January 18th, 2009
Link • Audio, Poems, Tributes • 3 Comments
DAVID ALPAUGH: “I’m attracted to poetry by its thrilling language—the electricity generated by the A & B of metaphor ‘running beautiful together.’ Visual poetry increases the voltage, counterpointing the poem’s words with a third dimension that commands the eye and affords the complex pleasure of a triple-read. In ‘Strip Taze’ the text begs a luridly posed photo of a tazer gun to reveal the primitive, naked violence it so seductively tries to obscure via the ‘cheesecake’ of 21st century technology. There will be blood! (Part of the fun was getting the final word ‘flow’ to end up on that red button.)”
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–from Rattle #29, Summer 2008
Tribute to Visual Poetry
A poem for these times! At once, sinister, funny, and wise… Alpaugh is, as well, a superb craftsman.
Ditto to Robert Sward’s comment.
As a self-labeled Cynical Optimist, I relish poems in the Emporer-Wears-No-Clothes mode. Alpaugh is a masterful satirical poet. He reads the poem as if he is spooning the pleasure and tang of each word into our ears. “Strip Taze” is dinner AND dessert: a visual poem served with scrumptious audio rendition. Thanks, Rattle.
David’s timely social satire combined with an incredible gift for sound-word wizardry creates this luscious ditty for the mind and senses which can only be described as one of his many contributions to todays cutting edge poetry scene that is fusing meaning, sound and the visual in fresh and exciting ways. Sing on Dave.