blood
from your bites
with cotton balls.
Glue them to a canvas,
blood side up.
Order doesn't matter.
Find a used sanitary napkin.
Stick it in the lower right corner.
Sprinkle liberally
the shavings from an electric razor.
Now is the time to drink.
Immediately pour another glass.
And begin again.
Never spit at a full moon
Never spit at a full moon.
Your incisors will become fangs.
If you are not overly proud,
God will watch you work.
Count your blessings.
Step on your evil deeds.
You must practice singing
for that eternal harmony.
Never, never skip a beat,
beat a skip, languish
in a wet meadow
where sparks of life
smell like sulphur.
Gather stones.
Mix sand with mud
Mix sand with mud.
Level with a back hoe.
Lay forms alongside.
Pour concrete and spread.
Spread your cheeks.
Use a trowel
to make the mortar firm.
Squirt it down
after it gets hard.
This is a metaphor
for analysis.
Stir the sea with cypress roots.
Stir the sea with cypress roots.
Add lemon, sugar optional.
Fill a cup to the brim.
Wait for it to bubble,
then remove the swizzle stick.
Drink three fingers of vodka
in two sharp swallows.
Exhale the heat.
You are now ready
to draw three cards.
Color them lucky
and raise the bet.
To silence your critics
To silence your critics,
unzip your fly.
Show pubic hair.
Remove your shirt.
Raise your arms
Heavenward.
Show the world
how the color matches.
If you are a man,
lick your lips.
If you are a woman,
sigh deeply.
To find favor
To find favor
with your muse
slip her big toe
between your lips.
Gently suck,
slowly swirling
your tongue
over pad, over nail.
Trace your fingers lightly
along her calf
to the back of her knee
Repeat.
Do not bite.
Do exactly
as she says.
Art Lessons is published by Tamafyhr Mountain Poetry | h
Joseph Lisowski is a frequent contributor to Poems Niederngasse. He can be reached at: jolisowski@yahoo.com
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