"gravedigging" by Roy (twitter/podcast). Roy is a pal and we actually did a podcast episode together about Poetry Jam and it was great! I've also really loved other work by Roy such as what he's published publicly and his books "Sent from my iPhone" and "some instagram poems". There wasn't really a description for gravedigging so I really didn't know what to expect, except that I had a premonition I was going to love it. As usual, Roy really delivers on anti-capitalism poetry. It'z not just in the background or implied or reliant upon buzzwords. Even when it's short and simple there is an experienced and well-crafted rhythm to the word play. Often taking specific sounds or words and morphing it from one piece of a sentence to an evolved and different part of the next. Why the sincerity within Roy's work stands out is that he doesn't just reflect critique upon the usual suspects people can easily agree to hate. He also thoughtfully points out just how vapid figures within our own circles can become when they don't take the time to consider how they engage with the world and with their own art. To a certain extent this critique is also something that reflects onto himself in that he makes an effort to not repeat what he critiques in others. It's mature and aware, but anything from boring or cliche.
gravedigging captures a different kind of west coast exhaustion; aka the eternal purgatory of Los Angeles. This is a different frustration than what you'll find alongside Pacific Northwest companions. L.A. eternity is dry, arid, yet sun-filled repetition to Seattle's grey, passive aggressive, technocrat dystopia. Not that they never contain the other's qualities, but that the same engagement with big cities killing you with the same shit every day results in two very different types of reflections, despite bordering the same ocean. It's difficult to explain exactly where the west coast drains the life out of you, and how this is any different than how capitalism drains the life literally from millions everywhere, but poetically it's true. And that's what Roy does best. Directly engaging with the poetics of his own poems, and the poetry of poetry itself, and whether or not it has meaning within the grander scheme of things. What can a poem do? What do poems do that they shouldn't? What aren't poems doing that they should? Why has so much bullshit been constructed into the perpetuation of poetry and what a good poem is. Why have we made skyscrapers, commutes, interstates, and bumper to bumper worlds of poetry. Is there nothing better?
In a way, the protagonist and villain of gravedigging isn't just capitalism, but also the concept of "the poet". "The poet" of course can be literal and figurative. What is "the poet" doing? These are narratives that don't read like prose at all and that's a good thing, but it's always a clear message that you leave with. The form is also a dual enemy/comrade because how can you engage with any sort of work or writing without considering or acknowledging the western thought and imperialism that has certainly informed and shaped the existence of it. You can feel the continual stringing together of thoughts that are far less disjointed than they seem at every turn. So much is about specifically the repetition we fear we will live and die in over and over again and what if things don't change? The finale opens up to door into pointing out the hypocrisy of publishing, and that opposing it is simply opposing what it factually does. Some people may try to play the superiority game, but really Roy is a poet who just doesn't want to partake it the space and industry that works against what being anti-industry in your writing is all about. He finishes it in an essay, expanding clearly on the thoughts and theory behind his poems and the mindset itself. There's nothing better than the deeply self-aware work of another. It's a fantastic introduction if you're still not sure where "anti-industry" comes from, and what the point may or may not be.
"heard that a Publishing Person said to the American Dirt author “you can wipe your tears away with money” ameen wrote ‘don’t forget you can also write on money’ feels like the only medium to speak to the wealthy is money been writing on twitter a tweet fits on a bill a little reminder profits are measured in lives bc they are measured in dollars levied in bills money is not a debt it is a promise to collect a threat holding money is to hold a threat banks create them trade them and the government stamps them with the faces of "