poem The Burning, vodka, scorch, bottle, rape, hands push, inside, glass poem By Chicago Poet Janet Kuypers

[the Writing of Kuypers] [JanetKuypers.com] [Bio] [Poems] [Prose]

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“Oh.” audio CD
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(5:21)
and Death Takes Many Forms
from the show 6/11 06/11/02

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the Internet Archive

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live at 6/11 in Chicago 06/11/02

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from the Chaotic Collection

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(6:46)
the Poems The Burning and Death Takes Many Forms
from the show 6/11 06/11/02

This film is from
the Internet Archive

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This film is from
the Internet Archive

Watch this YouTube video
(1:37) 10/03/06, of the TV show, airing 4 times, 12/06
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YouTube video at leech video.

Listen to the CD recording for the 06/11/02 performance art show 6/11

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1:42, live at the Cafe 03/13/07
recorded for Constantpoetry.com

This is on the collection CD The Final.
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2:42, of the 2 poems Holding My Hand and the Burning (live at the Cafe)

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now available in a 3 CD set
bonus track from Molly Malone’s

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3 poems read live 05/19/07 at the Jared Smith book release: Too Far, Headache & the Burning (3:46, from the Internet Archive)

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off the CD Indian Flux

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(1:44, 05/05/07)

You can also see the above video on msn.com

Listen to the Second Axing
off the CD Live in Alaska.

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(1:00)

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Listen Live at the Cafe,
now available in a 3 CD set
bonus track from the Chicago Poetry Fest, 2004

Watch the 05/05/07 video

at Poetry Visualized

Go to the Raw readings page and search
for multiple videos of this poem.

Listen: (1:26)
to this recording from Fusion

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live, 18 Years of Beach Poets
08/31/08, Chicago

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Live at Taking Poetry to the Streets, in New Orleans 12/22/08

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Live at Waiting 4 the Bus 06/17/09 at the “Bizarro Feature” for Charlie Newman in Chicago

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read at at the open mic It’s A Grind (at a Coffee House) in Berkeley CA 09/14/09

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read at at the open mic It’s A Grind (at It’s A Grind Coffee House) in Berkeley CA 09/14/09

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of the Cutting Room Floor at the Palos Park Public Library 10/07/09

or see the full 10/07/09 Video

at the Palos Park Public Library of the Cutting Room Floor
via the Internet Archive

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11/06/10 from the TV camera in Lake Villa’s Swing State, live in her “Visual Nonsense” show Sexism and other stories

Watch this YouTube video
listen: 1:17, 11/06/10 in Lake Villa at Swing State, in Sexism and other stories

See the full show of Kuypers reading from the TV monitor in the “Sexism and other stories” show, live in Lake Villa’s “Visual Nonsense” 10/20/011/06/10 with this poem at Swing State

See the full show of Kuypers reading in the “Sexism and other stories” show, live in Lake Villa 11/06/10 with this writing at Swing State

Listen live (1:03)
Or watch the YouTube video
Live at My Soul in the Trunk of my Car at Trunk Fest (part 2), in an outdoor Evanston IL feature 05/28/11

See the YouTube full video of My Soul in the Trunk of my Car (part 2) at Trunk Fest, live 05/28/11, w/ this writing

Download the chapbook with this writing in My Soul in the Trunk of my Car (part 2)

See YouTube video
of Kuypers reading this poem as if she were on the phone in her “overheard conversations” series 8/15/12 at the Café Gallery in Chicago (Canon)

See YouTube video
of Kuypers reading this poem as if she were on the phone in her “overheard conversations” series 8/15/12 at the Café Gallery in Chicago (Sony)

See YouTube video
of Kuypers reading many poems as if she were on the phone in “overheard conversations” 8/15/12 at the Café Gallery in Chicago (Canon)

See YouTube video
of Kuypers reading many poems as if she were on the phone in “overheard conversations” 8/15/12 at the Café Gallery in Chicago (Canon)

See YouTube video
of Kuypers’ open mike 8/15/12 at Gallery Cabaret’s the Café Gallery in Chicago, plus her poetry - including this piece

Order this iTunes track from the poetry music CD the Elements ...Or order
the entire CD set from iTunes:

Order this iTunes track from the poetry music CD Live in Alaska ...Or order the entire CD set from iTunes:

Order this iTunes track from the collection poetry music CD
the Final ...Or order the entire CD from iTunes:

See YouTube video
of Kuypers reading this poem live at Dan Shapiro’s rigged open mic in Logan Square (Chicago) at Cole’s bar 4/14/13

See YouTube video
of Kuypers reading a set of poems (“the Burning” and 3 near-death accident-related poems) live at Dan Shapiro’s rigged open mic in Logan Square (Chicago) at Cole’s bar 4/14/13

See YouTube video of Janet Kuypers reading her poem the Burning live 6/12/13 as the intro to the open mic the Café Gallery in Chicago (Canon)

See YouTube video of Janet Kuypers reading her poem the Burning live 6/12/13 as the intro to the open mic the Café Gallery in Chicago (Sony)

See YouTube video
of Kuypers hosting the open mic 6/12/13 at Gallery Cabaret’s the Café Gallery in Chicago, including her reading this and other poems & prose!

See YouTube video
of Janet Kuypers reading her poem the Burning (from the book po•em) in Chicago 11/24/13 (C) at her feature Book Expo 2013 Chicago

Watch this YouTube video
of Janet Kuypers reading her poem the Burning (from the book po•em) in Chicago 11/24/13 (S) at her feature Book Expo 2013 Chicago

See YouTube video of Janet Kuypers reading 2 sets of 3 poems each, including the poems Death is a Dog, Everything Was Alive and Dying and Fantastic Car Crash in set 1, and Too Far, the Burning and Under the Sea in set 2, 8/11/15 at Quenchers open mic in Chicago (Canon fs200)

See YouTube video of Janet Kuypers reading 2 sets of 3 poems each, including the poems Death is a Dog, Everything Was Alive and Dying and Fantastic Car Crash in set 1, and Too Far, the Burning and Under the Sea in set 2, 8/11/15 at Quenchers open mic in Chicago (Canon Power Shot)

See YouTube video
of Janet Kuypers reading 3 poems, Too Far, the Burning and Children, Churches and Daddies 9/16/15 at In One Ear open mic in Chicago (Cfs)

See YouTube video
of Janet Kuypers reading 3 poems, Too Far, the Burning and Children, Churches and Daddies 9/16/15 at In One Ear open mic in Chicago (Cps)

See YouTube video (Cps) of Janet Kuypers reading her poem
the Burning 12/13/15 at the Austin TX open mic Kick Butt Poetry

See YouTube video of Janet Kuypers performing poetry and song (with John on guitar) 12/13/15 at the Austin open mic Kick Butt Poetry (Canon Power Shot), with her song What We Need In Life (with her poem Fantastic Car Crash inside the song),
X-rays and broken hearts, & the Burning.

The Burning
I take the final swig of vodka
feel it burn it’s way down my throat
hiss at it scorching my tongue
and reach for the bottle to pour myself another.
I think of how my tonsils scream
every time I let the alcohol rape me.
Then I look down at my hands --
shaking -- holding the glass of poison --
and think of how these were the hands
that should have pushed you away from me.
But didn’t. And I keep wondering
why I took your hell, took your poison.
I remember how you burned your way
through me. You corrupted me
from the inside out, and I kept coming back.
I let you infect me, and now you’ve
burned a hole through me. I hated it.
Now I have to rid myself of you,
and my escape is flowing between the
ice cubes in the glass nestled in my palm.
But I have to drink more. The burning
doesn’t last as long as you do.

Copyright Janet Kuypers.
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may be reprinted without express permission.