Teenage Sweat
there are two outlets
in the entire room
they’re both jammed
with power strips
and string of lights
no fans in sight
it already smells
like teenage sweat
blue jeans
and black plastic
bags full of
once cold beer
these two guys
are dancing their asses
off, I can’t tell it’s
cocaine, ecstasy
or molly
it’s like
barney rubble
and kevin bacon
are on the loose
rip an e chord loose
let those thin lizzy
twin guitars run free
tag a bassist with an empty
give the drummer
chicken wings
this is just another wasted
night, they all are
ears ringing, pupils shrinking
our out of fashion rage
sizzling in the lack
of electricity, if we’re lucky
maybe the bathroom door
still has a working lock
A Very Clean Shadow
it’s the night of ego death
I am just a consciousness
with no body
alone in the universe
no god or government
to fail me
after watching
The Grand Illusion
with Renoir’s affirmiration
of the beauty, the freedom
of the human, I should
be able to drift
along peaceful
with the lights out
my brain is suddenly
spiraling, internalizing
a buzz saw and I
feel myself stuffed
in my own chest
screaming to get out
I can’t let myself out
I can’t let go
I have to wait this out
wait for the trajectory to change
wait for my to brain
to switch to externalize
wait and wrestle
deep inside myself
when the saw loses electricity
I sputter out
drifting to
dreamless
it’s the morning after ego death
I’m having trouble
stretching into my skin again
I still have most of my teeth
and a very clean shadow
Found Poem for Buddy Rich and Gene Krupa’s “The Drum Battle”
controversial Buddy Rich
some flatly state
he was the greatest
drummer of all time
others flatly state
he was insensitive
he was all flash
as a technician
phenomenal
extremely fast
accurate
and never ceased
to drive musicians
without letup
many always compared
him to Gene Krupa
as to “who did the most
to promote the drums”
once in 52
they had a head to head battle
it was one of those jazz concerts
here’s a recording of that” battle
of the drums.” as they billed it
listen to the crowd
as Buddy walks on stage
Jason Baldinger is a poet from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was recently a Writer in Residence at Osage Arts Community, and is founder and co-director of The Bridge Series. He has multiple books available including the soon to be released The Better Angels of our Nature (Kung Fu Treachery) and the split books The Ugly Side of the Lake with John Dorsey (Night Ballet Press) as well as Little Fires Hiding with James Benger (Kung Fu Treachery Press). His work has been published widely in print journals and online. You can listen to him read his work on Bandcamp on lps by the bands Theremonster and The Gotobeds.
