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listen: mp3 file (1:41) live 05/17/11 at the Café in Chicago
video video See YouTube video from the intro to the 05/17/11 open mic at the Café in Chicago, and her poems End of an Empire, Escape my Brain Somehow, Elephants Carry the World, one by one, the beech trees fell, Before it Occurred to Me, & her short story Stalker
video See YouTube video of two mini-features at the 05/17/11 open mic at the Café in Chicago, 1st of her poems End of an Empire, Escape my Brain Somehow, Elephants Carry the World, one by one, the beech trees fell, Before it Occurred to Me, then of her short story Stalker (this was posted on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Pinterest, Instagram, and Tumblr). #janetkuypers
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from IPB: the feature 06/29/11 of Impromptu Poetry on the Beach
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video of many poems read at Beach Poets from IPB: the Impromptu Poetry on the Beach feature 06/29/11
video See YouTube video of Janet Kuypers reading her poems “Elephants Carry the World”, “Eyes are Blurred to the Battlefield” and
Your Imaginary Soul Weighs 21 Grams” @@ Austin’s Recycled Reads 3/18/17 (this video was filmed from a Canon Power Shot SX60 camera, and posted on Tumblr).
video See YouTube video of Janet Kuypers reading her poems “Elephants Carry the World”, “Eyes are Blurred to the Battlefield” and
Your Imaginary Soul Weighs 21 Grams” @ Austin’s Recycled Reads 3/18/17 (this video was filmed from a Canon Power Shot SX700 camera, and posted on Tumblr).
video See YouTube video of Janet KuypersJuly 2017 Book Release Reading 7/5/17, where she read her poems “Elephants Carry the World”, “Update 2011 on the Man who Loved Me”, “Under Constant Supervision” and “You’ve Left Me on Siesta Beach” for her “Revealed” book reading @ Austin’s Half Price Books Community Poetry (this video was filmed from a Panasonic Lumix camera; posted on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Pinterest, Instagram, and Tumblr). #janetkuypers #janetkuyperspoetry #janetkuypersbookreading
video See YouTube video of Janet KuypersJuly 2017 Book Release Reading 7/5/17, where she read her poems “Elephants Carry the World”, “Update 2011 on the Man who Loved Me”, “Under Constant Supervision” and “You’ve Left Me on Siesta Beach” for her “Revealed” book reading @ Austin’s Half Price Books Community Poetry (this video was filmed from a Sony camera; posted on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Pinterest, Instagram, and Tumblr). #janetkuypers #janetkuyperspoetry #janetkuypersbookreading
video
See YouTube video of Janet Kuypers reading her poems “Elephants Carry the World” and “Human Construct of Time” from the v5 cc&d boss lady poetry collection book “On the Edge”, then her “The Periodic Table of Poetry” poem “Oxygen” from her interview/journal/poetry book “In Depth” live at “Poetry Aloud” in Georgetown 8/25/18 (this video was filmed from a Panasonic Lumix 2500 camera).
video
See YouTube video of Janet Kuypers reading her poems “Elephants Carry the World” and “Human Construct of Time” from the v5 cc&d boss lady poetry collection book “On the Edge”, then her “The Periodic Table of Poetry” poem “Oxygen” from her interview/journal/poetry book “In Depth” live at “Poetry Aloud” in Georgetown 8/25/18 (this video was filmed from a Panasonic Lumix T56 camera).
video
See YouTube video of Chicago poet Janet Kuypers reading her poems “You Carried It”, “Now I’m Strong”, and “Elephants Carry the World”, all read from her performance art poetry book “Chapter 48 (v 1)” live 10/20/18 at Austin’s “Recycled Reads” open mic (this video was filmed from a Panasonic Lumix 2500 camera).
video
See YouTube video of Chicago poet Janet Kuypers reading her poems “You Carried It”, “Now I’m Strong”, and “Elephants Carry the World”, all read from her performance art poetry book “Chapter 48 (v 1)” live 10/20/18 at Austin’s “Recycled Reads” open mic (this video was filmed from a Panasonic Lumix T56 camera).

Elephants Carry the World

Janet Kuypers
03/09/11 (conceived 03/08/11)

elephants carry the world
in a line
in a chain
they walk
hold up the earth

and i remember
sitting in the passenger seat
with you driving down the road
and two elephants
started walking down the street
in front of us

slow down,
get out of the way,
i thought

and as you started to pull over
i looked at you in a panic
and i said
“i don’t have my camera with me”

you pulled over,
and the two elephants
(one much larger than the other)
started walking across the street
and stopped right on the sidewalk
not three feet in front of us

we both just sat there
in shock and awe
until i watched
a man from a building across the street
come running toward us,
slowing down and stopping at a ledge
between us and the elephants

he placed some hard wrapped candies
on the ledge
and said to the elephants
“i thought you might like these”
and then slowly backed away

all I could think was
“how are they supposed to open candies
wrapped in plastic like this?
they don’t have opposable thumbs”

when you heard my thoughts
you said,
“elephants are highly intelligent creatures”

and i thought,
they carry the world, you know
as i then looked over
and saw these two elephants
get on large bicycles
and start to ride away


Copyright © 2011 Janet Kuypers.

All rights reserved. No material
may be reprinted without express permission.


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