Patrick Roche – Canonization [Video]

By Button Poetry

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Patrick Roche, performing “Canonization”

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Button Poetry is committed to developing a coherent and effective system of production, distribution, promotion and fundraising for spoken word and performance poetry.

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Transcript provided by YouTube (unedited)

0:03
– Canonization, after Jeanann Verlee’s “Brawler”.
0:08
Saint of the Meyer brain,
0:10
saint of lost serotonin, of liquid neuron,
0:14
of pills and their chorus of side effects.
0:17
Saint of a chorus,
0:18
of singing the stigma into quiet submission.
0:21
Saint of the quiet anxiety,
0:23
of the off-brand panic attack.
0:25
Saint of attacking, of the bobcat
0:27
making a claw stricken den out of your chest
0:29
and of the territorial fight
0:31
to reclaim a home from a predator.
0:33
Saint of the cold territory of home,
0:36
saint of the warm territory of desire,
0:39
a queer substance of kissing straight boys.
0:43
Of acting straight, of being a bad actor.
0:46
Saint of bad habits and good movement of hands.
0:49
Saint of hands, saint of torn, red cuticles
0:51
and cracking knuckles when nervous.
0:54
Saint of red, saint of maroon, of burgundy.
0:57
Saint of knowing burgundy is your best color.
1:00
Saint of turning red, saint of seeing red,
1:02
saint of seeing yourself as anything but yourself.
1:05
Saint of someone else, saint of self discovery,
1:08
of the self of the good selfishness.
1:11
Saint of eating the last cookie.
1:12
Saint of the secret weigh-in,
1:15
of the hopeless meal, of the lost cause of anorexia.
1:18
Saint of nutritionist appointments,
1:19
saint of chocolate milk and protein,
1:21
of the steady expanse of gut.
1:24
Saint of the convex, of no more valley
1:26
and no more sharp, and no more lack.
1:28
Saint of more, of second helping, saint of seeking help,
1:33
of seeking light, of seeking shade.
1:35
Saint of the wallet emptied at the drag show,
1:37
saint of the sadness emptied from the body.
1:39
Saint of the not emptied body,
1:41
of full stomach, of the brain,
1:43
full of crying and of joy.
1:45
Saint of the brain full of multitudes,
1:48
saint of the blessing of full emotion
1:50
and full love, saint of full.
1:52
Saint of yes, saint of no.
1:55
Saint of when I say so, saint of naming the want,
1:58
saint of wanting and no shame,
2:00
saint of the guilty pleasure
2:01
and the pleasure with no guilt.
2:03
Saint of pleasure and the pleasing,
2:05
saint of pleas, of time, and always,
2:09
always saint of please every time.

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This post was previously published on YouTube.

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