Still Life Is A Human by CEE

Still Life Is A Human by CEE is published by Alternating Current’s Propaganda Press as of 2012 and is a collection of photographs by Mrs. CEE paired with poems by CEE inspired by those photographs. It is visually satisfying and entertaining to read. Below I am happy to share a couple of samples (sans the photographs, you’ll have to purchase the collection yourself to see them):

Caricature of a Wedding
(The Vermin Lord and the Bridegroom)

Let’s be honest
Young divorces are caused, principally
By lack of money
That’s when Your She
Became The Great Horned Rat,
The demonthing, cantreallytalkchick in Beloved
Keep it comin’, schmedrick,
Whether or not you pay the bills
Firehose of lavish waste out into the street

…and, any familial assistance?
She wielded that money,
Wielded it back into that street
Like a bad hammer throw

You two’re a Tears For Fears song, buddy
Indecision
Married with a lack of
Bride
She isn’t
She’s a Vermin Lord
The great, horned recipient of your
Great horniness

This poem makes me grin, I get the impression the writer is not impressed with a friend’s choice of bride. It also reminds of some relationships I’ve seen and known are doomed but no one has the heart to tell “the happy couple.” This poem says it all in regards to a doomed marriage.


Milton
(Writer BFF’s)

A counselor is Not your friend
Once they would be, their advice would be
(Fisheye) “Ohhhh…!!”, dismissed
A banking associate is Not a potential date
Your MONEY is in that bank, Mr. Juan!!
A plumber Isn’t going to come hang, and
Watch the fights w/ you
There’s such a thing as a “working relationship”
It has smiles
It has niceties
So, so, you know,
Like the ever-popping person on SpaceFace who
REAAALLLLY NEEEDZZ YOOOUU!!!,
You Don’t wanta Chatty Cathy correspond
With a faceless other nice enough
To print your coffeestained, diseased haiku,
It leads to “knowing” them, that
Space-Face kinda “knowing”
And, yes, agreed, it’s a new day and all
But, read your Jung, Adler, and
Accept being a writer in an eternal
Year of the Rooster
Ya have tuh scratch for it, fallen angel
Better slips in HELL…!,
Than friends in Heaven!

This poem makes me wonder if the poet isn’t just inspired by the bust of Milton but perhaps by a friend who tends to be rather clueless and annoying. At least, that’s what I envision. A guy who doesn’t understand that his therapist is friendly because she is being paid to listen to his woes, who doesn’t understand that a plumber is there only to do the job that involves plumbing and cannot legally hang out on the couch afterwards when the guy is lonely, that kind of guy. Most of us have met if not personally known a person who tends to be rather clueless about the basics of life and I’ve always found such a person annoying. This poem made me smile and nod, especially the references to “SpaceFace” that thinly veiled reference to MySpace and Facebook where people trumpet personal things, inappropriate things, and try to “friend” people for no apparent reason other than to add to their number of “friends.” This poem gets me off onto my own tangents as you may have noticed so it is a poem that I enjoy because it gets me thinking on a broader perspective.


If you enjoyed this short sample review, you may purchase a copy of Still Life Is A Human by CEE for a mere $4.98 at:
http://alt-current.com/pp/pp_item.html#still_life_is_a_human

Thanks always for reading, please drop in tomorrow…