[the Writing of Kuypers]    [JanetKuypers.com]    [Bio]    [Poems]    [Prose]

Watch this YouTube video (5:14) from the Chicago performance art show {Stripped} live 6/7/05

this same track also is on Live at the Cafe, now available in a 3 CD set

Listen: (6:13) to this recording from Fusion And order this track, or ANY track, off the cd Fusion available at iTunes.

See YouTube video of Kuypers reading this poem 10/10/12 at the Café Gallery in Chicago (Canon) from her book the one thing the government still has no control over

See YouTube video of Kuypers reading this poem 10/10/12 at the Café Gallery in Chicago (Sony) from her book the one thing the government still has no control over

See YouTube video of Kuypers hosting the open mic 10/10/12 at Gallery Cabaret’s the Café Gallery in Chicago, plus this poem

See YouTube video of Janet Kuypers saying her twitter-length poem “Juxtaposition, or Irony?” in conversation, then reading her poems “Pluto, Plutonium & Death”, “Your Minions are Dying” and “Salesman” 10/23/16 at the Austin open mic Kick Butt Poetry (Canon Power Shot camera).

See YouTube video of Janet Kuypers saying her twitter-length poem “Juxtaposition, or Irony?” in conversation, then reading her poems “Pluto, Plutonium & Death”, “Your Minions are Dying” and “Salesman” 10/23/16 at the Austin open mic Kick Butt Poetry (from a Sony camera).

your minions are dying we seem to have allowed ourselves this fate we seem to have asked for this but maybe we didn’t know what we were asking for I we thought we were doing the right thing when we chose you but I suppose that’s what all battered housewives say             “he wasn’t like this when I met him”             “he’s a good man, really” but it was only after we accepted you that you asked us to sacrifice you told us to have faith             like all those preachers who ask you to give             when you’ll only be rewarded after you’re dead             (if you believe ‘em) you told us we’d be free if we stayed together as a family and it was like you placed your hand on a Bible and asked us to give up more for you (don’t most dictators ask their followers to sacrifice until they’ve been sapped dry?) II you weren’t the only one fighting for me, you know you had competition you both tried to woo us over, even though you two were more alike than you think (who am I kidding, you two were just like everyone else) you two were two sides of the same coin             yeah, yeah, you may have been opposite sides             but you were the same damn coin you all wanted us to trust you and even though we were harmless you still pulled out all of your weaponry to keep us in line when we weren’t looking, all while saying it was for our own good with you two, my choice was to either jump in and drown in someone’s abuse or be dragged in by the other for the same fate III you can keep throwing your generalities at us and expect us to eat it up like hungry animals waiting for your handouts but if we were hungry animals, we’d take what you gave us, then kill you and eat your remains but we’re not animals so stop treating us like fools IV yeah, you had competition but no one could save us from your fate, you all were just so much alike that we only had to choose the lesser of two evils but did we make the right choice? V you keep saying you’ll make me feel safe but all I can think of is that dictators historically played on fear to make their minions feel like they need their leader well, you don’t make me feel more safe you make me feel more scared and I wonder if I can take care of myself and I never needed any of you anyway VI others have come along and tried to save me from the likes of you but they never told me how I could be free I never knew how I was going to be rescued when I was little I played office with my friend Sheri we had a little board painted white with little toggle switches stuck on it and buttons and dials on it it probably had the ear piece of a phone on it too and we had this little control panel, this little console sitting on our little desk and we’d sit there with it and press a lot of buttons and we’d flip the toggle switches up and down and act like we were receiving important calls and it looked like we were doing something it looked like we were accomplishing things and all you men, you all say you have a plan but I haven’t seen it I haven’t seen how you can save me from the madness you men are trying to flip those damn toggle switches and you don’t know what the Hell they do but you’ll act like you know, and you’ll act like you’re accomplishing something are we supposed to blindly accept whatever the likes of you hand out to us? VII you try to act like you can save us but there are people dying over here, we’re jobless, homeless, dying we’re drowning in this ocean of helplessness and we’ll grab on to whatever line we can get a hold of is that why we counted on you but your minions won’t be stong enough to support you forever Copyright Janet Kuypers. All rights reserved. No material may be reprinted without express permission.

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