Poetry by Gregory Vincent St. Thomasino

On March 17, 2007, Gregory Vincent St. Thomasino read his poetry at The Bowery Poetry Club as part of a show hosted by Mark Bloch and featuring the poet John M. Bennett. Here follow the poems Gregory read at that show.


The Galloping Man


1.

placing, a look
a gull

or, recreation, rewards or to a mind
a perfect tool

or, law. At last
if it had been the turning of a water wheel


2.

A rope, or green
standing in, closer

to hand, is lost, in arms
on seeing, early on, a hold, or, in hand

a title, a given space
or,

as upon question, or, appellation, a spur
or, so to convey


3.

in alternating causes, in states and professions
a line on end

in cloth, in measure, in anonymity and in parodies
to vary

or,
familiar. Passing fast, in jolly tapers and leagues

and in the interest of descriptions, turning back
to rote places, to notes

and floss
a certain sun, and moon and stars


4.

and out of house, a useless emulation
getting to, or, not to use

a looking outward, in secret, deciding
it is latent, and pause

and lasting into song. how does
a body know, here is a hand, and here, is a sentence

or,
what’s riding on hearts




Canteen


of one to one, is said
or

epic letters
are come to rescue said assertions

one above and one below
to the left, or

face to face
but do not be, a pair, a

parallel and unexpected giving, to
or

in belief
as late as, so, to, merits an assertion, runs

in unexpected pairs, in relations
or,

as in relations.
Say,

in relation, or alike.
And so to cease, or parry.

so, to, cease or closet or border a routine
or

length, but do not be, a pair
a parallel and unexpected giving, to

or,
in belief




The Wet Motorcycle


1.

of the wives and of the son
are sane, are vest and savage.

of the movements, and repose
are riot, and samaritan


2.

to follow kit and medal. laying by.
the eye, in evidence

is making prayer
is counting money

a giving thanks or self congratulation
a giving thanks or self congratulation

a person, a principle, who bind and loose
the parallel legs

the parallel arms
the body of straight lines


3.

the ways are few but roses
and there are caterpillars everywhere

and every thing is real and everything is illusion,
my love.


4.

at fortune, or pasture, a summons
or

roster. a melody or loot
The stilted boot and recollection, charged, delayed

A landscape of one’s own. A caper, in recruit.
And darling, openly.




Donation Street


to see, is upon you, my love
accord, of its own room

is dash or passage, a voice
unannounced, beginning, out of cups

and see, a little nearer
as of, or, to see another, an Adam

in pane, or day, or, for, to see
or,

to lie abed
on row, sleepless, and gone again, freely

a braid, as an air, or, can
inarm a gin or reach or compensation, when

a pedal
being able and intelligent, or left untied

are soon, or, in groups
in rest, in taste, or air or still, my love

a sympathetic sound, can, or great day
or,

so is always, so
a visitor, a note, a saying, a style

is lost, or, to fraternity
will have a peer, a, or marks a place

as to color, as to open, to mention and to pause
and so on

to sentence
a second eye to a face in profile

or found his posture so delightful, so, when
a flute or voice comes in a distance

and so on, to see, a sound, a turn
a visitor

being followed, to purpose
quieted, as good as settled, or waited, or come up

even,
when there is no moon in the sky




Aver


1.

in name. in aver and consent.
lantern days

being prior, being parallel, being consequent
are accessory

are loft. And lease
what is common, what is sound.


2.

in name. in whiles, a discipline.
a place in accidence.

dated. in tackles.
in loss. in miracle,

unequal days.
a jot or tittle. or,

this is a name, and, this, an apparition
written, printed in a book.


3.

origin and purpose
as past or to come, or, to engender

emulation.
is going on, is going on

unsleeping. seated
into hand. independent of standing.

this is the sound a body makes,
at rest.


4.

in expectancy, in nows and in permanence
when onlie wiles, the latter.


5.

to liberty, by which persons, to liberty, were.
or property.

any loss in reputation. the measure
so decided

the light of day.
a calendar. a card. a card or celebration.

titles. averting. the meal. the carrousel.
the ward and faculty of days.


6.

so fashioned. in rivalry or attraction
ensemble days.

an interruption. A new beginning.
this emotion is killing me.

and how, this is the sound
of an emotion that is killing me


7.

the cat has a bird on her mind.
the cat has a bird on her mind.


8.

in likeness. in agreement.
cannot be said to move. being vertical

horizontal into hand. or cannot square
being vertical, and horizontal into hand

and there is nobody else for me
there is nobody else for me

but you, my love
and I believe in everything




Catching Up


and would you could express it
with stone and bitumen

a hedge of hide and chatter
for the anonymous flip, of a coin.

and fawn,
to sing, of time and of distinctions

of cause and of case
and not to measure, the merits

in very idiosyncrasy
asserted, in room of learning and sufficiency.

the swift and stubborn and medley appointment.
the predilection, quietly, transparency

must be pronounced transparency
must be pronounced insistence

and handed on.
or did not think in terms of Sinai.

a detail of anatomy, say.
a knot in a rope.

and to be shamefully naked.
this comes in the form of an emergency.

this comes in the form of a middle voice.
this comes in the form of a pretty bride.

and this is the poetry
of having known the light of common day.

deeply. and necessarily.
readily. and necessarily.




Tops


1.

a plum or knob, to see
purposes, prior to, or, unlike a knob or fruit

a purchase, or gestalt
in time or in enumeration

the nature of a stick in sand, the nature
of a rib, stuck upright in a palette

before a spry, metaphysician
an accent, passing close, unstoppered


2.

a poem, in simple measure
can say the names of surrogate places,

can count the change in a blind man’s cup
a day, in folds, moves, asking leave to come and go

when having heard, are setting works, in geography
to days

when having heard, are breathing deeply
into cups


3.

going, is town to town, changing hands
into cups


4.

in act and in objective
another sequence, or condition, in nearness, to

spinning articles, and arrival, at once
a wish or trespass

the entrance of a man.
And as was consonant with sleep in daylight

after hurry, and pursuit, after warp and corrugation
given,

to say, the saying of a fold, this is a face
or,

this is a church, and, this is a moment
in a wheel

a father, and a son, a wife, or, inflection
recovering a no




(Thanks go to In Posse Review #13 for “Canteen” and “The Wet Motorcycle,” to The Germ #2 for “Donation Street,” to Nthposition for strophes 1 to 4 of “Aver,” to Movement One for “Catching Up,” and to Malleable Jangle #7 for “Tops.”)