Rauan Klassnik Poems
To do it she sits on the floor, and presses a talon against her clitoris, and then rips upward. Tearing up through her navel. Up to her neck. It’s the most intense orgasm, brilliant and chic, and she just absorbs it—lying back, arms spread, like a crucifix. Her eyes brighten. Then close. She bleeds out. Hardening. Paled. A carnivorous flower.
The back of his neck’s red, and badly wrinkled, and I want to touch it and make him young again. We sit down in the living room. And we talk about nothing. Then about her. His daughter. My wife. And I can see me breathing down on her. To heal her. I breathed all over her. At the funeral I imagine us together. And, in my arms, she’s changed into a corpse. And I’ve entered her. And I’m fucking her harder and harder. And my tears splash down on her cold white neck. The light’s dazzling. A garden of statues throbbing.
In the Louis Vuitton storefront windows there are birdcages. And in each one there’s a shiny handbag. Or a glinting shoe. And, then, the maimed raccoon in the park—hunched over like it’s about to crap. It came towards us. Slumped over. And rolled on its back. This happened over and over. And the whole time it looked like it was smiling. I didn’t sleep well. I dreamed I shot you and ground you into powder—and the wind just swept you away. Elephants were chasing me, too, I think, and I woke up frantic, and horny, and you ended up having a tiny climax. The tiniest ever. A diamond stud. In a giant cage.
Rauan Klassnik’s book “Holy Land” (http://www.blackocean.org/holy-land/) released from Black Ocean in April 2008. Rauan’s currently working on a book of monsters, pacing back and forth in a fever, pitching up higher and higher: “slave ships moor inside me. And daisy rashes.”
April 4th, 2010 / 5:13 pm
Sunday Service
Sunday Service
In the last one I thought the line was – ‘and in each one there’s a shitty handbag. or a glinting shoe.”
Made perfect sense to me.
In the last one I thought the line was – ‘and in each one there’s a shitty handbag. or a glinting shoe.”
Made perfect sense to me.
Why do you guys promote this stuff?
Why do you guys promote this stuff?
i’m guessing this thread’s lack of shitstorm-y commentary will be bound to cause this very same question to pop up in the heads of several said ‘guys’.
/that raccoon looks said to me.
i’m guessing this thread’s lack of shitstorm-y commentary will be bound to cause this very same question to pop up in the heads of several said ‘guys’.
/that raccoon looks said to me.
For what it’s worth, Ryan, I actually like these. Understand why a person wouldn’t, but I do.
For what it’s worth, Ryan, I actually like these. Understand why a person wouldn’t, but I do.
Excellent use of the word “chic.”
Excellent use of the word “chic.”
ryan, i am curious about why you think rauan’s poems shouldn’t be promoted. his writing definitely deals with difficult issues: the darkness of sexuality, violence, carnality in general. but i feel that his work is necessary–a taboo breaker, with real elegance and beauty woven through each line, each sentence, each image.
i think, maybe, to get a handle on what he’s doing, it would be helpful to read his book Holy Land. See if you can find it at your library, or make sure they order a copy. i’d be interested in hearing you thoughts.
ryan, i am curious about why you think rauan’s poems shouldn’t be promoted. his writing definitely deals with difficult issues: the darkness of sexuality, violence, carnality in general. but i feel that his work is necessary–a taboo breaker, with real elegance and beauty woven through each line, each sentence, each image.
i think, maybe, to get a handle on what he’s doing, it would be helpful to read his book Holy Land. See if you can find it at your library, or make sure they order a copy. i’d be interested in hearing you thoughts.
Rauan is power. So happy to see these here.
Rauan is power. So happy to see these here.
I’m not necessarily saying that they shouldn’t. I don’t really think very highly of these three particular poems, but, honestly, that didn’t surprise me. Most the contemp. poetry promoted here strikes me as unimpressive, at least in their excerpts.
But more than any of that, the placement here just seems odd. Three poems and a link. No prompt toward discussion, not even an explanation as to why you guys are promoting this book (Is he a friend? Did someone read this book and love it? Is he a cutie?).
I’m not necessarily saying that they shouldn’t. I don’t really think very highly of these three particular poems, but, honestly, that didn’t surprise me. Most the contemp. poetry promoted here strikes me as unimpressive, at least in their excerpts.
But more than any of that, the placement here just seems odd. Three poems and a link. No prompt toward discussion, not even an explanation as to why you guys are promoting this book (Is he a friend? Did someone read this book and love it? Is he a cutie?).
I feel a certain sentimental attraction to these poems (in both their subject matter and what effect they’re after), but in the end they don’t quite work for me. Certainly not terrible though, and much better than some of the other poems I’ve seen promoted here.
I feel a certain sentimental attraction to these poems (in both their subject matter and what effect they’re after), but in the end they don’t quite work for me. Certainly not terrible though, and much better than some of the other poems I’ve seen promoted here.
Zusya,
earlier i wrote ‘huh?’, but I think I got whipped with the spam filter. So in more words: “what do you mean here? I am confused.”
Zusya,
earlier i wrote ‘huh?’, but I think I got whipped with the spam filter. So in more words: “what do you mean here? I am confused.”
oh, i see. i guess i misread what you were saying.
in that case, this isn’t a promotion, but part of “sunday service,” where they feature writing that was submitted to the giant.
oh, i see. i guess i misread what you were saying.
in that case, this isn’t a promotion, but part of “sunday service,” where they feature writing that was submitted to the giant.
ah! I see. Had no idea.
ah! I see. Had no idea.
1) by “said” i meant “sad”
2) i think maybe i was confused by your question: “Why do you guys promote this stuff?” i took that as a measure of disgust at the ‘poetry’ on display here.
3) when i first commented the thread was a ghost thread, no body was here defending/denigrating the writing on display. my reasoning for my comment “whoever put this writing is probably thinking the same thing right now: ‘why am i promoting this stuff?'”
i haven’t waded in to what i think of these ‘poems’ because i really don’t have much to offer (right now, anyway) in terms of constructive criticism. is that what you’re actually asking for? what i think of the writing featured in this thread?
1) by “said” i meant “sad”
2) i think maybe i was confused by your question: “Why do you guys promote this stuff?” i took that as a measure of disgust at the ‘poetry’ on display here.
3) when i first commented the thread was a ghost thread, no body was here defending/denigrating the writing on display. my reasoning for my comment “whoever put this writing is probably thinking the same thing right now: ‘why am i promoting this stuff?'”
i haven’t waded in to what i think of these ‘poems’ because i really don’t have much to offer (right now, anyway) in terms of constructive criticism. is that what you’re actually asking for? what i think of the writing featured in this thread?
I see. No, I don’t think they’re good, and some of that disgust maybe showed through (‘this stuff’), but really I just wanted to know why they were there. Promotion w/o any sort of added commentary seemed odd to me, but now I understand that it’s a regular feature drawn from submitted work.
I see. No, I don’t think they’re good, and some of that disgust maybe showed through (‘this stuff’), but really I just wanted to know why they were there. Promotion w/o any sort of added commentary seemed odd to me, but now I understand that it’s a regular feature drawn from submitted work.
?
please elaborate.
?
please elaborate.
Not sure I really can, but I’ll try — it’s unexpected, both in relation to an orgasm and in relation to the violence of the poem. It seems to capture in a word (or in a phrase, along with “brilliant and”) the thrust of the entire poem, which is to make something really gruesome and sexual seem calm and aestheticized, like the sex drive and the death drive and the religious/artistic impulse are all mashed together. Originally I thought the line read “It’s the most intense orgasm, brilliant and chic, and she just abhors it,” which to me would be even better by adding another layer of contradictory feeling.
Plus, it’s just a nice word, it sounds like what it means and its counter-intuitive, Francophone pronunciation makes it “perform” what it means, too (you have to be a little chic to know you shouldn’t pronounce it “chick). So any use of the word “chic” would be excellent, I guess.
Not sure I really can, but I’ll try — it’s unexpected, both in relation to an orgasm and in relation to the violence of the poem. It seems to capture in a word (or in a phrase, along with “brilliant and”) the thrust of the entire poem, which is to make something really gruesome and sexual seem calm and aestheticized, like the sex drive and the death drive and the religious/artistic impulse are all mashed together. Originally I thought the line read “It’s the most intense orgasm, brilliant and chic, and she just abhors it,” which to me would be even better by adding another layer of contradictory feeling.
Plus, it’s just a nice word, it sounds like what it means and its counter-intuitive, Francophone pronunciation makes it “perform” what it means, too (you have to be a little chic to know you shouldn’t pronounce it “chick). So any use of the word “chic” would be excellent, I guess.