Stone Soup Servings is a regular series for Oddball Magazine that features upcoming performers at Stone Soup Poetry, the long-running spoken word venue in the Boston area that has partnered with Oddball Magazine. Stone Soup Poetry now meets from 7-9 p.m. every Monday at the Out of The Blue Art Gallery at 541 Massachusetts Avenue in Central Square Cambridge, Massachusetts. The open mike sign-up at 6:30 p.m.

 

On April 18, Gale Batchelder and Judson Evans will will be reading from their manuscript Chalk Song (also co-authored by Susan Berger-Jones). Read an excerpt from Judson and a poem by Gale. Then be sure to be in attendance on Monday.

 

Judson Evans’ four excerpts from Chalk-Song:

One of the things that won’t tame, one of the things that won’t
translate, won’t cooperate, won’t draw itself because the mirror
will never be invented, because exit signs, escape hatches, exit ramps
will never be invented. We were already there at the source
of contamination. The altar was the first machine… (from Microbiome)

Just as the eye was re-invented many times,
as if seeing were tunneling,
your pulse the seismology of blast
and clear ─ outlined the city in rubble ─
the fire now… somewhere far behind us
burning the palimpsest libraries…
and a hand offered from the other side of death,
its seal of red impact, its crooked thumb… (from Mind n the Cave)

Earthworm is foreskin
of November. The iceberg sun
calves in birches.
You taught me to float
the world on my eyes. Wind-door, wind-row – clouds
like milt. (from Diaphane)

By crosstalk pathways pooled around
          a syllable ─ a whole note’s motility without risers
or trailers─ staying at convergence
          on the green bark of your knees

Changes have been made to deep
configuration─ are you saved in the changes? ( from Dauer Stage)

 

Gale Batchelder

They Had as Mourning an Impromptu Air

Before meteor shower and moon landing are rinsed away –
Waterproof yourself with sweet almond oil –
Wake here, and here –
After long, loose sleeping flank to flank imagine –
You are an ant walking across the surface –
Echo the lilt of vermillion, amber caught fire –
Stagger through foxglove into caves across dunes –
In stolen words and cloud-forms praising the chipped-away Savior –
Keep waiting for chalk song –