Ian M. Shapiro read these two poems on Saturday, April 27, 2019, as part of the Tompkins County Public Library Readathon fundraising event.
the contortionist and the poet
a contortionist
and a poet met
in the early evening
on an overnight train
from dallas to el paso
they shared a
non-sleeping cabin
initially not speaking
the contortionist reading and
the poet looking out the window
but time passed and
one thing led to another and
they introduced themselves
and seemed intrigued
by each other's work
what must it be like
to go out before crowds
and twist your body
into so many shapes?
asked the poet
the contortionist said
well, i keep looking for
new shapes and sometimes
i get weary of
the old ones
but what i found, in time,
is that it's not the
extreme contortions
that interest people
it's the subtle ones
it's the small deviations
from what typically is
and not only does it
interest people more
it's of more interest to me
i seek less to impress people
than to connect with them
less to show the impossible
than to show what might
well be possible
and then the contortionist
straightened up and asked
what is it like to write?
what excites you as a poet?
what makes it worthwhile?
the poet looked out the window
and said maybe it's similar
i less frequently seek to
try and twist new sentences
and new combinations of words
and i rather seek to describe
the world as it is and
also to describe the
world as it could be
in small excursions from what is
and then the two women
became reflective and
thought of their exchange
and as time went by
they both took out food
and they shared sandwiches
hot drinks and sweets
as the train traveled
on into the night from
dallas to el paso
go to unexpected places
go to unexpected places
go to the most unexpected places
go up to dark attics
and then go to the outer edges
of the dark attics, above the eaves
and open old boxes you left there
go to unexpected places
go up mountains to caves
go inside the caves
and then come back and sit
at the entrances of the caves
and look out, and look in
go to unexpected places
look for unexpected places
go to empty houses
and see what was left there
and even better, even more
see what was felt there
go to unexpected places
go to flat rooftops, especially
if their access doors are locked
find a way round to get up there
and then stand up on the parapet
go up there and look right out
go to unexpected places
go to a balcony high above the city
and pitch a tent late at night
and sleep there and wake there
and see the city from there
and let the city see you
go to unexpected places
look for and find unexpected places
go to the most unexpected places
and look out, and look in
find the most unexpected places
and let unexpected places find you
