Some of America’s most celebrated poets are standing by to write poems for you on commission. Together, they form The International Bureau of Custom Poetry. More about the Bureau here.
In our second micro-episode, Bureau agent Sasha LaPointe shares her writing process, the breadth of her essays, and her focus on personal and shared experience--all aimed at trying to 'make sense of the madness' in the world. It culminates in Sasha's poem, “S.O.T.D.”
S.O.T.D.
by Sasha LaPointe
mixtapes are the new
smoke signals
this distance traversed
by Joy Division
by Sonic Youth
by all the things
you found
in the post-punk
section
send me song lyrics
send me passages
send me anything
you made that day
and stay with me
a moment longer
brush strokes
and skate videos
did you know
Henry Miller
sent Anaïs Nin
love letters
two friends
entangled
in language
remember when
we went to Paris
remember the bridge
and the wine
we’ve never been to Paris
but if your memory
is as bad as mine
there is no one
to blow our cover
so let us dance awhile
and the miles between us are
only part of the choreography
are you still awake
are you still at the party
maybe one day
we’ll marry
other people
and we won’t be
at the other’s
wedding
but we’ll raise a glass
and ask
have you heard this one
another song
that reminds me of you
Slouching Towards Bethlehem
and Perfume
a photograph
a cup of coffee
the stranger
at the show
you should know
that I’m always
thinking
about
you
Do you have a loved one you’d like memorialized in a poem? Or a precious memory you’d like preserved for the ages? Sasha LaPointe and the other professional poets in the Bureau are standing by to work with you. Sessions can be private or taped for potential use on TAPIT. Use the contact form to inquire. Or call our listener line at 808-300-0449.