Rodrigo Toscano

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Songsters

How did people
procreate
around these parts
50 years ago
under what conditions
100 years ago
by what constraints
and liberties
200 years ago
to what ends
with what means
400 years ago
what rituals
impelled
what songs
propelled
800 years ago
what songs
were deemed fit
and by whom
1600 years ago
songsters
back at camp
sampling
other camps
compressing
and fitting
old songs
to new times
3200 years ago
call it quits
on rituals
ritual’s purpose
till a direction
a journey
is divined
6400 years ago
songsters vying
who’s shining
who’s not
12, 800 years ago
vanguards
in tatters
retrofitted
jimmied
just enough to
make relevance

Frisky-Frightened

In 2031…

In 2041…

In 2051…

(you frightened
or frisky?)
In 2071…

Ok, let’s go there

3021

100th year commemoration of
2021

In 2021, 1921

sentiments, sediment
surfeit of silly stances
towards
1821

1821, never quite
nor 1822

1822

200th year
reverse-commemoration of
2022

2022
right around the corner
is
nothing

making you
frisky-frightened

You’re frisky-frightened

What else to say

21st Century Odyssey

You scroll
and you scroll

and you scroll
and scroll

till something
also not you

commands
you stop

at which
you comply

then somehow
some you

lifts the pad
opens it and

notes it
by pencil

at which time
a dozen discourses

start vying
for your attention

notice
not a one

really wants it
notice

you can’t give it
anyway

notice
this condition

sketch out
this prison

dare declare
this inmate

a ‘mystic’ or
‘realist’

note well
the urge to

say something like
oh shit

my zoom’s
coming up

note well
another you

immobile
happy to comply

to nothing
and noting it

The Left & The Right

That that that
What?
That that that
What?

Ours ours ours
Mine mine mine
Ours ours ours
Mine mine mine

Leap leap leap
Chill out
Leap leap leap
Chill out

You can’t
Oh can’t we?
You can’t
Oh can’t we?

This too this too
That’s not
This too this too
That’s not

For the love of
For the love of
For the love of
For the love of

Hands up!
Take, my rocker
Hands up!
Take, my rocker

Rockin rollin!
Freeze!
Rockin rollin!
Freeze!

It’s about the children!
It’s about the children!
It’s about the children?
It’s about the children?

Rodrigo Toscano is a poet and essayist based in New Orleans. He is the author of ten books of poetry. His latest book is The Charm & The Dread (Fence Books, 2022). His previous books include In Range, Explosion Rocks Springfield, Deck of Deeds, Collapsible Poetics Theater (a National Poetry Series selection), To Leveling Swerve, Platform, Partisans, and The Disparities. His poetry has appeared in over 20 anthologies, including Best American Poetry and Best American Experimental Poetry (BAX). Toscano has received a New York State Fellowship in Poetry. He won the Edwin Markham 2019 prize for poetry. He works for the Labor Institute in conjunction with the United Steelworkers, the National Institute for Environmental Health Science, National Day Laborers Organizing Network educational / training projects that involve environmental and labor justice culture transformation.
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About Posit Editor

Susan Lewis (susanlewis.net) is the Editor-in-chief and founder of Posit (positjournal.com) and the author of ten books and chapbooks, including Zoom (winner of the Washington Prize), Heisenberg's Salon, This Visit, and State of the Union. Her poetry has appeared in anthologies such as Walkers in the City (Rain Taxi), They Said (Black Lawrence Press), and Resist Much, Obey Little (Dispatches/Spuyten Duyvil), as well as in journals such as Agni, Boston Review, The Brooklyn Rail, Conjunctions online, Diode, Interim, New American Writing, and VOLT.