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Thanks
2008-04-08 09:10:00
Yesterday I sent a call out to you readers to help find an old anthology I appeared in. Several of you responded and hopefully in the next few days I will have it in my hands. As most of you know I don't hold on to much of my published stuff. My personal library consists mainly of journals and CD's of my stuff. It was important to find these pieces because I had lost copies of them during my last venture into the heroin dungeon, and I felt that even though they had been published, they were not final edits. In fact, some of them I have rewritten in my head several times. Getting my paws on them will now allow me closure to to finish those poems as they should have been originally. I believe a poem is an ever evolving piece, and the minute that poem stops evolving it is dead. Major thanks goes out to all who are helping me locate these "missing pieces".RC Edrington
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Darling Narcissist
2008-04-06 13:14:00
Amy always saidkill time beforetime kills you& I guessthat's whatshe was doingthe night they found herdead 19 year old bodycrumpled on a park benchlike a winosbrown paper bagseems she snortedWhite-Outfrom a Coca-Cola canthe blood vesselsin her brain explodedlike cut-rate fireworksAnd in this agewhen punk rock anthemssell wireless cell phoneson prime time TVI can imagine herdecked out inher 4th Avenuethrift store garbas she fires a Johnny Rottensneer into the camera& shouts:"White-Out erasesall mistakes away"RC Edrington
More About: Poetry , Darling , Narcissist

Call For Reader Help
2008-04-06 12:11:00
A few years back,Victor Thorn of Babel magazine put out a collection of poems by various authors under the title: The Bukowski Hangover Project. This project included several pieces by me, that at the time I did not feel were final drafts appropriate for publication. While I did receive a few copies of this book, I have no idea as to where they are now.During the time, I was bouncing from crash pad to crash pad and injecting every known drug into my nervous system. Since I did not have those pieces committed to memory, It has been an impossible task to rewrite these poems the way they should have been re-written before they were published.I am mainly in want of finding the long piece called "After Hollywood" and a few minor pieces. If anyone out there has a copy of this book, would you do me a huge favor and photocopy the pages that contain my poems so that I may do full re-writes on them and get them out of my head for once an all. They are like old girlfriends following me arou...
More About: News , Poetry , Reader , Call

B & D
2008-04-06 05:04:00
I choke on her paisleypillow case, patchouliincense burns my eyeslike tear gas or mace,I fight her bandanasmy ankles and wrist squirmlike 4 knots on 4 bedposts,like the locks of her hairin the fist of her fatherwho was a drunk farmer,and believed everythinglong, tall & blondmust be hoed downRC Edrington
More About: Poetry

Barrio Loyalty
2008-04-06 04:59:00
life on the needlesometimes meansyour girl has to slipa cherry or vanillacondom on the shriveleddick of a middle-agebusinessman& suck him offto cop the next fix& I know you self righteous fuckswill sit in disgustat this simpleact of lifebut next timeyou & your girlsit down to sip yourtriple latte (or whateverthe fuck you pretentiousfucks sip)at your limp wristedcoffee housesask your girlexactly how far she would goto save your lifeif she won't takea bullet, suck a knob,or cough up a kidneyto keep you breathingthrough another dayhow tight reallyare those tiesthat allegedly bind?RC Edrington
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Babel Magazine Interview Part 1
2008-04-05 20:51:00
Victor: You've said that some people call you arrogant in your views toward the small press, while I see your honesty as a breath of fresh air. So, to begin part one of this interview, tell us why you've almost given up on the small press.RC Edrington: I am arrogant because I will only send my stuff to publications that have writers and editors I have some respect for as a reader. I am arrogant because 90% of all journals I have read lately suck. What pisses me off the most, though, is that these shitty journals are allowed to define modern poetry to the masses, thereby assuring that since I don't write in the school of "rhymed verse" or know the secret handshake to the academic "isn't our stuff deep" clique, my stuff goes un-read. If all I was exposed to was this shit I wouldn't buy poetry either.I have given up on the small press because someone long ago sold the small press on the idea they were not permitted to profit from or market their publications. Once this...
More About: Magazine , Interview , Babel , Part

Portrait Americana
2008-04-05 20:34:00
Worn paint flakes from the walls like a jewish skin to reveal canyon layers of red blue brown paint that looks like the face of a $10 whore applying fresh make-up over the chipped layers of yesterdays we call it home this four walled canker sore peeled from the alcoholic mind of Edgar Allan Poe there are ghosts here real or imagined chalked figures of punk rock goddesses tying off in corners won't hurt you if you leave them alone ghost of poems led to slaughter in the violent hands of this would-be prophet turned junkie the bottle of hope is a bit dry this week perhaps some Jim Beam will do the trick, or finger through the ashtray for a roach Jenny has some lsd chasing red dragons thru skies of azure, she dreams like a gypsy on the pissed stained carpet yellow as a winos teeth old man Ed nods the heroin stare at the blank TV screen & much like Ed it hasn't worked in years so Ed doesn't know how pretty the junkies and drug dealers in Miami look I light a joint my eyes straighten t...
More About: Poetry , Portrait , Americana

Live Without A Net: Bloodletting The Robot
2008-04-05 14:10:00
"This may prick just a bit". Her voice like steel wool raping a rusted tailpipe. Her breath stale coffee and peppermint gum tinged with top-shelf vodka. She is in my face like some sickly aunt I only pretend to like so my birthday check still arrives...and that check is always good for a 1/2 gram of uncut Mexican Chiva*.She is scared of me, despite the liquid bravado she sips on her "coffee" break. I sense it. Not because I am 62" and 230 lbs. But because I am 6'2", 230 lbs., and she is checking my blood level to ensure that the various psychotropic drugs coursing thru my veins are at a therapeutic level. If not, I imagine she has visions of me ripping her throat out and licking the blood as it drips in slow motion down her saggy 50 year old tits. Her B-movie fantasy, not mine...so ignore the cliched prose.I have long ago faced the fact that this nurse, people in general, and you dearest reader...consider me crazy. But in this society I am not too certain crazy is all that bad a pl...
More About: Robot , Prose , Live , Essays

bridget bardot
2008-04-05 14:03:00
I drinkfall downpukeriseto drinkanother bottleI writethis shit& on good dayslose myselfbetween the thighsof tender fleshon bad daysfind myself chokedbetween the sad thighsof middle age& some daysthe sunrise ejaculatesbetween my fingerslike a teenage boylost insideautographed photosof Bridget t BardotRC Edrington
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Forbidden Archeology
2008-04-04 13:26:00
Forbidden Archeology by authors/researchers Michael A. Cremo and Richard L. Thompson is the latest mind altering book I am engaged in reading.Over the centuries, researchers have found bones and artifacts proving that humans just like you and I have existed for millions of years. Mainstream science, however, has suppressed these facts. Prejudices based on current scientific theory act as a knowledge filter, giving us a picture of prehistory that is largely incorrect.The crux of this well researched and well documented book is to explore basic anomalies found in the human archaeological record that seemed to exist outside the current paradigm of science. While I could discuss numerous finding of this book, I will offer one example.The Calaveras Skull: In February 1866, Mr. Mattison, the principal owner of the mine on Bald Hill, near Angels Creek, removed this fossilized skull from a layer of gravel 130 feet below the surface. The gravel was near the bedrock, underneath several disti...
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Dream Highway
2008-04-02 10:31:00
Infinity,a highway of dreamsI hitchhiketo quench this need.If you were heroin,I could have sweat you outon a mattress steeped in flesh,but your needle sliced too deep...pierced my soul,& this addiction that you nurseover phonethrough mailrequires morethan you are willing to give.3000 miles& a wedding ringstands between us, yetyou feel but a bloodbeat away.Trust me...I never wanted this.I never wanted this lust,this forbidden desirethat rips me from sleep& cries your name,but I am hooked& like a junkieI am back on my kneesbegging for the tasteof your lips,to cradle me backto sleep.RC Edrington
More About: Prose , Dream , Highway

Summer
2008-04-02 10:07:00
she writes me poemswith the thin penshe uses to pushher crack pipewhile her shavedpussy lips whisperto me from beneathher pink & black checked1950's Susan Sarandoncirca Bull Durhampoodle skirtshe wantsto talk all nightabout anythingand everythingthat fizzes into herwired skull5:37 a.m.and finally I tell heryes, Sarandon's hotbut she would bemuch more fuckableif she learned to keepher mouth closedRC Edrington
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.357 Chrome
2008-04-02 09:37:00
I have a sliver of metal in my right thigh that only reveals itself to doctors taking an x-ray. The doctors scratch their collective heads trying to figure out how it got there and what it is. I usually just laugh and tell them it's an alien implant left behind after my last abduction and anal probe. Their questions immediately end and I am usually sent home with whatever opiate I choose.Truth of the matter is, the metal came from a .357 bullet. A guy stuck a knife in my face. I returned the favor by sticking a chrome plated .357 with the numbers filed off in his. Not the stuff of poetry, but the truth none-the-less. The guy was so whacked on crack, the gun didn't phase him and he kept coming forward. The knife flashing blue to red from the neon signs of the liquor store resembled some native American ceremonial blade designed to sacrifice the white man.Not wanting to kill a crack head in self defense, I lowered the gun and fired a warning shot into the ground. The blast created e...
More About: Chrome

13th Floor
2008-04-01 11:53:00
patience nursedlike top shelfbrandythe next stepcould bethe fatal stepinch by inchfingers tracebrick for gripfear permeatesthe ledge, sheno longer wantsto jumpas sirens rapethe boulevardshe dreamsof ladderstears slipdown her cheekssummer rainwashes rescuefrom the cameraflash of morningnewsRC Edrington
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Prison Tip: Lighting A Cigarette
2008-03-31 10:22:00
Due to recent laws regarding smoking in public places, most rehab and mental health facilities only permit you to smoke a cigarette outside on supervised breaks. These breaks are often scheduled at certain times. Since no one in these facilities is permitted a lighter or matches, most facilities have a lighter box (similar to a car lighter) bolted to the wall in the outside smoking area. Older facilities don't have these so you need to rely on the Psych Tech's to light your cigarette for you while on break.Now what happens if you are having a nicotine attack and need a smoke, but the next smoke break isn't for an hour? Simple. You create your own lighter and enjoy your cigarette in the bathroom with the shower water running to absorb the smoke. How is this lighter created? All you need is a foil gum wrapper and a power outlet. Take the gum wrapper and fold it into a 1/4 inch strip. Then fold the strip into a "U" shape. Place the end of the foil into each side of the socket so tha...
More About: News , Lighting , Prison , Cigarette

Watermelon Vodka: How To
2008-03-29 22:29:00
As most of you readers know by now, I used to manage a bar. Nothing fancy, just a small neighborhood dump in the center of Tucson, Arizona's infamous Barrio Libre. During my time there I learned many tricks to make cheap booze taste like top shelf liquor. During this time I created the poor mans answer to those fancy over priced flavored vodkas. The following is a how to guide to creating it yourself:1. Buy the cheapest bottle of vodka you can find. The store brands work best for this. In our area we had some real rot gut called Fleishmans. You can easily get something similar for less than $8 a liter.2. Go to Wal-Mart hell and purchase for about $2 a cheap clear glass sun tea jar. Take note, the glass must be clear. It must have a tight top, and a little spigot at the bottom to pour.3. Buy a watermelon. Fresh. From one of your local migrant worker stands along the hi-way.4. Slice up the watermelon and fill the jar with it. Stuff as much watermelon in that sucker as possible. Do NO...
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Rehab 5 a.m.
2008-03-28 09:40:00
I need to feel morethan this tired bloodslow coursethru these caved veinsI need to driftlike cigarette smokeout this steelwindow screendown into thosemexican streets& warm myselfin the soft glowof morning sunlightas it slices open a fresh woundin the cloudsthat tumble like drunken ballerinasonto the sandbut there areno open doors just4 cinder block walls& the hum offlorescent lights asinsomnia moans& masturbateswith toothpastein the next cellRC Edrington
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5 Minute Philosophy: 3.27.08
2008-03-27 12:04:00
I have learned over time that there will be readers and even other authors who will come to hate my work, and by extension me. Being honest does that. It makes people take sides, obliterating all middle ground. But those people can't hate unless they have read me...and once they have read me, my words are burned into their brain synapses never to be erased. To my knowledge, scientist have yet to create a device that allows someone to unread something.While I appreciate those who like my writing. They are easily ignored, as I refuse to pander to anyone. I am more fascinated with those who hate my words. There is an old adage: "keep your friends close, but your enemies closer". Someone that hates you and your words will invest far more time reading and keeping tabs on you than a mere fan. Where else will they find the fuel to feed the fire of their obsession but in your own words. For certainly they lack the brain power and originality it takes to create lies that can stick. And the ...
More About: Philosophy , Prose , Essays , Minute

Polluto Issue 2: Pre-Order
2008-03-27 08:10:00
Polluto Issue 2: Apocalypses & Garden Furniture, which features my column "Live Without A Net" and 3 of my new poems, is available for pre-order. Issue is available as 500 limited editions softbacks and 100 hardbacks. Packed full of other great authors and award winning artists. A must read. Order Now to reserve your copy.RC Edrington

Bored In '77
2008-03-26 06:11:00
no x-box at 13or even ataribut we had Exene& Joey Ramone...back thenwe tossed dimesstolen from mom'sbrown thrift store purseagainst a red brickgraffiti marred schoolyard wallloser had to stand w/ hands fullof spare changein front of Ed's Liquor& charm college girlsto score us a pintof bacardi 151 rumwe'd pass the bottlecut thru alleysend up at Universityof Arizona Hospital& run the stepsto the roofto toss the doctorslounge chairsinto the parking lotjust to watch them breaknever to landon their feetlike the old gray tomcatwe launched intothe sunsetonly to landthen jump much like usblindly intothe speeding carsof our youthto survive an impactthat left usquite alive yet scarredRC Edrington
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Green Crack
2008-03-25 21:24:00
On St. Pat's day this year (2008), cops in Ohio seized green crack. It was apparently dyed that color for the holiday. Nice marketing ploy drug dealers, but at close inspection of your "rocks' you used way too much baking soda when you rocked the stuff up. I would have beat your asses. Five suspects were arrested during the transaction. Washington County Sheriff, Larry Mincks, was asked if he had every seen something like this before. He stated a few years ago they had confiscated some red colored crack at Christmas time. It is good to see Ohio crack dealers making an effort to spread the holiday cheer among customers, huh? Source story: The Smoking Gun.RC Edrington
More About: News , Green , Crack

South Park Free & Legal
2008-03-25 13:33:00
If you are a huge fan of South Park , then you will want to hop on over to South Park Studios. Riding a new wave in online video entertainment, you can now watch every single episode of South Park in high quality definition video on their site. I must have lost about 2 hours time yesterday watching 4 episodes. Be careful kids, it is quite addictive.Each episode of approximately 21 minutes pauses at the 7 and 14 minute mark to run a very short advertisement of less than 1 minute. Not a bad trade off to be able to view totally free and uncensored full episodes. To my knowledge, while some television shows offer a few episodes available free online, South Park is the only show making available its entire show catalog.South Park | Online Video | RC Edrington
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Bless You Father
2008-03-24 10:20:00
as a former Catholicbent by boozeI now understandwhat years of Massfailed to teachif the Pope relaxedhis staunch stanceagainst birth control& abortionit would severely limitthe dating poolof all hischild fuckingpriestsRC Edrington
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Guilty Pleasure: Tunes
2008-03-23 20:56:00
Sundays, especially Sundays that involve religious holidays I am not prone to celebrate or acknowledge, I enter a state of vegetation by cranking up the tunes all day and writing. My weird taste in tunes that I currently hear playing is the crux of this brief meaningless essay... Mixed in with with my Johnny Thunders, Clash, the Velvet Underground and other late 70s type punk and underground bands are some guilty pleasures. Songs that I dig listening too now, but totally ignored when they were first played on AM/FM radio in the late 1970s. I always justify the inclusion of these songs on my play-list in fake hipness by telling friends that these tunes are stuff Joey Ramone most likely listened to when he wasn't trying to be cool. Of course this isn't really the case, but it sounds good.Anyway, here are some very uncool tunes I listen to. Music off all kinds has been more of an influence on me than literature throughout the years. However I found out at a much early age that I coul...
More About: Tunes , Essays , Pleasure , Guilty

Barrio Libre
2008-03-23 04:19:00
blood of junkies bloominto shared syringeslike the sweet,dewy fruit blossomon a worn barrel cactusburied amidst brokenCorona bottles & stale corn husktamale wrappersthat linethe pus filled veinof cracked asphaltseeping its wayup South 6th Avenueinto the crackedpresidio adobe houseswhere Mexican grandmothers rolltortillas betweenarthritic fingers& gunshotsRC Edrington
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Burned Beyond Recognition
2008-03-21 19:40:00
Not Black Flag, a few gray hairs...ok, a lot of gray hairs, but Hank still has it. Too bad his spoken word performances went from being just shooting the shit with the audience to boring Bill Maher type rambles. Anyway, this is still one of my fave songs, kiddies.RC Edrington
More About: Music , Recognition

Telepathic Chat
2008-03-21 19:27:00
Well, sort of. Scientists have demonstrated a new "neck band" technology that allows someone to make a phone call without using their voice. Through training, a person is able to send nerve signals to the neckband using their vocal chords without uttering a sound. Trippy, huh? A wireless computer converts the signal to words, which are then spoken by a computerized voice. Check out the video, or read the reference article.RC Edrington
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Everything I Say Is A Poem
2008-03-20 20:35:00
She hadn't spoken since they found her. No failed gunshot. No blood trailing from the wrist like some polluted stream where teenagers toss beer bottle caps and watch them float drunkenly into tomorrow. No pill bottle next to her rain slick body to reflect the emptiness she tried to leave behind.She'd climbed to the top of the Bank of America building downtown. An old tape deck in her lap sung the hiss and pop of 70s AM radio hits. Hall & Oates. "She's Gone" lingered in the background like some soft buoyant cloud cutting thru the sunlight to erase the rain.In her hands, a 6ft steel mop handle pointed to the sky like a steeple...as she prayed for lightening. The janitor reeked of malt liquor. Ball-parked she'd been up here at least two days.A week in this state run mental health facility and no one knew her name. After noon meds, I sat beside her in a pink beanbag chair. Sipped a diet Pepsi and read through Whitman's "Leaves of Grass" for the hundredth time. She looked up from he...
More About: Prose , Poem

Female Body: Chalk
2008-03-20 02:59:00
Here is another piece done in chalk on black canvas of my favorite subject matter: the female body. Again, I use chalk drawing as a form of relaxation. I just crank the tunes and start chalking. Sometimes I use a live model. Sometimes, as in this case, I work from a photo. RC Edrington
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Doll Parts: Mixed Media
2008-03-19 20:52:00
This mixed media piece began as a photograph. From there I adjusted the lighting and skin tone colors. The image was the printed. From there I applied chalk and stencils to the photo. The photo was then re-photographed. Went through a light wash, and now exists here as a finished project. Many thanks to the model. Click photo for larger version. Enjoy.RC Edrington
More About: Media , Parts , Mixed , Doll , Mixed media