[Newspoetry] "The Another Cross"

[Mark Enslin]

Dear B.J.L.

Your three poems were automatically sent to the newspoetry list, which has
about 30 subscribers, most of whom I happen to know and who live in
Urbana, Illinois, but also includes people living in Chicago, Cincinatti,
San Diego, Toronto, Texas, London, and also a few people I don't know who
could be anywhere. (William, who started the site, said last year that
there were some visits from Saudi Arabia). The newspoetry site has a link
to the archive of all the posts to the newspoetry list, which, because so
many subscribers live in Urbana, often tends to be used for announcements
about events in Urbana (no doubt frustrating to the newspoets stationed
elsewhere!).

I liked the defiance, seriousness and play prey fray in your poems. It's
unfortunately rare for people to declare themselves radical feminists. And
your name, which I assume you chose, is a poem itself. There were a few
lines that seemed like they might be typos, though I enjoyed them because
they made me look twice--"It's my deeply happiness" and "I know I
success"--you may or may not have intended that. Also, what were you
quoting with the line "waiting to die"? Curious ending.

Today I ran into the person who runs the site now, Joe Futrelle, who said
he wished your poems had an explicit connection to the news. Sometimes,
though, it's necessary to make the news, to make up the news, to be news.
I see your 3 poems as a group, particularly the first two, with their
different takes on the word "white" -- maybe you come up with a fourth
poem on what the news media do with the word "white"... 

I'm also curious what drew you to the newspoetry site...

--Mark Enslin

On Sun, 11 Jun
2000,
[big5] ¬I¬ü§E wrote:

> ¡§The Another Cross¡¨
> I have to kill my own innocence.
> Throw out all my silly goodness.
> Why,my evil came less and less.
> I don't like myself like this.
> Don't try to make me believed by myth.
> That's really ridiculous.
> If there is a Goddess.
> She lays on the cross,
> And opens her arms.
> Just like the man----Jesus.
> I know I success.
> None can hurt me by their eyes.
> Even if they look me down twice.
> I've got my own strength.
> I gaze at what they do to pass.
> I see nobody wants to see.
> I say everybody dares to say.
> It's my deeply happiness.
> As a radical feminist.
>                            
>                               Brendan Jo Lesbiantougher  
> 
>