Commons: Poems 2017-2019

"Free Speech Poetry is in almost every locality. It’s at odds or even oblivious to traditional national or international poetry. A good part of it flourished in and out of slam renewing the Ginsberg/New American Poetry Revolution which continues on. Free Speech Poetry is vital in its reading performance lead more in larger cities, but all over I’m sure. Publish on demand services such as KDP bring books out from cooperative friends and individuals doing the typing editing layout. Locality ignites poets because of availability of live poetry events. Open readings and/or featured readers are the venue. Proliferation of poetry books by poets themselves assures locality even when poets go places exploring venues of other non-establishment poets. The locality of publication is the result of being ignored by both the East and West Coast publisher and university establishments. And there’s the dive in book reading and closing of bookstores. When you get down to it, all poetry is local. A good time to co-op to the co-ops." - from final page of Commons.

"No decisions should ever be made without asking the question, is this for the common good?" - Michael Moore

AMONG ALL COLORS

Father of Black knowing
Mother of coherence
among all colors
as the raining down of white
mixes dark umbers yellow ochres
greens of every passage
of every foot walking through
to get to the spring
to get to the outflow
to get to tanque
spring reservoir of life
the watercress and the garter snakes
the stream orchids the ditch flowing
the acequia
water of life protector
water protector of life.
/from Commons

Kenneth Irby: "The completeness with which [the poems] give you and your life there on that hillside, is so rich one can live in it, with it, from the poems – they are their own reality as completely as Duncan’s or Olson’s or Creeley’s – the myriad specific details, turns of direction of thought, uncertainties, flubs, ecstatic pitches, landscapes, touches and lacks, wants – but in such completeness and accuracy that they take one in and allow wandering there – participation? inclusion."

Art Goodtimes: “He is a master reader, and you have to imagine these pieces read. No, rather performed. For Larry truly breathes shape into the words. They take on attitudes. Costumes. He is their animator, as well as originator.”

Jimmy Santiago Baca: "I feel fulfilled that we claim a poet here unafraid of voicing his rancor at the ruthless betrayers of the heart, and, fulfilled that he is honest not to comprise or gloss over serious concerns of our age.”

Joy Harjo to Larry: “Poetry isn't the property of Academe. It's an alive art --- & you prove that.”