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Order this writing in the Charlie Newman May 2010 cc&d poetry collection book “Deckard Kinder/ Charlie Newman” |
 
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26 (twenty-six)
Charlie Newman
1
it’s as if the last unforgettable ad campaign
& the following hyped-out fad
& the final passing fancy
& the NEXT BIG THING
all conspired against me
all conspired against me
against ME!
you’d think I wrote the ad campaign
that spread the word & shared the pain
with elegant manipulation cold seduction strangulation
& a double your money back guarantee
(I did)
2
we see before we speak
hear before we see
feel before we hear
& we live drowning in words & images
guaranteed to make feeling vanish like a Blackstone pigeon
replaced by the appearance of feelings
that are easier for the old heart & soul
to live with day by ever-lovin’ day
and so I write the words you hear
convincing you that cars & beer
will give your soul a smile you can’t deny
a bargain here a purchase there
some cool designer underwear
reality is just a shuck n jive
3
my arsenal consists of 26 letters
(20 consonants 5 vowels & 1 bi-)
26 letters forming syllables hundreds of syllables thousands of syllables forming words thousands of words millions of words forming phrases forming sentences forming paragraphs filling pages filling volumes filling libraries filling heads & hearts with wants with craves with myths & fancies at fancy-dan prices and easy payments that can break you in two for the price of one plus a dollar
be the first on your block
to receive (at no additional cost) both upper- & lower-case letters
as well as numbers & PUNCTUATION!
and a limited double your money back guarantee
4
negative space is negative only if crowded full close tight narrow cramped thick packed
cluttered is positive
and so I fill negative space with
letters syllables words phrases sentences paragraphs chapters verses
& integrated multimedia marketing extravaganzas
that shift the hunger to high gear
and send the public far and near
to shopping centers and strip malls
forever wandering through spare halls
awards are won and products sold
to rich and poor and young and old
I send them running in the race
until they reach their negative space
5
and after the sale
(or the end of civilization as we know it, which ever comes first)
there is the question of the spent coupons the clipped ammo the shelled fodder
there is the issue of redemption or the lack thereof
there is the minimum waiting period maximized in his her your mine our their best interest
there is the inevitable problem of returns returns met with questions of who used what when where why and how
questions followed by “?” question marks
questions accompanied by raised eyebrows and lowered expectations
questions answered with lies and alibis and sighs of deep commercial sorrow
yes after the sale there are the numbers numbers spelled with letters letters costing nothing except flesh and dreams and souls
be there
it’s the after the sale event you can’t afford to miss
6
I know you think this is all about ADVERTISING
comparing things to things this to that that to this
selling things all things anything everything
daytime nighttime all the time
thinking about writing about style fashion
THE NEXT BIG THING!
well I got your big thing right here:
this ain’t about advertising
this ain’t about buying
this ain’t about selling
this ain’t about being seen in all the right places by all the right people at all the right times
this is about planes flying into buildings
this is about suicide bombers
this is about tanks crushing homes
this is about life as a commodity a cheap commodity traded with arms flailing and limbs flying and screams escaping lips
and this is about what you do with 26 letters and more syllables than you can count an endless ever-expanding stockpile of words and phrases and sentences and paragraphs and pages and
operators are waiting
call while supplies last
