Janet Kuypers Poems

Janet Kuypers’ 6/11/22 “Eleven” Poetry Show @ Buzz Mill in Austin, TX

October 13, 2022 by Janet Kuypers

Below are video links and poem text links from a June 11^th 2018 (6/11/18, or 20180611) poetry performance (accompanied by guitar and piano music from John Yotko, accompanied by train sound throughout the show) of Janet Kuypers’ Austin poetry feature through “Fort to Famous” at Austin’s The Buzz Mill in Austin, TX.

In this show, Janet Kuypers’ decided to tackle the number eleven in many different forms throughout her show, from her first poem she ever wrote that was published when she was eleven, the acquaintance rape counselor poems she wrote 11 years after that, to nearly being killed on July 11th, to having her first show back in Chicago on June 11th, top coping with July 11, 2001. At the end of this show (cut off from video, but in the chapbook), she even read a penguin poem written in the 11th month last year, and ended her show with a poem from poems written 11 years after being happily married to John… in this show, she even included a song they have sung in 11 states.

Poems performed in thisshow include “Under the Sea”, “The Burning”, “Right There, By Your Heart (verses 2 & 6)”, “What We Need in Life”, “Fantastic Car Crash”, “The Things They Did To You (5/8/18 edit)”, “Looking for a Worthy Adversary (an extreme sestina variation)”, “Death is a Dog”, and “September 11, 2001”.

See YouTube video of Chicago poet Janet Kuypers in her 6/11/18 poetry show “Eleven” in Austin, TX (this video was filmed from a Panasonic Lumix 2500).

See YouTube video of Chicago poet Janet Kuypers in her 6/11/18 poetry show “Eleven” in Austin, TX (this video was filmed from a Panasonic Lumix 2500 camera, and then it was given an Edge Detection filter).

See YouTube video of Chicago poet Janet Kuypers in her 6/11/18 poetry show “Eleven” in Austin TX (this video was filmed from a Panasonic Lumix 2500 camera, and then it was given a Posterize filter).

See YouTube video of Chicago poet Janet Kuypers in her 6/11/18 poetry show “Eleven” in Austin (this video was filmed from a Panasonic Lumix 2500 camera, and then it was given a Threshold filter).

See YouTube video from 6/6/18 of Janet Kuypers’ June 2018 Book Release Reading, where she read her Down in the Dirt Jan.-Apr. 2018 issue collection book “At Midnight” poems “rush”, “lost”, and “Only Half the Story”, then two poems from her “Eleven” chapbook, “Under the Sea” and “Looking for a Worthy Adversary (sestina)”, in Community Poetry @ Half Price Books (this video was filmed from a Panasonic Lumix T56 camera).

See YouTube video of Janet Kuypers reading her poems “Looking for a Worthy Adversary (extreme sestina variation)” & “Observer’s Love Poem” from her chapbook “Eleven”, and then her eleven-themed new poem “popular and useless” (with a selfie with the audience) live 6/10/18 at “Spoken and Heard” . Kick Butt Coffee (this video was filmed from a Panasonic Lumix 2500 camera).

Janet Kuypers’ June 2022 Book reading 6/6/18 at Austin’s Community Poetry

September 14, 2022 by Janet Kuypers

June 6^th marked the reading space where Janet Kuypers read material from new Scars Publications books for Community Poetry@Half Price Books, which was the only meeting like this at Half Price Books (5555 N Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX). June 6^th also marked a June 2018 Book Release Reading of new books from Scars Publications, which saw the release of the cc&d June 2018 v284 6/18 25-year anniversary issue 6×9 ISBN# paperback book “Shining” and the June 2018 issue (v158) of Down in the Dirt magazine’s issue/book “The Painting”.
Because issue collection books have also been recently released, Janet Kuypers also read (in two separate readings) material from the Scars Publications Down in the Dirt January-April 2018 issue collection book “At Midnight” for the final readings of the event. And as an added bonus to the final reading, Janet Kuypers also also finished by reading two poems from her (at the time) upcoming 6/11/18 poetry show titled “Eleven” (because it was a 6/11 show filled with references to the number eleven).

See YouTube video of Janet Kuypers’ June 2018 Book Release Reading 6/6/18, where she read her Down in the Dirt 6/18 book “The Painting” poems “oil”, “Hunting for Life”, “knowing”, “Violations Tested”, and “Violations in the name of love”, in Community Poetry @ Half Price Books (this video was filmed from a Panasonic Lumix T56 camera).

See YouTube video, after Thom Woodruff read his poems “Texas Spring Awakening” and “How to be Invisible”, of Janet Kuypers’ June 2018 Book Release Reading 6/6/18, where she read her #metoo poems “White Knuckled”, “Raped with Words”, “Women’s Very Existence”, and “Right There, By Your Heart (v 2 & 6)” from the cc&d 6/18 256-year anniversary book “Shining” at “Community Poetry @ Half Price Books” (Panasonic Lumix 2500 camera; posted on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Pinterest, Instagram, and Tumblr). #janetkuyperspoetry #janetkuypersbookreading

See YouTube video, after Thom Woodruff read his poems “Texas Spring Awakening” and “How to be Invisible”, of Janet Kuypers’ June 2018 Book Release Reading 6/6/18, where she read her #metoo poems “White Knuckled”, “Raped with Words”, “Women’s Very Existence”, and “Right There, By Your Heart (v 2 & 6)” from the cc&d 6/18 256-year anniversary book “Shining” at “Community Poetry @ Half Price Books&#8221 (this video was filmed from a Panasonic Lumix T56 camera; posted on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Pinterest, Instagram, and Tumblr). #janetkuypers #janetkuyperspoetry #janetkuypersbookreading

Zinc poem by Janet Kuypers

July 20, 2022July 16, 2022 by Janet Kuypers

Zinc

Janet Kuypers

from the “ Periodic Table of Poetry” series

After my injectable medication prescription started,
I learned that the drug I had to take
would suppress my immune system,
which meant I’d have to start getting flu shots,
dress for the weather because it’s easier
to get a cold or a fever,
and get more religious
about taking more vitamins and minerals.

Time to o.d. on vitamin C.
Take some D when the sun’s not out.
Get your daily B, E, iron, calcium, and Zinc.

It’s funny, I see Zinc throat lozenges
for when people get sick
to try to speed their recovery,
but I figured I should hedge my bets
and take the supplements every day.

When I told my sister I started taking Zinc
after the injectable medication regimen began,
she was stunned. “You can take that much?
I can’t take that much Zinc like that daily.”

But the thing is, Zinc is in nearly one hundred
enzymes needed for plant and animal life.
So whether or not you think the idea
of eating this metal is good for you or not,
it’s apparently needed, and if it’ll help me stay healthy
I’ll make a point to somehow consume my share.

Besides, when cold season comes annually
I see more and more advertisements
for zinc lozenges and over the counter medications,
because zinc will help stop any infections
so that people can get on with their lives again.

I mean, two billion people in developed countries
actually even have Zinc deficiency,
which could cause growth retardation,
delayed sexual maturity, regular diarrhea,
or the one I have to fear: infection susceptibility.

So I just have to keep in mind
the ways that Zinc is needed in the body…
Being the forth most common element
(behind iron, aluminum and copper),
it’s easy to want to consume Zinc
because you think it’s entirely for your own good.
But even though Zinc as an element
is hard and brittle,
too much Zinc can actaully
sap the copper from our bodies
(because we apparently need
a lot of metal elements in our body
to keep us strong and make us work right).
And the way too much Zinc
can sap the copper from our bodies,
soil with too much Zinc from local mining
could mean that plants (which need metals
to live, and we need those plants for food)
won’t be able to absorb the other metals they need.

And since it was discovered in the seventeen hundreds,
alchemists used to burn zinc from the air,
to get what they called “white snow,”
or “philosopher’s wool,” because it collected in puffs.

Hmmm. Philosopher’s Wool.
Not half bad sounding.
Maybe I can wax philosophic
about how Zinc — this philosopher’s wool —
can protect my immune system,
and help me grapple with the
philosophical questions of life.

But really, after the Germans discovered
Zinc in the seventeen hundreds, they started
using it as a plating of steel,
and we have later found
that Zinc is a great anti-corrosive agent,
because it’s more reactive
than iron or steel.
Zinc was used throughout history also in brass,
but thinking of those nearly one hundred enzymes
used for plant and animal life that use Zinc,
it made me think of all of the compounds
and ions Zinc is now used for:
Zinc gluconate is that dietary supplement,
Zinc chloride is added to lumber as a fire retardant,
Zinc sulfide is even used in luminescent paints,
and hey, let’s make this a little more personal
for us humans here,
Zinc pyrithione is used for anti-dandruff shampoo,
and Zinc chlorinate is used in deodorants…

So yeah, from what I’ve learned
Zinc is needed in so many ways,
on so many levels, for both us animals
and the plants we need to live our lives.
It’s strange to think that one element like Zinc
can be used for many different purposes
(like stopping metals from corroding
or stopping wood from catching fire)…
But we also have to keep in mind
that Zinc, in nearly one hundred enzymes
needed for our plant and animal life,
proves that we need Zinc within us
as well as around what we need.
I don’t know, I’m just glad
that my stomach doesn’t react badly
to taking Zinc supplements daily,
because since I want to make sure
I’m as healthy as I can be
for as long as I can be,
taking more of a metallic element like Zinc
than the average person does
really is a small price to pay.

Janet Kuypers’ May 2022 Book reading 5/2/18 at Austin’s Community Poetry

July 11, 2022 by Janet Kuypers

May 2^nd marked the reading space where Janet Kuypers read material from new Scars Publications books for Community Poetry5Half Price Books, which was the only meeting like this at Half Price Books (5555 N Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX). May 2^nd also marked a May 2018 Book Release Reading of new books from Scars Publications, which saw the release of the books “About the Arts” from cc&d magazine; and “The Church” from Down in the Dirt magazine.

Because issue collection books have also been recently released, Janet Kuypers also read (in two separate readings) material from the Scars Publications cc&d January-April 2018 issue collection book “Not a Trace” for the final readings of the event.

Enjoy this YouTube video of Janet Kuypers’ May 2018 Book Release Reading 5/2/18, where she read her “Who What Where When Why” performance art poems “Who What Where When Why” “Ocean’s Call to Dive”, “Underwater and Swimming” and “On the Bridge” from the cc&d 5/18 book “About the Arts” at “Community Poetry @ Half Price Books” (this video was filmed from a Panasonic Lumix 2500 camera; posted on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Pinterest, Instagram, and Tumblr). #janetkuypers #janetkuyperspoetry #janetkuypersbookreading

Enjoy this YouTube video of Janet Kuypers’ May 2018 Book Release Reading 5/2/18, where she read her “Who What Where When Why” performance art poems “Who What Where When Why” “Ocean’s Call to Dive”, “Underwater and Swimming” and “On the Bridge” from the cc&d 5/18 book “About the Arts” at “Community Poetry @ Half Price Books” (this video was filmed from a Panasonic Lumix T56 camera; posted on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Pinterest, Instagram, and Tumblr). #janetkuypers #janetkuyperspoetry #janetkuypersbookreading

Enjoy this YouTube video of Janet Kuypers at her 5/2/18 “May 2018 Book Release Reading” Austin feature reading, reading from the cc&d January-April 2018 issue collection book “Not a Trace” haiku “He’s an Escapist”, then her poems “There I Sit”, “Victim”, “Knew I Had to be Ready”, and “Tight Rope Affair” from her show “Energy with Poetry and Music” for “Community Poetry @ Half Price Books” (this video was filmed from a Panasonic Lumix T56 camera; posted on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Pinterest, Instagram, and Tumblr). #janetkuyperspoetry #janetkuypersbookreading

Enjoy this YouTube video of Janet Kuypers at her 5/2/18 “May 2018 Book Release Reading” Austin feature reading, reading from the cc&d January-April 2018 issue collection book “Not a Trace” haiku “He’s an Escapist”, then her poems “There I Sit”, “Victim”, “Knew I Had to be Ready”, and “Tight Rope Affair” from her show “Energy with Poetry and Music” for “Community Poetry @ Half Price Books” (this video was filmed from a Panasonic Lumix 2500 camera; posted on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Pinterest, Instagram, and Tumblr).#janetkuyperspoetry #janetkuypersbookreading

Enjoy this YouTube video of Janet Kuypers at her 5/2/18 “May 2018 Book Release Reading” Austin feature reading, reading from the cc&d January-April 2018 issue collection book “Not a Trace” haiku poems “brain”, “escape”, and “don’t”, plus her poems “Xerostomia” & “Utopia Never Happened&#8221 from her show “Our Cultural Independence and Achieving Global Freedom” at “Community Poetry @ Half Price Books” (filmed from a Panasonic Lumix T56 camera; posted on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Pinterest, Instagram, and Tumblr). #janetkuyperspoetry #janetkuypersbookreading

Enjoy this YouTube video of Janet Kuypers at her 5/2/18 “May 2018 Book Release Reading” Austin feature reading, reading from the cc&d January-April 2018 issue collection book “Not a Trace” haiku poems “brain”, “escape”, and “don’t”, plus her poems “Xerostomia” & “Utopia Never Happened&#8221 from her show “Our Cultural Independence and Achieving Global Freedom” at “Community Poetry @ Half Price Books” (filmed from a Panasonic Lumix 2500 camera; posted on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Pinterest, Instagram, and Tumblr). #janetkuyperspoetry #janetkuypersbookreading

See this YouTube video 5/2/18 of Janet Kuypers’ May 2018 Book Release Reading, where she first read her Down in the Dirt 5/18 book “The Church” poems “JY asks”, “zoo / putting on a show”, “You and I, Walking Through Georgetown”, and “Returning to Georgetown”, in Community Poetry @ Half Price Books (this video was filmed from a Panasonic Lumix T56 camera; posted on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Pinterest, Instagram, and Tumblr). #janetkuypers #janetkuyperspoetry #janetkuypersbookreading

Enjoy this YouTube video of Janet Kuypers’ May 2018 Book Release Reading 5/2/18, where she first read her Down in the Dirt 5/18 book “The Church” poems “JY asks”, “zoo / putting on a show”, “You and I, Walking Through Georgetown”, and “Returning to Georgetown”, in Community Poetry @ Half Price Books (from a Panasonic Lumix T56 camera, with an Edge Detection filter).

Janet Kuypers’ 4/29/18 Austin poetry Bomb

May 24, 2022 by Janet Kuypers

In continuing with the tradition of the annual meetings of the Poetry Comb (started on the last Sunday of April in Chicago), Janet Kuypers decided to go sponsor Austin’s 2018 Poetry Bomb at Graffiti Wall at Castle Hill outdoors for her Austin, TX installment of this annual Chicago poetry tradition on April 29^th, 2017, starting at 3:30 in the afternoon. She invited people to got together to read poetry at a place that is not an open mic, to just share poetry with passers-by — and people did go there to join her to read poetry — usually Janet Kuypers would not go to the same venue more than once, but because the Baylor Street Art Wall (the Graffiti Wall) was being shut down this year, Janet Kuypers had to come back to this iconic location one more time.

See YouTube video from 4/29/18 of Janet Kuypers reading her prose “Type “A” Person”, then her poems “Venture to the Unknown” and “I’m Thinking About Myself Too Much” from her performance art collection book “Chapter 38 v1” toward the end of the Austin 2018 Poetry Bomb at the Baylor Street Art Wall (this video was filmed from a Panasonic Lumix 2500 camera).

See a 36+ minute YouTube video of Janet Kuypers and Thom Woodruff going back and forth with poetry; where Janet Kuypers read her poems “Helping Men in Public Places”, “I Want”, and “Last Before Extinction”, then John Yotko read a poem he just wrote the day before, then Janet Kuypers read her poems “Warren Stories” and “Kurt Irons”, then Thom spoke, then Janet Kuypers read her poems “Never Did the Same”, “All These Reminders”, “Who You Tell Your Dreams To”, and “You and Me and Your Girlfriend”, then Thom spoke, then Janet Kuypers read her poems “My Mother My Mother My Mother”, then her prose “NASA Project”, and finally her poem “Moonlight”, all read from her performance art collection book “Chapter 38 v1” at the official beginning 4/29/18 of the Austin installment of the 2018 Poetry Bomb at the Baylor Street Art Wall (this video was filmed from a Panasonic Lumix 2500 camera).

See YouTube video of Janet Kuypers reading her poems “Everything was Alive and Dying” and “Communication” from her performance art collection book “Chapter 38 v1” before the official beginning 4/29/18 of the Austin installment of the 2018 Poetry Bomb at the Baylor Street Art Wall (this video was filmed from a Panasonic Lumix 2500 camera).

See YouTube from 4/29/18 of Janet Kuypers reading her poems “Coquinas” and “How Do I Explain It” from her performance art collection book “Chapter 38 v1” before the official beginning of the Austin installment of the 2018 Poetry Bomb at the Baylor Street Art Wall (this video was filmed from a Panasonic Lumix T56 camera).

Janet Kuypers was live — at Baylor Street Art Wall.