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SUSAN OSTERMAN
NYC-based Writer
About The WriterSUSAN OSTERMAN, a New York City-based writer, earned a Bachelor's Degree from Barnard College in English Literature, and a Master's Degree from City College of New York in Creative Writing and English Literature. She has worked at everything from secretary to adjunct instructor in English to support her poetry habit. Osterman has been widely published in the U.S.A. and Europe (150 poems in various literary magazines and anthologies, including The Village Voice, Downtown, Cover Arts New York, Colorado North Review, translated into Russian (Gnosis Bilingual Anthology) and has written three books of poetry: Silence and Slow Time, Strip Mining, and A Head of Her Time. Her work is being taught in English courses in one high school and one college.RECENT READINGS:
SARA LEE BLUES (For Sara Lee Brownies) Sara Lee with deep brown eyes nobody doesn't like you i met you under greygrey skies 'twas then i had to bite you I saw you in your cardboard dress and when i took it off your creamy brown skin was a mess man i had to laugh i didn't stop to talk to you i took you in my mouth then i was no longer blue together we flew south you'll never know my Sara dear what a fine lover you've been you've assuaged my every fear including being lean as we lie so happy there i bite into your walnuts i think about our sweet affair and wonder if we're all nuts. PALM TREE MURMURINGS (For My Aunt Dorothy) a simple palm tree palm tree wine and honey declaring its intentions to the broad tolerant sun the sun is constant warm and strong it can hold you in its arms a universal, perhaps agnostic lover just as it holds the proud spreading green fan we call a palm tree its trunk gathered in organic gray suit of horizontal concentric circles listen, it whispers CAT(For Grendel) on a window a cat sits perched innocent, neutered afraid of dogs and torture by those creatures with 2 legs and strong arms cats are lucky because they don't fall in love or develop migraines or worship a deity cats are lucky because they eat everyday --- house pets, that is --- without ever lifting a paw they have no hassles over unemployment checks or bosses they are independently fluffy cats are lucky because they move fast and hide in infinitely small spaces and crawl and hiss with indignation when their territory is invaded cats are lucky because if you fall in love with them they are never the wiser perhaps wiser than we think they have 9 lives maybe improving as each one slides by quietly and furrily they know the saying "it's a dog's life" and act accordingly i.e., like cats which is, after all, all one can expect of a cat.... |
MEOW MEANS OM (i think the water is warmer whenever i'm not drowning.) cat is doo-wap radio is frisky and tame light shines all sleep the light life of love psychotherapy the parable of the poet the grasslands of greenland genius the inspired the uninspired my love for you my free floating love for humanity love coercion twelve step programs existence for posterity my wish for my doo-wap cat my unfounded principality my wish you loved me my stolen typewriters o my stolen typewriters my love of life your life of love play play play with doo-wap my mother's wish that the ten commandments were still in effect her wish at 75 that people still cared the ten commandments doo-wap do the right thing the cat's whiskers doo-wap pleasure health wealth sobriety as a religion try health this time give up give up give up ˝ patch the wealthy love poverty my editor my editor is evaporating my handsome-ever-handsome poplograghic editor (sic) john wesley harding numerous assorted fools john wesley harding & disciples outlaws lovers crooks typewriter broken tough the lovely person you aren't the life of reilly "That time of year thou mayest in me behold" and the doo-wap cat i once was and still am hopping in pleasure lyrically wound and tightly unwrapped voice of every soul distant runner on time's remote shore insecurity and drugs bohemian? what's bohemian? insecurity and mice and doo-wap cats the cat's jumping is perfect doo-wap! waving wheatfields drugs & sweet wine twelve-step programs existence for posterity i have gone around in tight skirts i use my sexuality as a smoking gun i have no choice it uses itself against me i want life easy i want dash & dash & -- to love me the left margin in contact with the right: no space the answering machine is purring cat doo-wap˝ the answering machine is purring cat doo-wap ˝ each soul knelt to pray a city of knees god's ego is too big nada zilch rien cat doo-wop the beat of life, stay on top of the water don't drown stay doo-wap stay sexy stay young the 80 year old stays flexible & thinks the 40 year old is "just beginning" the 40 year old thinks the 20 year old a child i think the water is warmer whenever I'm not drowning i think cat is doo-wap and doo-wap is 50s life is doo-wap the song of the spheres is essential and real i definitely defer to cats & doo-wap music they bop; they keep me alive doo-wap bop bop bop how wonderful it is to fly how wonderful to come down to earth how wonderful to live i think every song enters god's ear and reverberates into blind sunlight |
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We welcome comments on our webpages as well as invitations to read and to submit our poetry for publication.
©Susan Osterman 2005