Aloud

Edited by Miguel Algarin and Bob Holman

Compiled by poets who have been at the center of the Nuyorican Poets Cafe in New York City, Aloud! showcases the work of the most innovative and accomplished word artists from around America.

congratulations. you have found the hidden book. invocation by bob holman the sidewalk of high art introduction by miguel algarín I. POETRY IN THE TWENTIETH-FIRST CENTURYpaul beattyDARRYL STRAWBERRY ASLEEP IN A FIELD OF DREAMS AT EASE nicole breedloveAN OPEN LETTER TO MYSELFFRONT PAGE OR BUST"THERE MUST BE A CONSPIRACY" dana bryantFANTASY LOVER #5HOUSECLEANINGregie cabico CHECK ONE GAME BOY xavier cavazos LONELY NIGHT IN NEW YORK AT THE AIDS CLINIC U. N. RESOLUTIONsamantha coerbell THE ROMANTICIZATION malkia amala cyril BLUES TOMORROW WAIT alvin eng ROCK ME, GOONG HAY! TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHINESE NEW YEAR'S maggie estep THE STUPID JERK I'M OBSESSED WITH SEX GODDESS OF THE WESTERN HEMISPHEREreg e. gaines PLEASE DON'T TAKE MY AIR JORDANS THOMAS THE BURNT ENGLISH MUFFIN JUST ANOTHER MISUNDERSTOOD BROTHEReliza galaher NO, FUCK ME YOU KILL MY LOVE FOR YOUR LOVE FOR ME KILLS ME christian haye SENDIN' OUT A. P. B. indigo HIS VICTIM PEEPHOLE cf0tito lespier I HEARD THE BIRD MAMBO IN "T" MAJOR tony medina NEW YORK CITY RUNDOWN (EUROPEAN ON ME) ed moralesREBIRTH OF NEW RICAN THE LAST HISPANIC tracie morrisPROJECT PRINCESSMORENITA THE SPOT dael orlandersmith POEM II FOR ANNE SEXTONSHE'S COME UNDONE MOTHER LOVE willie perdomo NIGGER-REECAN BLUES REFLECTIONS ON THE METRO NORTH, WINTER 1990 kevin powell TWINS PUNKS JUMP UP TO GET BEAT DOWN kathy price LA NEGRACELIBACY carl hancock rux GENEVA COTTRELL, WAITING FOR THE DOG TO DIE SAVE THE ANIMALS hal sirowitz I FINALLY MANAGED TO SPEAK TO HER DEFORMED FINGER ONE THING LEADS TO ANOTHER paul skiff "THE SMILES OF TWO OVER" JUNE 15, 1990 peter spiro WE ALL NEED WORK CAUSE AND EFFECT adrienne su THE EMPEROR'S SECOND WIFE ELEGY ADDRESS edwin torres DIG ON THE DECADE I.E. SEDUCER MISSION-FUCKIN'-IMPOSSIBLEmike tyler THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WORD IN THE AMERICAN LANGUAGE 7:00 AND THE TULIPS ARE RED THE BAKERY HAS NO BAKERS II. POETRY OF THE 1990Salurista ROMA ROJA RAJA TABLA VORAZ LEÓNFOOLISH RITUALS jimmy santiago baca DUST-BOWL MEMORY BELLS pardCHOICES BLACK MESA catherine bowman 1-800-HOT-RIBS MR. X DEATHWATCH BEETLE diane burns SURE YOU CAN ASK ME A PERSONAL QUESTION ALPHABET CITY SERENADE PEÑA'S SONwanda coleman TOUGH LANGUAGE AMERICAN SONNET DREAM 7219 martín espada REBELLION IS THE CIRCLE OF A LOVER'S HANDS (PELLÍN AND NINA) TWO MEXICANOS LYNCHED IN SANTA CRUZ, CALIFORNIA, MAY 3, 1877 LATIN NIGHT AT THE PAWNSHOP jose-angel figueroa SATINLADY BLUES BORN TO ACT OUT hattie gossett PUSSY & CASH SUN RA! jessica hagedorn LATIN MUSIC IN NEW YORK SKULL FOOD #2 kimiko hahn THE DETAILS WE FALL FORHEAT david henderson EVERGREEN (A CHANT FOR THE TROPICAL RAIN FOREST) POEM-MIGUEL PIÑERO bob holman1990 DISCLAIMER 6 SHORT POEMS ROCK'N'ROLL MYTHOLOGY patricia spears jones SPANISH LESSON SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE UNDER THE BIG TIT, ATLANTA, 1973r. cephas jones GOD, MINGUS AND MYSELF eliot katz DINOSAUR LOVEWHAT'S THAT CLICKING ON OUR TELEPHONE LINE? roland legiardi-laura TRICKSTER RABBIT MANAGUA MIDNIGHT nancy mercado MILLA JUANITA jose montoya THE UNIFORM OF THE DAYEL SOL Y 'L ROVATO LOCO gavin moses POISON BOOMERANG MOONDANCE louis reyes rivera MARIANITA PORTRAIT: DOGS AT THE WELL luis j. rodriguez MEETING THE ANIMAL IN WASHINGTON SQUARE PARK HUNGRY sapphire IN MY FATHER'S HOUSE WILD THINGmichael scholnick TO A CERTAIN MR. ALBERT, MY LANDLORD FOR IRWIN HEILNER GOOD GRACESpatricia smithSKINHEAD SWEET DADDY sekou sundiata MANDELA IN HARLEM. (JUNE, 1991)KING PHILOSOPHY OF THE KOOL cheryl boyce taylor FENCES YEARNING emily xyz"STRONTIUM" SLOT MACHINE III. FOUNDING POEMSmiguel algarín HIV SHEETS SUNDAY, AUGUST 11, 1974 BODY BEE CALLING: FROM THE 21ST CENTURY FATHER AT ZERO-POINT-PLACE richard august MARIAM MASON V. FUREY INTERPRETING DREAMS jorge brandon LA MASACRE DE PONCE EL ASTRO DE CAROLINA americo casiano, jr. SALICRUP TONIGHT BY VENDOR'S BOOTH lucky cienfuegosPOEM TO A WOOD SCULPTURE IN THE POCKET AND SPEND IT RIGHT PISS SIDE STREETS victor hernandez cruzAN ESSAY ON WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS THREE SONGS FROM THE 50S ART-THISHAIKUKOOSsandra maria esteves PUERTO RICAN DISCOVERY #20: ODE TO PAPIROS DE BABEL EN EL ATENEO PUERTORRIQUEÑO PUERTO RICAN DISCOVERY #17: TREASURES OF THIEVES PUERTO RICAN DISCOVERY #23: PORTRAIT IN RAISING SELF-ESTEEM TWO POEMS FOR DAVID ALLAN lois griffith CHICA DITTY AND JITTY WAR 1/15/1991 UNTITLED BACALAITOS AND FIREWORKS pedro pietri YOU JUMP FIRST PROLOGUE FOR ODE TO ROAD RUNNER UPTOWN TRAINTELEPHONE BOOTH NUMBER 102 TELEPHONE BOOTH NUMBER 227 TELEPHONE BOOTH NUMBER 507 TELEPHONE BOOTH NUMBER 905 ¿WET HAND ON DRY DREAMSmiguel piñeroLA BODEGA SOLD DREAMS THE BOOK OF GENESIS ACCORDING TO ST. MIGUELITO NEW YORK CITY HARD TIMES BLUES THE RECORDS OF TIME bimbo rivas A JOB LOISAIDA PARADOX AND SLEEP ntozake shange PEOPLE OF WATTS PORQUE NO ESTAS CONMIGOBLOOD RHYTHMS-BLOODCURRENTS-BLACK BLUE N STYLIN' 31piri thomas BORN ANEW AT EACH A.M. PROLOGUE, SEVEN LONG TIMESIV. THE OPEN ROOMelena alexander SLANT david allen THE REVOLUTION WAS POSTPONED BECAUSE OF RAIN sheila alsonVACANT CHILDindran amirthanayagam THE LAST CONDORS IN MANHATTANrudolfo anaya WALT WHITMAN STRIDES THE LLANO OF NEW MEXICO cynthia andrews AMNESIA zoe anglesey HOLDING HIM NOT AS A CHILD pauly arroyo I'M A NUYORICAN asha bandele IN RESPONSE TO A BROTHER'S QUESTION ABOUT WHAT HE SHOULD DO WHEN HIS BEST FRIEND BEATS UP HIS WOMAN 0carmen bardeguez-brown "OYE MAMÁ, OYE, MAMÁ" denise bell REALITY? nicole blackman DAUGHTER jennifer blowdryer FROM WHITE TRASH DEBUTANTE BALL shorty bón bónA JUNKIE'S HEAVEN kymberly brown-valenzuela KISS DEATH SOFTLY WITH BLUE LIPS alaan bowe EVERY KNOTTED FIST jim brodey LITTLE LIGHT lisa buscani CHEKOVIAN DEPRESSION steve cannon ORANGE nick carbo THE PRETTY BOYS OF ERMITA laurie carlos BORINQUEN elizabeth castagna HAD IT BEEN marcel christian FAIR PREJUDICE gabrielle n. lane clarke ODE TO A BLACK CHILD (AKA MR. AMERICA) todd colby LEMON BROWNmatt cook SCIENCE WAS INVENTED BY A BUNCH OF GUYS WHO WERE SO UGLY THEY COULDN'T POSSIBLY BELIEVE IN GOD thulani davis A MAN'S TAILOR / DAKAR cristina desrosiers MOUNTAIN CLIMB carol diehl FOR THE MEN WHO STILL DON'T GET IT denise duhamel FEAR ON llTH STREET AND AVENUE A, NEW YORK CITY kathy ebelARE YOU MRS. LOPEZ' DAUGHTER?anne elliott SLEEPWALKING, TOLD IN SLOW MOTION janice ertbaum THE DAYS OF POT AND ICE CREAM evert eden I WANT TO BE A WOMAN john farris MAGIC gary glazner TOAD VENOM gloria WALK RIGHT mia hansford "WHEN TWO STRAW HALF-FEATURED PURRINGS NAVIGATE' diana hernandez-correa AH BILLIE susan hornik GOODBYE alan kaufman BUS rick kearns LLANTO SUAVE PARA PIÑEROmichael c. ladd DEATH BEDS LOVE SONGS AND ANCESTORS patricia landrum WOMAN'S SONG shirley bradley leflore FOR DIZZ gary lenhart INTELLIGENT LOVE robbie mccauley TWO STREET THINGS richard martin PROPER VENTILATION greg masters LOVE bobby millerMY LIFE AS I REMEMBER IT david mills G-MEN IN THE PINES eileen myles PV ninety 9 ADVENTURES OF PLASTIC MAN orion DIRE MANIFESTO julie patton "PO TREE!" carolyn peyser PLEASE raymond ramirez (aka bori) PROJECT BLUES noel rico EXCERPT FROM THE SOUTH BRONX keith roach ODALISQUE pardwill sales THAT KIND OF BLUES raúl salinas PUEBLO QUERIDOricardo sánchez 25 MAYO 92 EN PULLMANIA, WASHINGÓNgail schilke LOS BRAVOS susan scutti EPITHALAMIUM danny shot MY BAD ANGEL marc smith CHICAGO: SANDBURG TO SMITH, SMITH TO SANDBURG pamela sneed THE FINAL SOLUTION sparrow A TESTIMONIAL carlton t. spillerPANAMANIAN NIGHTS lamont b. steproe FOR GWEN BROOKS everton sylvester WELL? nate tate PARANOIA AT ITS FINEST vipin LANGUER/LANGUORmichael warr BREAKING TILES jack wiler MEDITATIONS ON NATURAL MAN jeff wright COURT APPEARANCENotes on the poets Acknowledgments