Poem by Douglas Kearney

BATDANCE (1989)


two-faced cleft blanc to say what
is white was under green
curls on some sometimes it Aprils in snow,
à gauche coils sprung wild
to the waning à droite spiral binding
as tho his Bruced half was
a joke, black/tan
or toxicated, pick a side to say what
is lipstick when it’s what
you argue his kissers should hue to,
—refrain to controversial query--
nigga sings out the side of his mouth to say what
is the Devil dancing with the Savior’s 􀀁
own & who leads, who dips
when both bat fans with tongues, lashes,


CUT to the cut on prince as Prince
banked by ebonies, ivories--
sharp, natural, flat, goes
the tress, face, tress
of the new do, that man’s at work playing this, that,
vox lunging out his manicure, synched
with the display full of himself as Himself
as Them Himself, leaving Himself to be “himself”
a process— his stroked key jeers
& where—?
& where—?

​

Douglas Kearney has published six books, most recently, Buck Studies (Fence Books, 2016), winner of the CLMP Firecracker Award for Poetry and silver medalist for the California Book Award (Poetry).  BOMB says: “remaps the 20th century in a project that is both lyrical and epic, personal and historical.” Kearney’s collection of writing on poetics and performativity, Mess and Mess and (Noemi Press, 2015), was a Small Press Distribution Handpicked Selection that Publisher’s Weekly called “an extraordinary book.” Raised in Altadena, CA, he lives with his family in the Santa Clarita Valley and teaches at CalArts.

​

---