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

Watch this YouTube video live at Beach Poets 07/13/08

07/13/08, Beach Poets Watch the entire performance video, which contains this poem (25:19), from the Internet Archive

Watch the YouTube video of this poem 08/28/11, first in in her book Contents Under Pressure, read on WZRD radio, from the Canon camera

See feature-length YouTube video 08/26/11 of the majority of the WZRD radio show with her reading poetry (incliding this writing) from the Canon camera

See YouTube video 7/10/16 of Janet Kuypers reading her 2 poems Climbing Trees and Death Takes Many Forms at the Austin open mic Kick Butt Poetry (tCanon Power Shot camera).

See YouTube video 7/10/16 of Janet Kuypers reading her 2 poems Climbing Trees and Death Takes Many Forms at the Austin open mic Kick Butt Poetry (from a Sony camera).

See YouTube video of Janet Kuypers reading her poems “Childhood Memories 2” from her poetry show “Years in Poetry”, + her poems “Climbing Trees” and “Childhood Memories 5” from her poetry show “Poems on the Beach”, all from her performance art poetry collection book “Chapter 38 v2” live at Recycled Reads 7/21/18 (filmed from a Panasonic Lumix 2500 camera).

See YouTube video of Janet Kuypers reading her poems “Childhood Memories 2” from her poetry show “Years in Poetry”, + her poems “Climbing Trees” and “Childhood Memories 5” from her poetry show “Poems on the Beach”, all from her performance art poetry collection book “Chapter 38 v2” live at Recycled Reads 7/21/18 (filmed from a Panasonic Lumix T56 camera).

See YouTube video of Janet Kuypers reading her poetry in multiple rounds during her hosting the “Poetic License” 11/3/19 open mic at Austin’s “Recycled Reads”. In round 1 she reads her poem “Keep Your Chin Up” that she wrote that day (11/3/19) because November 3rd is cliché day, as the opening to the open mic. In round 2 she reads her poem “Death” from the Poetry Wheel 6/26/08, then her poems “Gift of Motherhood One”, “Thank You, Women Who Work One”, “Coslow’s”, “Childhood Memories One”, “Christmas Eve”, and “There I Sit” from her “Slinging the Word” chapbook and Chicago WLUW Radio interview 3/18/08, and her poems “Alexi”, “a New Patient”, “Catching a Muscovy”, “Changing the Locks”, and “Childhood Memories Five” from her Poems on the Beach 7/13/08 Chicago Beach Poets feature and all read from the cc&d 2019 re-release of the May 2008 v184 book “That was the Time”. In round 3 she reads her poems “Climbing Trees”, “Conscious of It”, “False Suicide”, “Hiding Vices”, “Twin”, “Masquerade”, “Raking Leaves”, “They Called It Trust”, and “They Tried” from her Poems on the Beach 7/13/08 Chicago Beach Poets feature and all read from the cc&d 2019 re-release of the May 2008 v184 book “That was the Time”. (this video was filmed from a Panasonic Lumix T56 camera; and it was also posted on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram & Tumblr).

See YouTube video of Janet Kuypers reading her poetry in multiple rounds during her hosting the “Poetic License” 11/3/19 open mic at Austin’s “Recycled Reads”. In round 1 she reads her poem “Keep Your Chin Up” that she wrote that day (11/3/19) because November 3rd is cliché day, as the opening to the open mic. In round 2 she reads her poem “Death” from the Poetry Wheel 6/26/08, then her poems “Gift of Motherhood One”, “Thank You, Women Who Work One”, “Coslow’s”, “Childhood Memories One”, “Christmas Eve”, and “There I Sit” from her “Slinging the Word” chapbook and Chicago WLUW Radio interview 3/18/08, and her poems “Alexi”, “a New Patient”, “Catching a Muscovy”, “Changing the Locks”, and “Childhood Memories Five” from her Poems on the Beach 7/13/08 Chicago Beach Poets feature and all read from the cc&d 2019 re-release of the May 2008 v184 book “That was the Time”. In round 3 she reads her poems “Climbing Trees”, “Conscious of It”, “False Suicide”, “Hiding Vices”, “Twin”, “Masquerade”, “Raking Leaves”, “They Called It Trust”, and “They Tried” from her Poems on the Beach 7/13/08 Chicago Beach Poets feature and all read from the cc&d 2019 re-release of the May 2008 v184 book “That was the Time”. (this video was filmed from a Panasonic Lumix 2500 camera; and it was also posted on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram & Tumblr).

See YouTube video of Janet Kuypers reading her poem “Climbing Trees”, then her poem “Stairs” read with John, both read from her cc&d volume 2 poetry collection book “a Wake-Up Call from Tradition”, then she sings the Depeche Mode song “Breathe” a cappella, live 2/15/20 at the Austin “Open Mic Showcase” at Recycled Reads (this video was filmed from a Panasonic Lumix 2500 camera; posted on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram & Tumblr).

See YouTube video of Janet Kuypers reading her poem “Climbing Trees”, then her poem “Stairs” read with John, both read from her cc&d volume 2 poetry collection book “a Wake-Up Call from Tradition”, then she sings the Depeche Mode song “Breathe” a cappella, live 2/15/20 at the Austin “Open Mic Showcase” at Recycled Reads (this video was filmed from a Panasonic Lumix T56 camera; posted on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram & Tumblr).

See YouTube video of Janet Kuypers reading her poems “Quartermaster General, Burying Bodies” in honor of the April 12th date the U.S. Civil War begins, “Quarrel over the Constitution” on Thomas Jefferson’s birthday April 13th, “from Other Souls” for the April 14th date the Titanic hit an iceberg, 3 poems in honor of Arbor Day on April 24th: “nature I”, “Climbing Trees”, and “I’m Sure We Killed It”, the poem “Zouk or Xibelani” for the April 29th International Dance Day, and “People’s Lives Were at Stake” representing the April 29th Los Angeles riots, April event poems read from her poetry book “Every Event of the Year (Volume one: January-June)” during her “Poetic License open mic 4/5/20 home edition” she hosted in Austin, but globally through a Facebook event page (video filmed from a Panasonic Lumix 2500 camera; posted on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and Tumblr).

See YouTube video of Janet Kuypers reading her poems “Quartermaster General, Burying Bodies” in honor of the April 12th date the U.S. Civil War begins, “Quarrel over the Constitution” on Thomas Jefferson’s birthday April 13th, “from Other Souls” for the April 14th date the Titanic hit an iceberg, 3 poems in honor of Arbor Day on April 24th: “nature I”, “Climbing Trees”, and “I’m Sure We Killed It”, the poem “Zouk or Xibelani” for the April 29th International Dance Day, and “People’s Lives Were at Stake” representing the April 29th Los Angeles riots, April event poems read from her poetry book “Every Event of the Year (Volume one: January-June)” during her “Poetic License open mic 4/5/20 home edition” she hosted in Austin, but globally through a Facebook event page (Panasonic Lumix 2500 camera with a Sepia Tone filter; posted on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and Tumblr).

climbing trees. (written with D.J.) I you see, I was a girl, I didn’t climb trees, but I always wished for a tree house, one with a ladder so it would be easy to get to the top. So I could see the world from a different view. So I could feel like I have conquered. II Big trees, more fun, that’s what I’d think. Then when I’d get to about the height of a roof, our garage as a matter of fact, then the fear would set in. Not fear of falling from where I was, but of going higher. Higher, then too high. What is too high? III One of my co-workers decided one day that he wasn’t going to try anymore. That no one cared if he did a good job, so he just wouldn’t bother. And I thought, your coworkers shouldn’t be the scale you judge yourself on. You should be your scale, you should be trying because you need to know you can be better than what you are. Then I thought, maybe he never climbed trees. Copyright Janet Kuypers. All rights reserved. No material may be reprinted without express permission.