forgive me father for i have sinned
i don't know where i'm standing
i don't know where i've been

today resembles yesterday
tomorrow has no inviting space
the color of Saturday
the mutation of leathered lace

it forges an unsigned check
kisses a rosy cheek
bundles in sticks and twigs
the loudest voice i seek

forgive me father for i have loved
unwarranted and necessary
in the round so little and
yet so many

dirty by the hands that cannot touch
accepted by a two-tone rainbow
taken to heaven
and dropped to the earth once again

cleansed from the root of the tree
i renamed each leaf
i chewed the bark
smiled with dirt between my teeth
but never spat it out.

Literary Linx

Please note the Literary Linx section in the sidebar (to your right). Currently we're linking to Arnal Kennedy's new poetry blog (arnalpoetry.blogspot.com). But we'd love to add more.

If you have a site featuring your writing, please add a comment to this section with the URL and we'll check it out.

-Steve Dandois-
(alias the Ink-Stained Wretch)

Lawrence Ferlinghetti's "Dog"

I once read Lawrence Ferlinghetti's "Dog," at one of our Soulon sessions. Here are the links that inspired me --first to Bob Dorough reading it ...and then, Lawrence Ferlinghetti reading it himself. The first site prefaced it with:

A rare treat! Jazz-and-poetry was all the rage during the Fifties. Here’s Bob Dourough with a perfectly nuanced reading of Lawrence Ferlinghetti's poem “Dog," originally released during that period on a Pacific Jazz anthology entitled Jazz Canto. As you'll hear, the meaning of life is succinctly explained in just under four minutes.*

And here is Lawrence Ferlinghetti himself...

audio: Ferlinghetti reads "Dog"

*Jazz Canto was never re-published on CD, and completely out of print, so keep your eyes open for for the used vinyl...and if you ever find it, let me know! I'd LOVE to experience the whole LP:)

xo,

Nance

Recently Published

Marne Carmean, a poet/author, friend to Soulon and one-time attendee, just recently published an autobiography of Emily Dickinson.
"The Rape and Recovery of Emily Dickinson. In her words: Poems of Witness and Worth. An Autobiography of Emily Dickinson Through Her Poems."


This is her first work of non-fiction. In the eighties Marne's poetry was published in Plainsong and she has three completed manuscripts of poetry. This new book was published through Xlibris - an arm of Random House which helps authors self-publish their work.

I saw Marne yesterday at the West Hollywood Book Fair at which she had been selected to appear by the West Hollywood Writers group. We reconnected and I had a chance to purchase a copy. Though the title may seem grand the book is a manageable length and Marne makes the idea clear and succinct from the beginning. I am really looking forward to reading the book in it's entirety and hope to have Marne pay a visit to Soulon next time it gathers - possibly to read an excerpt or some choice Dickinson poems.

please visit www.amazon.com for the book: Support a fellow writer and get closer to a legend in poetry at the same time......

Ocean Invitation by William Mitchell

Come join me at the City by the Sea
And we'll see how great life can be

Come and live with me by the Pacific Ocean
And I'll coat your flesh with suntan lotion

Or we'll look out our window at the sun rise
And I'll see the world reflected in your eyes

You may gaze deep into my adoring face
Perhaps to be reminded of some other place

This is even better than the internet
We're about as close as two can get

We'll wake at dawn and go back to sleep
And later we'll swap secrets to keep

Later still we'll walk among the sands
And I will hold your trembling hands

We'll keep on picking up those good vibrations
While engaging in erotic collaborations

What have we to worry about?
We have what we can't do without

So we'll dwell beside the sea
And we'll let what must be, be.

(with a tip of the cap to Christopher Marlowe's Passionate Shepherd.)

Genesis

In the beginning was the Word...

- The Book of John 1:1 -



Word following word, I found me words,
deed following deed, I wrought deeds.

- "Odin's Quest After the Runes" -
The Poetic Edda

This blog is dedicated to the words, deeds, poetry and prose of the extended Soulon family.

Soulon is an informal "literary salon" founded by William Mitchell and Tory Savery in the City of Los Angeles, sometime in the late 1990s. It has endured numerous mutations, transformations and peregrinations throughout the interceding years.

This is our electronic bulletin-board. Please display your work (perhaps especially your work in progress); comment on the work of others; and post provocative literary links. Also, keep your eyes peeled for news and updates regarding Soulon events.

Thanks for sharing,

-Steve D-

SOULON Update

Dear Friends of Soulon:

For over a year, photographer Gary Leonard invited us to use his studio space for our monthly gathering... but unfortunately, times change and the forces of progress -- or at least capitalism -- roll on. The building at 740 S. Olive has been sold to new owners who have different plans for Gary's studio space. I am sure we all wish Gary the best during this time of transition as we reflect back on his generosity. It would be hard to ask for a more giving or undemanding host.... all poets should be so lucky to have such an unparalleled patron of their arts.

As Gary seeks a new home for his visual endeavors, the Soulon Group must find a new home as well.

We will continue to meet at Gary's downtown studio at 740 S. Olive for the time being. But we should be looking for new locations for the New Year and a new incarnation of Soulon. If you have thoughts or suggestions for new spaces, please contact William, Tory or myself.

In the meantime, we have a new home on the internet. At soulonspace.blogspot.com, we will be hosting a board where you are invited to post your own writing, to comment on the work of others, and to check in on updates regarding upcoming Soulon events.

An email should follow shortly from blogspot.com inviting you to create an account and join in. (If you have questions or technical difficulties, please contact me.)

Check out:

http://www.soulonspace.blogspot.com

(Please note that the blog is strictly for literary work & announcements. Chain letters, political petitions and "Peanut Butter Jelly Time" YouTube videos should be posted elsewhere.)

And thanks for reading.

Looking forward to seeing you at the blog... and at our next meeting on October 12. (We will still be meeting at Gary Leonard's for our next two or three events.)

SOULON

TheSecond Sunday at Seven
at
Seven-Forty South Olive

BRING YOUR WORDS



When:
Sunday October 12 2008
at 7pm.

Where:
Gary Leonard's Photography Studio
740 South
Olive Street, DowntownLos Angeles

MapQuest

Thanks,

-Steve D-

Soulon September